Kedarnath Dham, situated amidst the high Himalayan mountain ranges of Uttarakhand, holds a very important place among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. This holy pilgrimage is the center of faith for every Shiva devotee, after reaching where the devotees consider their life blessed. According to religious beliefs, by visiting here a person’s troubles go away and his wishes are fulfilled. The shape of Kedarnath Jyotirlinga is considered to be triangular, which makes it different from other Jyotirlingas.
The Dham is to the Mahabharata period.
The relation of this Dham is also linked to the Mahabharata period. It is said that after the war ended, the Pandavas wanted to be freed from the sin of killing their own relatives. For this he decided to take refuge in Lord Shiva and kept wandering from Kashi to the Himalayas in search of him. But Lord Shiva was angry with him and did not want to give him darshan, so he used to change the place every time.
According to the story, when the Pandavas reached the Himalayas, Lord Shiva took the form of a bull to escape from them. At the same time Bhima recognized him and tried to catch him. In this attempt, he only got the hump of the bull. It is believed that Lord Shiva appeared in Kedarnath in the form of this hump. Pleased with the devotion and repentance of the Pandavas, Lord Shiva liberated them from their sins and established them there in the form of Jyotirlinga.
According to another belief, in ancient times great ascetics named Nar and Narayan used to worship Lord Shiva in this area. Pleased with his rigorous penance, Lord Shiva appeared and asked for a boon. Then he prayed to God to reside there permanently. Accepting his wish, Lord Shiva became present in the form of Jyotirlinga in Kedarnath.
Many interesting things to Kedarnath Dham
Many interesting things to Kedarnath Dham are also popular. It is said that this temple built by Pandavas remained buried under snow for a long time, after which Adi Shankaracharya got it rebuilt. The doors here open only for six months every year and the temple remains closed during winter. Even during closure, the lamp lit in the temple continues to burn for six months. Apart from this, ‘Bhima Shila’ located behind the temple is believed to have protected the temple during the terrible disaster of 2013, which is still worshiped with reverence.
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