Maha Shivaratri 2025: Exploring The Sacred Panch Kedar Of Uttarakhand

With Maha Shivaratri 2025 fast approaching on February 26, devotees all over India are praying for good fortune and grace in the country's numerous Lord Shiva temples. Just like the Pancha Bhuta Sthalams of South India, there are a group of five temples in North India that are revered for their worship of Shiva—the Panch Kedar.

Located in the Garhwal Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, the Panch Kedar is the subject of many legends that link their creation to the Pandavas, the heroes of the Indian epic "Mahabharata." Here's what you need to know about them.

The Legend Behind The Temples

The most popular folk legend says that after the Kurukshetra war, the Pandavas wished to atone for their fratricide sins by seeking Shiva's blessings. They first went to Varanasi, but Shiva, who was incensed by the death and dishonesty in the war, assumed the form of a bull (Nandi) and hid in the Garhwal region to avoid detection.

After their unsuccessful efforts in Varanasi, the Pandavas went to Garhwal Himalayas. Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers, started to look for Shiva and saw a bull grazing near Guptakashi (“hidden Kashi”—the name derived from the hiding act of Shiva). Bhima immediately recognised the bull as Shiva and caught hold of the animal by its tail and hind legs. But the bull-formed Shiva disappeared into the ground, only to later reappear in parts, with the hump appearing in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tungnath, his face showing up at Rudranath, the navel surfacing in Madhyamaheshwar and his hair appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavas, pleased with this reappearance of Shiva in five different forms, built temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping the deity. Thus, they were thus freed from their sins.

Religious worshippers have to follow a strict pecking order to pray at the Pancha Kedar. They have to start at the Kedarnath Temple (3,583 metres), move onto the Tungnath Temple (3,680 metres), then the Rudranath Temple (3,559 metres), followed by the Madhyamaheshwar Temple (3,490 metres) before finally arriving at the Kalpeshwar Temple (2,200 metres).

Kedarnath Temple

The Kedarnath Temple is located in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district. Inside is a conical-shaped Shiva lingam that symbolises the hump of Shiva. Reaching the temple requires a trek of approximately 19 kilometres from Gaurikund, which usually takes around 6-7 hours to complete. The Kedarnath Temple is also part of the Char Dham Yatra, an annual pilgrimage that cuts across four holy sites.

Getting There

Travel to Gaurikund, the base camp for Kedarnath. From there, you can either trek or hire local transport services. Buses are also available from major cities in Uttarakhand to Gaurikund.

Tungnath Temple

Tungnath is a sacred shrine that is situated amidst the snowy trails of Garhwal's Rudraprayag district. In fact, the temple is considered as the highest Shiva temple in the world. Of all the Panch Kedar trek routes, the route to Tungnath is the shortest: only 5 kilometres from Chopta that can be covered in approximately 4–5 hours.

Getting There

Take a flight to Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport (DED) or a bus or taxi from Rishikesh or Haridwar to Chopta. The nearest railhead is in Rishikesh (RKSH). Visitors can also drive from cities like Delhi or Dehradun.

Rudranath Temple

This natural rock temple is situated amidst the awe-inspiring scenic beauty of alpine meadows and dense rhododendron forest. Surrounding the temple are holy pools like the Surya Kund, Chandra Kund, Tara Kund and Mana Kund. Several trekking routes lead to this temple, with many starting from Gopeshwar village. Since the holy river Vaitarani or Rudraganga flows near the temple, the water body has been identified as the "river of salvation," where souls of the dead cross to reach the other world. Thus, devotees visit the Rudranath Temple to perform rituals for dead loved ones.

Getting There

Helang is the nearest town to Rudranath. From Helang, you can continue the journey via trek to reach the Rudranath Temple. The nearest railway station is Rishikesh (RKSH), where you can hire a taxi or bus to go to Helang. You can also consider a flight to Jolly Grant Airport (DED).

Madhyamaheshwar Temple

Located in the picturesque Mansoona village of the Garhwal Himalayas, the Madhyamaheshwar Temple is surrounded by magnificent snow-covered peaks, including Kedarnath, Chaukhamba and Neelkantha. Here, a navel-shaped Shiva lingam, made of black stone, is enshrined in the sanctum. There are also two other smaller shrines, one for the Goddess Parvati and the other dedicated to Ardhanarishwara, a half-Shiva, half-Parvati figure. To the right of the main temple is another smaller one where the image of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, has been installed in marble. The trek to Madhyamaheshwar Temple starts from Uniana, which is about 18 kilometres away from Ukhimath. The total trek distance is 19 kilometres.

Getting There

Travel by road to Uniana, the starting point of the trek to the shrine. You can also take a flight from Jolly Grant Airport (DED) and travel by car or bus to Uniana.

Kalpeshwar Temple

The fifth and final temple in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit is the Kalpeshwar Temple. Unlike the others, which close during the winter, it remains open year-round. At this small stone temple, approached through a cave passage, the matted tress (jata) of Shiva is worshipped. Earlier it was approachable only by a 12-kilometre trek from the nearest roadhead in Helang, but now the road goes up to Devgram village from where the trek to the temple is just 300 metres.

Getting There

The nearest railway station is Rishikesh (RKSH) and the closest airport is Jolly Grant (DED), both of which have road access to Kalpeshwar. Motorable roads connect Sagar village to Helang.