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Coordinates
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30°31′37″N 79°04′54″E
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Country
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India
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Region
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Garhwal
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State
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Uttarakhand
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District(s)
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Rudraprayag
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Time zone
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IST (UTC+05:30)
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- The
temple town is located on the way to the Kedarnath, one of the Chota Char
Dhams and Panch Kedars. It has the scenic backdrop of the snow covered
peaks of Chaukhamba and enjoys a salubrious weather throughout the year.
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Legend
Popularly-narrated
legend holds that subsequent to the Kurukshetra war of the epic Mahabharata,
the Pandavas on the advise of god Krishna and other sages wished to atone for
their sins of fratricide and Brāhmanahatya committed by them during the war by
seeking pardon from Shiva and also pray for his blessings before attaining
salvation. But Shiva was not willing to meet them since he was annoyed with
them for the unjust events of the war. He, therefore, avoided meeting them at
Kashi and went incognito as the bull Nandi to Guptakashi in Uttarakhand. But
Pandavas pursued him to Guptakashi and recognized him in the disguised form of
Nandi. When Bhima, the second Pandava brother tried to hold the bull by its
tail and hind legs, Nandi vanished from Guptakashi, into the ground (into a
cave for hiding), but reappeared later as Shiva in five different forms namely,
hump at Kedarnath, face at Rudraprayag, arms at Tungnath, navel and stomach at Madhyamaheshwar
and the locks at Kalpeshwar. The vanishing act of Shiva gave the name
Guptakashi (hidden Kashi) to this place on the bank of the Mandakini River. In
the upper reaches of the Bhagirathi River, there is another Kashi, called the Uttarkashi
(North Kashi).
Mythology also
states that Shiva proposed to Parvati at Guptakashi (on the road to Kedarnath)
before they got married in the small Triyuginarayan village at the confluence
of Mandakini and Sone-Ganga rivers.
According to Puranic
literature, Kashi and Kanchi (Kanchipuram) are considered as two eyes of Shiva.
Keeping this connotation in view, six more "Kashi"s have been
prescribed to be as sacred and spiritual as the main Kashi - Varanasi.
Pilgrims, who cannot undertake the long journey to the main Kashi, can travel
to the closest Kashi. The six other "Kashi"s cover all the regions of
the country. These are: Uttarkashi and Guptakashi in Uttarakhand in Northern
Himalayas, Dakshinkashi in southern India, the Guptakashi in eastern India is
at Bhubaneswar, the Kashi at Nashik (also Paithan) in western India and a Kashi
in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh in Western Himalayas. The Puranas state that all
the Kashis have the same degree of sanctity and reverence as the main Kashi -
Varanasi.
Another legend
declares that when the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb demolished the Kashi Vishwanath
Temple in 1669, and constructed Gaynvapi Mosque (he had even renamed Varanasi
as Mohammadâbâd), the Shiva Linga was shifted to Guptakashi for safe keeping.
But the original linga of Kashi Vishwanath is stated to have remained here from
the time it was shifted.
Structures
The main temple
is dedicated to Shiva as Vishwanath (ruler of the world). The architectural
style of this temple is akin to other temples in Uttrakhand, such as Kedarnath,
built in stone with a high tower over the sanctum and a wooden frame and
sloping roof in typical architectural style of the region, at the top of the tower.
At the entrance to the temple, there are two dwarpalakas (entrance
guards) on both sides. The exterior façade is painted with lotuses. At the top
of the entrance door, there is an image of Bhairava, a terrible form of Shiva.
To the left of the main shrine, there is a smaller shrine dedicated to
Ardhanareeshvara and at the entrance to this temple there is metallic statue of
Nandi facing Shiva’s image in the temple and offering reverential worship. This
statue has a Swastika, a typical Hindu symbol, painted on its side, with its
arms aligned in a clockwise direction, considered as an auspicious direction.
Apart from the
main Vishwanath temple, a large number of Lingas, symbols of Shiva, are seen in
and around Guptakashi, which has resulted in the popular terminology ‘jitne
pathar utne shankar’ meaning “as many stones, those many 'Shiva's”. Another
temple town called the Ukhimath is located on the opposite bank of the
Mandakini river where, during the winter months when Kedarnath temple is
inaccessible due to snow conditions, the symbolic deity of Kedarnath is shifted
via Guptakashi to Ukhimath to continue worship uninterrupted. The temple
priests of Kedarnath stay at Guptakashi during the winter period.
In a small pond
(kund) called the Manikarnika Kund here, in front of the temple, a Shiva-linga
is bathed by two springs, representing the rivers Ganges (Bhagirathi) and Yamuna.
The Yamuna spring water emanates from a goumukh (spout in the shape of a
cow’s mouth) and the Bhagirathi spring flows through trunks of two elephants
strategically placed above the linga.
In addition,
there are few other important sites to visit in the vicinity of the temple
town. These are the Gandhi Sarovar (lake) 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the
town where the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were immersed. Vasukital, 8 kilometres
(5.0 mi) from Kedarnath, is yet another enchanting lake that beholds the
visitor with floating ice and sparkling water.
At Ukhimath, on
the opposite bank of the river, there is a stupa, which according to the local
version represents the grave of Nala. There are also evidences of a love legend
narrated, locally only, of Krishna’s grand son Aniruddha and demon king Banasura’s
daughter Usha at Ramgarh (in Ronitpur), near Ukhimath, about3 kilometres
(1.9 mi) away from Guptakashi. This love affair led to a war between
Krishna and Banasura in which the latter was killed, resulting in the end of
Banasura's dynasty.
Geography
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| Scenic backdrop of Chaukhamba range of hills at Guptakashi
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Guptakashi is
located in the Northern Himalayan belt within the Mandakini river valley, which
has lush green forests. A number of streams and rivulets drain into the main
Mandakini River. It has salubrious climate with its elevation being around
1,319 metres (4,327 ft). The snow sparkling view of the Chaukhamba peak is
a lovely sight to behold in the morning hours from here. The valley has large magnolia
trees (locally called Champa) that provide a sweet scented atmosphere to
the place. The temple of Madhyamaheshwar is 25 kilometres (16 mi)
northeast of Guptkashi. The road from Guptkashi to Kalimath and the trek from
Kalimath to Madhmaheshwar provide the scenic beauty of Chaukhamba, Kedarnath
and Neelkanth peaks.
Access
It is
approachable from Rudraprayag by road over a distance of 24 miles (39 km).
Rudrprayag is approached from Haridwar or Rishikesh by the National Highway,
which goes to Badrinath and beyond. It is 178 kilometres (111 mi) from
Rishikesh.
