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Rudranath (Sanskrit: रुद्रनाथ) is a Hindu temple dedicated to god Shiva, located in theGarhwal Himalayan mountains in Uttarakhand, India. Located at 2,286 metres (7,500 ft) above sea level, this natural rock temple is situated within a dense forest ofrhododendron dwarfs and Alpine pastures. The temple is the third temple to be visited in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit, comprising five Shiva temples in the Garhwal region. The other temples in the circuit include: Kedarnath and Tungnath to be visited before Rudranath and Madhyamaheshwar or Madmaheshwar and Kalpeshwar to be visited after Rudranath. The face (mukha) of god Shiva is worshipped as "Nilkanth Mahadeva" here.
Coordinates: | 30°32′0″N 79°20′0″E |
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Legends and worship
The Rudranath temple is believed to be established by the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Legend has it that the Pandavas came to the Himalayan mountains in search of god Shiva, to redeem them of the sins of killing in the epicKurukshetra war.
God Shiva did not wanted to meet them and escaped in form
of a bull in the ground and reentered in parts in the Panch Kedar places: the
hump raising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tunganath, the navel and
stomach surfacing in Madhyamaheswar, the face showing up at Rudranath and the
hair and the head appearing in Kalpeshwar. In winter, a symbolic image of
Shiva is brought toGopeshwar for worship. The Doli Yatra starts from Gopeshwar via
Sagar. The Doli Yatris cross Lyuti Bugyal and Panar and finally reach
Pitradhar. The worship of ancestors is done here. Then, after crossing Dhalabni
Maidan, the Doli or the symbolic image of Shiva, reaches Rudranath.Here first
the Vandevi is worshipped. The local belief is that Vandevi protects the area.
The Kheshtra is protected by Vandevi or Vandevatas. The temple celebrates an
annual fair on the full
moon day in the Hindu month of Sravan(July–August) that is mostly on the
day of Rakshabandhan. The fair is attended mainly by locals. The priests
at the Rudranath temple are Bhatts and Tiwaris of Gopeshwar village.
At Nandikund
(2,439 m/8,002 ft), on the trekking route to Rudranath (if coming via
Madhmaheshwar), devotees worship old historic swords protruding from the rocks,
believed to be of Pandavas.
Geography
There are numerous
sacred water tanks ("Kund") near the temple. These include
Surya-kund, Chandra-kund, Tara-kund, Mana-Kund etc. Nanda Devi, Trishul and
Nanda Ghunti are the famous mountain peaks, which provide the backdrop to the
temple. The holy river Vaitarani or
Baitarani or Rudraganga flows near the temple, which has a grey stone idol of
Rudranath. The river is identified with the "river of
salvation", where souls of the dead cross to reach the other world. Thus,
devotees visit Rudranath to perform rituals of the dead, such as performing
a pindoffering. Some believe that offering a pind to
ancestors here equals offering a hundred million at the holy city of Gaya. The mountain peaks of Trisul,Nanda
Devi, Devasthan, Hathi
Parbat and Nanda Ghunti are visible from Rudranath. The name
"Rudranath", literally means, "Him who is Angry." The
mountain cave of Rudranath was modified into the temple we see today.
Access
Rudranath is
sometimes considered as the toughest Panch Kedar temple to reach.
The nearest airport
is Jolly Grant, Dehradun(258 km/160 mi). The nearest
railway station is Rishikesh(241 km/150 mi). Most
trekking routes to Rudranath are fromGopeshwar or
nearby places. A motorable road is present up to the village Sagar — 5 km
(3 mi) from Gopeshwar, beyond which a 20 km (12 mi) trek has to
be undergone to reach Rudranath. The trek winds through tall grass, oak and
rhododendron forests. The trek path is stated to be slippery. Other routes
include: an uphill, 17 km (11 mi) trek from Gangolgaon — 3 km
(2 mi) from Gopeshwar — through the forest and Panar and Naila shepherd
settlements. Another trek route from Gopeshwar to Rudranath passes via
Mandal (13 km/8 mi) and then additional 6 km (4 mi) to the
Anusuya Devi temple and then another 3 km (2 mi) to Rudranath. The
Anusuya Devi temple is home to goddess Anusuya,
who is believed to help devotees in distress. A 45 km (28 mi)
trek path is available from Joshimath via
Helang too (considered a strenuous trek). There's also a trekking route to
Rudranath from Kalpeshwar, via Dumak,Kalgont Kimana and Palla. The route meets
at Urgam village, a little ahead of which is Kalpeshwar.
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