Kedarnath and Bhimashankar Temples: 12 Jyotirlingas (Part 4)

Popular as the ‘lord of the field’, Baba Kedarnath is present in this holy shrine situated on the Garhwal Himalayan Range near Mandakini river in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. The temple is one of the four Chota Char Dham and is the first of the Panch Kedar pilgrimage sites. According to Hindu Ithihas, these panch sites are built by Pandavas, the heroes of the Kurukshetra Yudha. After the yudha, they wished to atone for the sins of committing gotra hatya and Brahmanahatya during the yudha (war). Lord Shiva was enraged by the dishonesty at the Kurukshetra and so he tried to avoid Pandavas, first in the holy city of Kashi which is believed to be Shiva’s favourite, and then in the Garhwal region by taking the form of Nandi Bail (bull), although Bhima, the second of the five Pandavas saw a bull grazing near Guptakashi and immediately recognized him to be Shiva.

Bhima caught hold of the bull by its tail and hind legs, but the bull-formed Shiva disappeared into the ground and later reappear in parts, with the hump raising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tungnath, the face showing up at Rudranath, the nabhi, and stomach surfacing in Madhyamaheshwar and the hair appearing in Kalpeshwar. These appearances of Lord Shiva pleased Pandavas and so, they started built these five temples and worshipped him, and thus, they were freed from their sins. This is how Kedarnath got its importance. There is also a reference to Kedarnath Dham in Skanda Purana, which contains a story describing the origin of Maa Ganga (river). Due to extreme cold climatic conditions, this shrine is open for worship only between the months of April (Akshaya Tritiya) and November (Kartik Purnima). For the next six months, the vigraha (deity) from this shrine is carried down to Ukhimath where it is worshipped. The temple is the highest (altitude) among the 12 jyotirlingas.

Source of the river Bhima which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna river, Bhimashankar is one of the three jyotirlingas situated in the state of Maharashtra in the ghat region of Sahyadri mountains near Pune district. Far away from the ruckus of urban life, this shrine is a pilgrim’s paradise and one of God’s choicest creations peeping through the white clouds and residing in the lap of dense forests. The structure of the temple is a composite one in the Nagara style of architecture which shows the excellence of the skills of ancient Vishwakarma sculptors. As with other temples of Lord Shiva, the sanctum is at a lower level.

The lingam is exactly at the centre of the floor of the Garbhagriham and the idol of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s Vahan has been installed as is the case with all the Shiva Temples, just at the entrance of the temple. Worship services are offered three times a day, thus the aura is full of spirit and enthusiasm all the time. Though it is open for worship throughout the year, it is better for trekking lovers to travel in the monsoon, or else August to February is the most ideal time for the visit. Mahashivratri is a season of great festivity here along with the holy month of Sawaan.