History of Sri Kedarnath Ji

A famous holy town dedicated to Lord Shiva, Sri Kedarnath Ji is located in the magical surroundings of Himalayan mountain ranges. It is mounted at a height of 3583 meters above the sea level on a marshy plain. Kedar is one more name of Lord Shiva, who is the protector and the destroyer. The Lord Shiva is considered the personification of all kinds of passions – love, fear, hatred, death and mysticism – articulated through his various forms. As per the story goes by, Nara and Narayana – two incarnations of Vishnu – performed severe sacrament in Badrikashraya of Bharat Khand, in front of a Shivalingam that came out of earth. Contented with their devotion, Lord Shiva appeared in front of them and asked them for a Vardaan. Then, both the incarnations of Lord Vishnu requested Shiva to take up an enduring dwelling as a Jyotirlingam at Kedarnath, so that all people worshipping Shiva shall be freed from their desolations.

In the Chamoli district, there are more than 200 shrines devoted to Lord Shiva and the most important one is Sri Kedarnath Ji. According to stories, the Pandavas felt guilty over their win on Kaurvas, as the Kurukshetra battle resulted in the loss of their cousin brothers. In order to ward off that guilt, they sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption. He avoided them constantly and took refuge at Sri Kedarnath Ji in the form of a bull while fleeing. On being chased after, he dived into the ground, parting his hump on the surface. The other portions of Lord Shiva became visible at four other places and are worshipped there as his demonstration. The arms appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madmaheshwar and his hair with head at Kalpeshwar.