Rudranath

Coordinates: 30°32′0″N 79°20′0″E / 30.53333°N 79.33333°E / 30.53333; 79.33333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with the Rudranath Temple at Rudraprayag

Rudranath
Pandavas
, according to legend
Completedunknown
Elevation2,290 m (7,513 ft)

Rudranath (

Garhwal Himalayan mountains in Uttarakhand, India. Located at 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) above sea level,[1][2] this natural rock temple is situated within a dense forest of rhododendron dwarfs and Alpine pastures.[3] The temple is the second temple to be visited in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit, comprising five Shiva temples in the Garhwal region to be visited in a strict pecking order starting with Kedarnath (Sanskrit: केदारनाथ) at an altitude of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), the Tungnath (तुंगनाथ)(3,680 m or 12,070 ft), Rudranath (रुद्रनाथ) (3,550 m or 11,500 ft), Madhyamaheshwar (मध्यमहेश्वर) (3,490 m or 11,450 ft) and Kalpeshwar
(कल्पेश्वर) (2,200 m or 7,200 ft).

The face (mukha) of god Shiva is worshipped as "Neelakantha Mahadeva" here. The trek starts from Sagar Village which is approximately 3 km away from

Gopeshwar. This trek goes through the Anusuya Devi Temple. The trek is very hard with a distance of approximately 24 km.[3]

View from Naola Pass

Legends and worship

The Rudranath Temple is believed to be established by the

Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata
. The Pandavas defeated and slayed their cousins — the
Nandi
) and hid in the Garhwal region.

Not finding Shiva in Varanasi, the Pandavas went to

Garhwal Himalayas. Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers, then standing astride two mountains started to look for Shiva. He saw a bull grazing near Guptakashi (“hidden Kashi” — the name derived from the hiding act of Shiva). Bhima immediately recognized the bull to be Shiva. Bhima caught hold of the bull by its tail and hind legs. But the bull-formed Shiva disappeared into the ground to later reappear in parts, with the hump appearing in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tungnath, the face appearing at Rudranath, the nabhi (navel) and stomach appearing in Madhyamaheshwar and the hair appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavas pleased with this reappearance in five different forms, built temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping Shiva. The Pandavas were thus freed from their sins.[3][4][5]

A variant of the tale credits Bhima of not only catching the bull, but also stopping it from disappearing. Consequently, the bull was torn asunder into five parts and appeared at five locations in the

yagna (fire sacrifice) and then through the heavenly path called the Mahapanth (also called Swargarohini), attained heaven or salvation.[citation needed
]. The Panch Kedar Temples are constructed in the North-Indian Himalayan Temple architecture with the Kedarnath, Tungnath and Madhyamaheshwar temples looking similar.

After completing the pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's

Lord Vishnu at the Badrinath Temple, as a final affirmatory proof by the devotee that he has sought blessings of Lord Shiva.[6]

In winter, a symbolic image of Shiva is brought from Rudranath to

Gopeshwar
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 place is protected by Vandevi or Vandevatas. The temple celebrates an annual fair on the
Gopeshwar.[7]

At Nandikund (2,439 m or 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 that of Pandavas.[8]

Geography

Panch Kedar
Kedarnath
Tungnath
Rudranath
Madhyamaheshwar
Kalpeshwar

There are numerous

Gaya.[1][9] The mountain peaks of Trisul, Nanda Devi, Devasthan, Hathi Parbat and Nanda Ghunti are visible from Rudranath.[3]
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.[9]

Map of Rudranath

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant,

Anusuya, who is believed to help devotees in distress.[2] A 45 km (28 mi) trek path is available from Joshimath via Helang too (considered a strenuous trek).[1]
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. [citation needed]

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Rudranath Temple". Part of "National portal of India" (Govt. of India). National Informatics Centre, District Uni Chamoli, Uttarakhand. Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "Panch Kedar: Rudranath". Shri Badrinath -Shri Kedarnath Temple Committee. 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9788173870064
    . Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Panch Kedar Yatra". Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  5. ISBN 9788185880167
    .
  6. ^ "Panch Kedar". Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  7. ISBN 9788175330818
    .
  8. ^ "Panch Kedar – Rudranath". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  9. ^
    ISBN 9788122309973
    .
  10. ^
    ISBN 9781900949798
    .
  11. ^ Sharma, K P (1998). Garhwal & Kumaon. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 83.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rudranath&oldid=1202641655"