Rudranath
is located at an 2286 mts in Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand.This temple is
dedicated to lord shiva.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.
History
:
This
temple was constructed in 8th Century.
Legends
:
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 epic Kurukshetra 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.
Temple
:
Here
Lord shiva is worshipped as Nilkanth Mahadeva.Here first the Vandevi is
worshipped. The local belief is that Vandevi protects the area. The Kheshtra is
protected by Vandevi or Vandevatas.
Poojas
:
Every
morning priest perform the Shingar to the idol of Lord Shiva and decorates as a
face and removed in the evening.
Festivals
:
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.
In
winter a symbolic image of Shiva is brought 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.
Best
Time To Visit : May to
october
Summers
(April to August): The climate is very pleasant with around 15 - 20°C
Monsoons (September to
November) : This period is
good for sight seeing as the hilly panoramic views are very attractive in
rains.
Winters
(December to March): chilly days with average minimum touching near 4°C. Minimum
can touch sub zero levels.
How to Get Here :
By Bus
: Gopeshwar is well connected through road. Rudranath can be accessed by foot
from Gopeshwar. Gopeshwar is connected by state buses to Rishikesh, Dehradun,
Kotdwara, Haridwar and other hill stations of Kumaon and Garhwal Hills.
By
Train : Nearest railhead at Rishikesh, 215 km away from Rudrarnath.
By Air
: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, which is about 230 km
from Rudranath.
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