The Kedernath
Temple, situated at a height about
3600m in the Himalayas, is one of the holiest
places of worship for the Hindus. It is believed that a devotee visiting this
shrine in Uttarakhand State of India would be exonerated of all
his sins and would attain Swarga (Heaven). For about 1200 years millions of
devotees have made the hazardous trip to Kedernath which is not accessible by
road, to obtain absolution.
The beautiful photograph of
the Temple
(from Wikimedia Commons) given below was taken in 1860 by the Geological Survey of India (GSI):
Who built the sanctuary and
when? According to Indian Mythology the Pandavas went to Kedernath to meet Lord
Shiva after the Kurushetra War to obtain forgiveness for having killed many,
including some of their gurus and several relatives. The Lord avoided meeting
them.
But the Pandavas persisted
in their search for Shiva and made a promise that they would build a temple for
him. Finally they were able to meet the Lord and were cleansed of their sins.
And they built the temple at Kedernath on the banks of Mandakini
River which is a tributary of the Ganges. The place is about 225kms from Rishikesh.
Over the many centuries that
passed the Pandava structure might have been destroyed. But in the 8c Adi
Shankara went to the place with his disciples. It is believed that he built the
present Temple
at the same location as the Pandava shrine or near it. The walls of the
existing structure, it is said, are 3m thick.
Adi Shankara with his desciples
by Raja Ravi Varma.
Twelve centuries later, in
June 2013, the clouds burst over the western Himalayas, and the deluge
threatened Kedernath
Temple. There is a claim
that a huge rock rolled down and stopped itself behind the Temple so that the flood waters would flow to
either side and not directly hit the building.
The Archaeological Survey
reports that nevertheless there have been some cracks on the structure. The Temple is shut down and
the ASI has been asked to repair whatever damage there is. A photo of the temple
by ASI after the floods is reproduced below from the web:
The Uttarakhand Government
has announced that the shrine would remain closed for at least one year. A more
practical estimate says pilgrims may be able to visit Kedernath only after
three years.
There appears to be an
interesting comparison in this to what had happened millenniums back. Lord
Shiva made the Pandavas wait for long to obtain an interface. That would have
enhanced the immensity of their remorse. Perhaps the Lord now wants those who
plan to visit Kedernath to stay at home, lead a good life and do penance for
their sins till he is ready again to grant them audience.
2 comments:
Informative and interesting as usual - thanks for posting.
Thank you Roc.
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