HILLBILLY
LOKESH OHRI
Nestled in Garhwal’s magical landscape are the five sacred temples to Shiva, collectively known as the Panch-Kedar. These five temples are considered highly significant pilgrimage destinations for devotees of Lord Shiva. Each of the Panch Kedar temples is associated with a distinct episode from mythology.
For instance, Raja Pandu died at Pandukeshwar. The mountain top where the Pandavas went to swarga, the proverbial heaven, is known as Swargarohini, which is located off Badrinath. When Dharmaraja was leaving for swarga, one of his fingers fell on the earth here. At that place, Dharmaraj installed a Shiva lingam, which is the size of a thumb. To gain Mahisharupa, Shankara and Bheema fought with maces. Bheema was struck with remorse after he realised that he had been fighting the lord of the universe himself. He started to massage Lord Shankara’s limbs with ghee to please him. In memory of this event, even today, the pyramidal Shiva jyotirlingam at Kedarnath is massaged with clarified butter made out of cow’s milk. Ganga water and Bel leaves are also used for worship.
Another legend says that when Nara-Narayana went to Badrika village and started the worship of Parthiva, Shiva appeared before them. Nara-Narayana wished that, for the welfare of humanity, Shiva should remain there in his original form. Granting their wish, in the snow-clad Himalayas, in a place called Kedar, Mahesha himself stayed there as the eternal light. Here, he is known as Kedareshwara. The five shrines to Shiva, Kedarnath, Madhyamaheshwar, Tungnath, Rudranath and Kalpeshwar, thus became pilgrim destinations.
Kedarnath is the most prominent among the Panch Kedars. This temple in the Rudraprayag district is dedicated to Lord Kedarnath, a form of Lord Shiva, and is believed to be one of the twelve Jyotirlingams, which are considered the most sacred shrines of Shiva. Kedar is the name of a peak in the Himalayas and the word literally means ‘marshy land’. It houses the Kedareshwar Shivalingam, which was worshipped by Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Nara-Narayan. Kedarnath is also believed to be named in honour of king Kedar, who ruled in the Satya Yuga. He had a daughter named Vrinda who was a partial incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. She performed austerities for several years and the land is named after her as Vrindavan. However, local legends say that Kedarnath and its temple exists since the Mahabharata era when the Pandavas are supposed to have pleased Lord Shiva by performing penance here.
According to the Skanda Purana, there is no pilgrimage equivalent to the merit earned by undertaking the pilgrimage to Kedarnath. After the great Mahabharata battle, the great sage Ved Vyas instructed the Pandavas to visit the shrine in order to propitiate for the sin of killing their own bloodline and the killing of their gurus. He further explained to them that even the divinities like Brahma had ventured into this territory hoping to get a glimpse of Shiva. He further said that this was the sacred land where one can hear primordial vibrations and sounds of the Vedas that purify the soul.
During the Mahabharata war, Pandavas had committed fratricide and were also forced to kill their teachers; and to absolve themselves of this sin, the Pandava brothers undertook a pilgrimage to Kashi. Shiva was away in Kailash in the Himalayas. On learning of this, the Pandavas left Kashi. They reached the Himalayas via Haridwar. In a remote valley they saw Shankara from a distance. But loathe to breaking the cycle of karma and granting amnesty to sinners, he hid from them. Then, the eldest brother, Dharmaraj Yudhishthira, said:
“Oh, Lord, you have hidden yourself from our sight because we have sinned. But we will seek you out somehow. Only after we take your darshan, would our sins be washed away. This place, where you have hidden yourself will be known as Guptakashi and become a famous shrine.” From Guptkashi, Pandavas continued to walk until they reached Gaurikund in the Himalayan valleys. They wandered there in search of Shankara. While doing so, Nakula and Sahadev found a bull that was unique to look at, exuding divinity. Then, Bheema went after the bull with his mace. The bull proved to be clever, and Bheema could not catch him. Bheema managed to hit the buffalo with his mace. The buffalo hid its face in a crevice in the earth. Bheema started to pull it by its tail. In this tug-of-war, the face of the buffalo went straight to Nepal, leaving its hind part in Kedar. The face is Doleshwar Mahadev in Sipadol, Bhaktapur, Nepal. The other sacred spots where parts of the bull appeared from the sacred earth of the Himalayas, came to be known as Panch Kedar.
On the hind part of Mahesha, a jyotirlingam appeared and Lord Shankara appeared from this light. By getting a darshan of Lord Shankara, the Pandavas were absolved of their sins. The Lord told the Pandavas, “From now on, I will remain here as a pyramidal jyotirlingam. By obtaining darshan of Kedarnath, devotees would attain piety.” In the Kedarnath landscape, there are many spots that remind us of this journey of penance of the Pandava clan.
Amongst the five Kedars, Madhyamaheshwar is the second Kedar. Dedicated to the Madhyamaheshwar avatar of Shiva, it can be reached after a challenging trek from Uniana. Chapter 47 of the Skanda Purana refers to Madhyamaheshwar as a pilgrim spot situated to the south of Kedarnath. This is the spot where the navel of Lord Shiva in his bull form entered the earth. Because it is the madhya or the centre of the body, the shrine came to be called Madhyamaheshwar. The Shiva Lingam found here is also shaped like a navel. This ancient temple rests in a magnificent alpine pasture, abounding in aromatic and medicinal herbs.
Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world, situated at an elevation of about 12,073 feet. Dedicated to Lord Tungnath, it is the second temple in the Panch Kedar landscape. The temple is accessible via a trek from Chopta, and it offers breathtaking views of the Himalayan peaks. Tunganath is the sacred spot where the torso of the bull appeared. The space around the shrine is the region of Mandhata as a king by the same name had practiced penance here. There is a tradition of worshipping Bhairavnath before coming to the shrine of Tunganath. A waterfall named Akashganga flows from Tungnath. This is considered an efficacious space for propitiating the souls of the ancestors. Tungnath is also one of the most beautiful treks in this part of the Himalayas. A little ahead is Chandrashila, from where one can get a panoramic view of Nanda Devi, Panchachuli and Dronagiri due east, Chandrabadni, Guru Maniknath due west, Rudra Himalaya, Badrinath, Chaukhamba, Kedarkantha, Panwalikantha, Gangotri and Yamunotri due north and Paudi-Kandliyakhal, Lansdowne range due south.
Rudranath is dedicated to the Rudranath avatar of Shiva. A trek through beautiful alpine meadows and forests leads to the temple from the village of Sagar. It is believed the facial expression of Shiva in the bull form is visible here. Shiva was informed by Narad of the Yagya being performed by Daksha Prajapati at Kankhal, in this region. A large variety of plant and wildlife species are visible as we trek towards Rudranath.
Kalpeshwar is the easiest to access among the Panch Kedar temples. Dedicated to Shiva as Lord Kalpeshwar, it is located at an altitude of about 7,001 feet in the Urgam Valley. The dreadlocks of Lord Shiva are clearly visible on the rockface here. Located in thick forest, this picturesque shrine is located on the banks of the Hirnawati river. One needs to trek about seven kilometres from Helang Chatti to reach this site. It is believed that Urgava Rishi meditated in these forests. Therefore, the region is known as Urgam.
The Kalpnath pilgrimage region is also associated with the curse of Durvasa Rishi upon the king of the devtas, Indra. According to the Kedarkhand, Skanda Purana, Durvasa Rishi came to the region to meditate. Indra with many sages, saints, nymphs and apsaras was also in the Kailash region in the hope of getting a glimpse of Shiva. When they met, the nymphs welcomed Durvasa with a garland of fragrant flowers. Soon butterflies and beetles began to hover around the beautiful garland. When the sage Durvasa saw Indra, he presented the beautiful garland to him. The careless Indra, after removing the garland from his neck, put it around his elephant’s neck. The sage was furious, and declared a curse that since Indra was full of himself because of his wealth, they would soon lose Shri or Lakshmi. Now the Devtas, threatened by a loss of all their wealth, were in a bind. They approached Lord Brahma for help, who advised them to meet Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu further directed Indra to Shiva. After prolonged penance, Lord Shiva appeared and directed Indra to merge the waters from his eyes into the oceans, and such a merger would give rise to the Kalpavriksha, a tree that could lead to never ending prosperity. Indra did exactly as he was told and the Kalapvriksha was grown by the Devtas. The place where Shiva granted the wish of Kalpvrisha to the Devtas became well known as Kalpeshwar, and the region came to be known as Kalpnath.
The Panch Kedar pilgrimage is an essential journey for devout worshippers of Lord Shiva. It involves visiting all five of these temples, and it is typically undertaken during the summer months when the temples are accessible. The trekking routes to these temples also offer mesmerising views of the Himalayan landscape, making the journey a unique blend of spirituality and natural beauty.
(The author is a writer, traveler and anthropologist who lives in the Himalayas; views expressed are personal)
