Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand

A seasonal shrine with a published opening date, an unannounced closing date, and no published daily darshan hours. The queue at the temple runs on tokens rather than on a clock.

Nobody knows for certain who first built Kedarnath Temple or when. Wikipedia notes that the original builder and date are uncertain. The Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) says the present temple was originally built in the 8th century AD by Adi Shankaracharya, next to an earlier structure linked with the Pandavas. The Government of Uttarakhand's pilgrim portal describes it the same way: tradition credits the Pandavas with the first temple, and Adi Shankaracharya revived it in the 8th century CE.

Written references go back a long way. Wikipedia cites a story in the Skanda Purana naming Kedara as the place where Shiva released the waters of the Ganges from his matted hair. By the 12th century Kedarnath appears in the Kritya-kalpataru, written by Bhatta Lakshmidhara, a minister of the Gahadavala kings. Adi Shankaracharya's link with the place runs deep: some accounts of his life say he died in the mountains near Kedarnath, and his samadhi shrine stands behind the temple.

BKTC describes a temple built of very large, heavy, evenly cut grey stone slabs on a rectangular platform, with inscriptions on the grey steps, carved figures and mythological scenes on the inner walls, and a Nandi statue guarding the entrance. The sanctum holds the conical rock worshipped as Shiva.

The temple's recent history is marked by the flash floods of 16 and 17 June 2013. According to Wikipedia, a huge boulder lodged behind the temple and turned the debris aside, so the building survived while the complex and the area around it were destroyed and hundreds of pilgrims and local people died. The boulder is now worshipped as Bhim Shila. Teams from the Archaeological Survey of India and IIT Madras later found the structure stable.

Altitude

3,584 metres

Deity

Shiva, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas

Revived by

Adi Shankaracharya, 8th century

Trek

About 16 km from Gaurikund

Open

Roughly April to November

Winter seat

Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath

Why Kedarnath matters to Hindus

Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred shrines of Shiva, and BKTC and Wikipedia both describe it as the highest of them. It is also one of the four shrines of Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra, and the first of the Panch Kedar, the five Shiva temples of Garhwal: Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar. Wikipedia adds that it is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams praised in the Tamil Tevaram hymns.

The best known story is a legend from the Mahabharata tradition. After the Kurukshetra war, the Pandavas went looking for Shiva to atone for killing their kin. Shiva kept avoiding them and hid at Kedarnath in the form of a bull (BKTC says a buffalo). When Bhima caught hold of it, the animal sank into the ground, and in the legend its hump stayed at Kedarnath while other parts of the body appeared at the other Panch Kedar shrines. BKTC says the conical rock in the sanctum is worshipped as Shiva in his Sadashiva form.

The deity's yearly journey is part of the temple's importance. When the doors close for winter, BKTC says a symbolic statue of Shiva is carried down to the Omkareshwar Temple at Ukhimath and worshipped there until the temple reopens in spring.

More facts about Kedarnath

Deity

Shiva, worshipped in his Sadashiva form as a conical rock formation

Status

One of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva, and part of the Char Dham and the Panch Kedar

Where

On the bank of the Mandakini river, Rudraprayag district, Garhwal, Uttarakhand

Altitude

3,584 metres above sea level

The trek

About 16 km from Gaurikund, the nearest road head

Administered by

Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, constituted under a 1939 Act

Winter seat

Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath

Season

Open to the public only between April and November because of extreme weather

Also known as

Kedarnath Dham, Shri Kedarnath, Kedarnath Jyotirlinga, Kedareshwar, Kedarnath Mandir

Registration, a darshan token and the phone ban are the three rules most likely to change a visit. Each is published by the state government or the temple committee.

Neither BKTC nor the state portal publishes a dress code for Kedarnath on the pages read here. The state portal does publish what to bring, and at 3,584 metres the clothing advice is not optional.

• Carry warm clothing: jacket, shawl, gloves and the like.
• Carry prescribed medicines, if any.
• Carry valid personal ID proof.
• Do not consume alcohol or tobacco.

Kedarnath can only be visited while the temple is open, which is roughly April or May to October or November. BKTC says the shrine usually opens in Vaishakh (April to May) and closes on the first day of Kartik (October to November). In winter, snowfall of up to several metres is common and temperatures drop below zero. BKTC calls May to November the best months overall.

Within the season, BKTC describes May and June as very pleasant and moderately cold, which makes them the easiest months for the trek. From July to mid-September the monsoon brings regular rain and landslides, which makes the roads and the path risky. After the rains, the weeks before the doors close in autumn are another option, but nights at 3,584 metres are cold. Whenever you go, register first and pack warm clothes, as the state portal advises.

Tips before you go

• Register for the Char Dham Yatra before you set out. It is free, and you must verify yourself when you reach the shrine.
• Collect a darshan slot token at the Dham. The portal lists a queue token counter at the temple.
• Leave your phone behind: mobile phones, photos, videos and reels are banned inside the temple premises.
• Book helicopter shuttle tickets only on heliyatra.irctc.co.in, the one source BKTC names.
• Allow 6 to 8 hours for the 16 km walk up from Gaurikund.
• Carry warm clothes, a valid photo ID and any medicines you take, and do not bring alcohol or tobacco.

Kedarnath's calendar and its approach are both unusual. The deity moves with the seasons, and the last stretch is on foot or by air.

The opening of the doors

The 2026 opening date was announced on Maha Shivaratri, 15 February, after Panchang calculations at the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath. The Panchmukhi Doli of Kedarnath left Ukhimath on 19 April, reached Gaurikund on 20 April and arrived at Kedarnath Dham on 21 April, and the doors opened with traditional rituals at 8 AM on 22 April.

BKTC describes the reverse journey at the onset of winter: on an auspicious date it announces in advance, the symbolic statue of Shiva is carried down to Ukhimath and worshipped there until the temple reopens in the spring.

Reaching the temple

The road ends at Gaurikund. BKTC and the state portal both describe a trek of about 16 km from there to the temple, and the portal estimates six to eight hours on foot. From Dehradun it gives about 250 km by road to Gaurikund via Rishikesh, Rudraprayag, Guptkashi and Sonprayag.

The state portal lists helicopter services from Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata. BKTC names Rishikesh as the nearest railway station and Jolly Grant as the nearest airport, and suggests Sitapur, Sonprayag and Guptkashi as places to stay for a single-day visit by helicopter or pony.