Kedarnath is one of the twelve jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India. Therefore Kedarnath Yatra 2023 holds an important place among devotees. This post is a one-stop solution for all planning to go to the Kedarnath yatra. The important places, Kedarnath temple, and the sacred rivers are must-visit. This blog talks about the opening of the temple, the closing time of temple as well as details about the registration to Kedarnath yatra 2023.
Contents
About Kedarnath – Why is Kedarnath Famous?
It is located in the Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand state. Uttarakhand is called the “Dev-Bhumi”. Here, Kedarnath is situated at a height of 3,584 meters high from sea level. The temple is one of the pious and sacred pilgrims for the Hindus. Not only the Hindus but almost every sect believes in the divinity of Kedar Baba.
Kedarnath is located in the Garhwal Himalayas of the Shiwalik or Outer Himalayas range of the Himalayan Mountain System. It is surrounded by high mountain peaks and presents a beautiful picturesque. Kedarnath temple is one of the 275 temples of the Paadal Petra Sthalam.
These 275 temples are believed to be the greatest temples of Lord Shiva. They were revered by the Shaiva Nayanars in the 6th-9th century. They are also known as Thevara Sthalams. Kedarnath is situated on the banks of River Mandakini and is also the most remote of the four Mini or Chota Char Dhams.
Kedarnath Yatra 2023 Opening & Closing Dates:
- Kedarnath Yatra 2023 Temple
- Opening Date: 6 May 2023
- Closing Date 2023: November
- Best Time To Visit: May-Oct.
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- It is the Best Time to visit
- Summer & Post-Monsoon is The Best Time To Visit
- Due to heavy snowfall, in winter months the temple is generally closed
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- Darshan Timing: Temple Opens At 7:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Temple Closes Around 12:00 Noon
- Then Again Opens At 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
How to reach Kedarnath Dham:
By Train – The nearest railway station to Kedarnath is Rishikesh. It is situated about 216 kilometres from Kedarnath on NH58.
By Road – Buses and Taxis to Gaurikund are easily available from Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Pauri, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Srinagar, Chamoli, etc. Gaurikund lies on National Highway 109 which connects Rudraprayag with Kedarnath.
By Air – Jolly Grant is the nearest airport to Kedarnath. It is situated at a distance of about 238 kilometres.
Mini or Chota Char Dham
The Gangotri Dham, Yamunotri Dham, Badrinath Dham and Kedarnath Dham in together are known as the Chota Char Dham. The main or Big Char Dhams are the Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram.
The Chota Char Dham is located in the Uttarakhand state of India. To provide better connectivity to the circuit, Char Dham Pariyojna was started in 2016. The project was launched by PM Narendra Modi as a tribute to those who died in the floods of 2013. It is to be noted that this area is very prone to landslides. The Char Dham Mahamarga provides a safe journey to the pilgrims.
From Delhi, you can take a bus, cab or traveller to reach Sonprayag. Sonprayag is the last place where a vehicle can go. Ahead from here, you have to go on foot. No vehicle is allowed forward from here. While travelling from Delhi you will take the Haridwar-Rishiskesh Route. Haridwar is the place where the Holy Ganges enter the plains from the mountainous tracks.
From Haridwar, you will travel towards the Devprayag. Devprayag is about 95 kilometres. At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi River and the Alaknanda River confluence to form the Ganga River. From here the river flows as Ganga which later on travels to Haridwar and follows the course along. You can take a halt and have a holy dip at the snan/bathing ghat.
From Devprayag, Kedarnath is at a distance of about 152 kilometres and Badrinath is about 219 kilometres. To reach Kedarnath, you will follow the route toward Srinagar which is 36 kilometres from here and then to Rudraprayag.
Rudraprayag
Rudraprayag is one of the spots of the Panch Prayags of the Alaknanda River. Rudraprayag is the place where River Alaknanda meets the Mandakini River. This Mandakini River is flowing through the Kedarnath Temple. Rudraprayag is at a distance of about 86 kilometres from Devprayag.
The other Panch Prayag are – Vishnu Prayag where Dhauli Ganga meets Alaknanda, Nand Prayag where Nandakini meets Alaknanda and Karna Prayag where Pindar Ganga meets Alaknanda. These three prayags – Vishnu, Nanda and Karna are located on the route to Badrinath. From Rudraprayag, you will continue your journey towards the Sonprayag.
Kedarnath Yatra
The Foot Yatra begins from Gaurikund. The total distance to be covered is 16 kilometres. However, you have to park your vehicles at Sonprayag. No vehicle is allowed forward from Sonprayag. There is a facility for parking. Current charges in 2022 are Rupees 100 for cars and Rupees 50 for two-wheelers. However the price increases as per the hours.
Gauri Kund
The distance between Sonprayag to Gaurikund is about 7.8 Kilometers. You can get a shared cab from Sonprayag. At Sonprayag, there are facilities for lodging as well as dining. The foot track or paidal yatra starts from Gauri Kund. At Gauri Kund, you have to show your registration. You can register either online or at the counters at Sonprayag. It is advisable that you prefer the online mode as it makes the transition hassle-free.
You can register from the website link by clicking here for link 1 or clicking here for link 2.
There is a facility of khatchar or the mules available as well at Gauri Kund. However here the prices are high costing approximately Rupees 2500. But if you travel for 3-4 kilometres on foot, the prices of mules reduce to about Rupees 1500 to 1000. This is the catch of the yatra and you can save your precious money.
At Gauri Kund, you can take snan or dip in the hot waters. There is a temple of Gauri Maa dedicated to Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva. It is believed that Goddess Parvati did penance here involving ascetic and yoga practices to win the heart of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva admitted his love for her here.
It is also believed that Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva married at the Triyugi-narayana temple. This temple is located about 15 kilometres from Gauri Kund. However this temple is not on the route for Kedarnath. If you have time, you can definitely pay a visit.
The Palki of Lord Kedarnath is shifted to Ukhimath, near Guptakashi during the winters. Here he remains for 6 months during the harsh climates. Again in the summer, the palki is relocated to the Gauri Mandir in the Gaurikund. After the Akshay-Tritiya, the yatra starts from here with the Palki and the doors of Kedarnath open when the Palki reach the temple. The palki or doli is celebrated with dance and music performed by devotees.
Kedar Baba Palki
Jungle Chatti
After the Gauri Kund, the next place on the route is the Jungle Chatti. From here the remaining distance to Kedarnath is about 12 kilometres. Here you will find the facility for tents. You can take a halt and spend the night here.
Bheembali
On the forward journey from Jungle Chatti, the next stoppage is Bheembali. At Bheembali there is a facility for a medical camp. You can take medicines if not feeling well. As the trek is at a great height, the weather changes very drastically. You will feel warm at the Gaurikund and as you climb higher the temperature falls. Sometimes you will experience snowfall and for others may be rainfall. You can experience difficulty in breathing. If you feel any comfortless you should visit these medical camps.
Chota Lincholi
Then the next stop is the Chota Lincholi. From here an alternate track of 1.5 kilometres is provided for a pony. On the left is the traditional foot route and no khatchar or pony is allowed on this route. Foot trekkers should take this route. The two routes meet at the same spot. The pony route is however less steep but longer. You can also take this route to avoid steep climbing. Chota Lincholi is at distance of about 9.5 kilometres from Gauri Kund.
Ram Bara
Then you will find a spot called the Ram-Bara. This is the place where the 16 June 2013 disastrous flood occurred. It killed many people. The flash flood occurred because of the torrential rains. It is therefore advisable to avoid the monsoons for planning the travel because at those times the valley becomes very prone to landslides. The landslide and flood destructed the old route and the current path is the newly constructed route.
Kedarnath Base Camp
On the route, you will see beautiful landscapes of nature. The Green lushes, trees, waterfalls and also glaciers. The scene becomes so beautiful that you are bound to say that this is heaven on earth. At a distance of 4 kilometres from Linchauli/Lincholi, the last stop is the Kedarnath Base Camp. From here onwards no pony/khatchar is allowed. You have to travel the rest 1 kilometre distance to the temple on foot only. Here the two diverted routes, from Chota Lincholi, meet. You can find tent facility here as well.
Kedarnath Temple
Finally, you reach the Kedarnath Temple. Inside the Kedarnath temple, there is Baba Kedarnath in the form of conical Shivalinga. There are idols of Lord Krishna, Pandavas, Draupadi and many other deities as well. Nandi bull is in front of the temple but outside. He is seen as the protector. There is a big boulder stone just behind the temple. It is said that the rock got blocked at that place and prevented any destruction by the floods of 2013 to the temple.
According to a legend, after the war of Mahabharat, the Pandavas went to Kashi (Banaras) to meet Lord shiva but he did not want to meet them. So he took solace in Guptakashi. It is believed that the Pandavas were burdened with the guilt of killing their relatives and brothers. So they sought Lord Shiva to absolve themselves of their sins.
Lord Shiva was however did not want to release them from their sins so easily, so he took the form of a bull and roamed in the Garhwal Himalayas. When the Pandavas discovered him, Lord Shiva dived into the ground. One of the Pandavas, Bhima tried to catch him but was able to get hold of the hump only.
Other body parts of the Bull, a disguised form of Lord Shiva, came up at different places. Through cosmic energy, the Pandavas were exempted from the sins and Shiva informed them that from then onwards he would be present in form of Jyotirlinga form at Kedarnath.
It is believed that the hump of the bull was found at the Kedarnath, the navel at Madhya-Maheshwar, the two forelegs at Tunganath, the face at Rudranath and the hair at Kalpeshwar. Together these five places are known as the “Panch Kedar”.
The locals say that the original temple was built by the Pandavas whereas the current one was built by the Adi Shankaracharya. The doors of the temple open at 6:00 am. Lalit baba langar is nearby where you can have food. But the room facilities here are very poor.
Other Places To Visit
Bhairon Baba Temple
It is south of the Kedarnath Temple. It is a 500-m hike. Bhairon Baba is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva.
Chorabari Tal/Gandhi Sarovar
4 km from Kedarnath, this is the glacier from where the river Mandakini originates.
Kalimath
It is situated on the banks of river Saraswati. It is at a distance of about 40 kilometres from Sonprayag. It is one of the 108 shakti peeths in India. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. It is said that after killing Raktabeeja, the goddess went underneath the ground at this place.
Shankaracharya Samadhi
Shankaracharya was a philosopher. He is attributed to the construction of the current Kedarnath Temple. At the age of 32, he attained moksha at Kedarnath. His samadhi is just behind the temple.
Vasuki Tal
It is a high-altitude glacial lake. You can find rarely found Brahma kamal and other Himalayan flowers here.
How to Reach?
By Road :
You can easily reach Sonprayag from Delhi. Here at the borders, an e-pass is generated, just an entry. You can get a bus, cab or travellers. Many Instagram pages are also there that arrange for group travel. They become budget-friendly.
By Train :
Delhi is about 447 kilometres, Rishikesh 223 and Dehradun 257 kilometres. Train connectivity is well established. Haridwar, Rishikesh and Kathgodam are well connected. Kathgodam is the nearest railway station.
By Air :
Air connectivity is available at the Jolly Grant Airport. From here Kedarnath is about 238 kilometres. Helipads facilities are at Guptakashi, Sersi, Phata, etc. These costs are high. Well suited for travelling with small kids or elders.
What is the Best Time To Visit?
- The best time is May – June and October – November.
- The monsoon months are prone to landslides and therefore advisable to avoid this time.
- Also during the winter heavy snowfall makes the climate harsh.
- The summer average temperature is 17 degrees Celsius.
Advisories :
- Take a lathi stick. It will make the trek easy.
- The trek has a long route – go at your pace
- Steep slope climb post first 7 kilometres
- Washrooms and sitting benches are available throughout the route
- Dustbins are provided so please throw garbage and litter in them only. Keep the environment clean
- WI-FI zone post mule/khatchar stand
- There are shops on the way for eateries and shopping
- Have a Back-Pack bag with essential medicines, water, and warm clothes.
- Always wear shoes as they make the climb easier
- Complete the trek during the day and stay at the temple area during the night.
- Wi-Fi zone post mule/khatchar stand
- There are shops on the way for eateries and shopping
- Have a Back-Pack bag with essential medicines, water, and warm clothes.
- Always wear shoes as they make the climb easier
- Complete the trek during the day and stay at the temple area during the night.
