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Kedarnath Yatra is one of the most spiritual pilgrimages in India. Kedarnath trek , the abode of Lord Shiva attracts thousands of devotees within a span of 6 months when the shrine remains open. Kedarnath trek is a part of the sacred Char Dhams (4 pilgrimages) as well as a part of the Panch Kedars.

This blog is about our experience of the Kedarnath Trek done in the month of October. Read on to know more about Kedarnath trek, how to reach and where to stay and other related information. Kedarnath trek , a temple in the Garhwal Himalayan region of Uttarakhand is a popular pilgrimage site for Hindu devotees. The temple is on a circular route around the Mandakini river and is said to be enroute to Mount Kailash, another holy site among Hindus.

Kedarnath is a Hindu shrine located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the Jyotirlingas, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimage. Kedarnath trek is situated near to the Mandakini river ... Kedarnath is one of the Char Dhams and it is one of the four main pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand. The temple, which is revered as a Hindu site, is located in Rudraprayag district, at an altitude of 3,583 metres (11,755 ft).

Yatra registration for kearnath trek:

Register yourself at the Uttarakhand website and carry a copy along with you . https://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in/destination/kedarnath
Green pass ( at the RTO Roorkee or Rishikesh )required if you are travelling via taxi , private vehicles do not need a green pass .
You aren’t allowed to enter mountains after 8pm (8pm-4am) from Rishikesh otherwise you’ll be stopped there .

Kedarnath – History Stories

It is usually an obsession with me to find out about the past of any place that we visit, especially if the place happens to be a historical and religious place. For temples in India have numerous stories hidden in them. I did the same for Kedarnath trek 1. Kedarnath trek also has its fair share of mythologies and legends.

There are various versions on the origin of the Kedarnath Temple. While there are claims that the temple was resurrected and built by the great Hindu seer Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century while others claim that it was built by the Hindu King Raja Bhoj of Malwa in the 2nd century AD.

In the epic battle of Kurukshetra where the brothers fought against each other, the Pandavas defeated and killed their cousin brothers Kauravas. The Pandavas killed their own in the battle and were inflicted by self-remorse and guilt.

They decided to ask for forgiveness from Lord Shiva, the master of the Universe. With this thought in mind, the Pandavas decided to go to Kashi to ask for forgiveness from God. Lord Shiva, on the other hand, was not too keen on forgiving the Pandavas for their carnage. He left his abode at Kashi and hid as a bull at Guptkashi. Bhima, the strongest of the Pandavas, however, was able to find Lord Shiva in the form of a bull. The bull again escaped and later rematerialized at five places and these 5 places came to be known as the Panch (five) Kedars.

Different parts of the bull materialized at different locations – the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tungnath, the navel and stomach at Madmaheshwar, the face at Rudranath and the hairs at Kalpeshwar. It is believed that the Pandavas had built temples at all the five locations and were freed of their sins. It is also believed that the front portion of the bull fell at Pashupatinath in Nepal. The Pandavas built temples at all five locations. It is believed that the Pandavas performed Yagna at Kedarnath before they left for Mahaprasthana (renouncing the world to attain salvation). Incidentally, the Mahaprasthana started from Mana village near Badrinath. That story is for some other time.

There is another story where Nara-Narayan, a Hindu deity worshipped Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. He prayed to the Lord and asked him to stay at Kedarnath for the wellbeing of the human beings. Lord Shiva granted him his request and thus Kedarnath became the abode of Lord Shiva

Sonprayag – Gaurikund

walk towards the jeeps standing for taking the yatris to Gaurikund. The jeep fare was Rs30 per head.The Kedarnath trek route starts from Gaurikund and concludes at Kedarnath covering a distance of 16km. The trekking route had changed and rebuilt after the flash floods of 2013. The old trekking route has now given way to a better and wider trekking trail.

The trek starts at Gaurikund. “Kund” literally means a reservoir and Gaurikund has a hot water spring where the pilgrims usually have a bath before embarking on the Yatra. The hot spring no longer exists after the floods of 2013. Now, there is a huge enclosure where pilgrims can take a bath.

Gaurikund is also known for the Gauri Temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati. Close to the Gauri Temple is the Uma Maheswar Temple where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a rock.

Gaurikund is congested and there are a number of shops catering to all the needs of the travellers. There are a number of accommodation facilities as well at Gaurikund.The Mandakini River was gushing down with beauty and spirit.

Gaurikund is also known for the Gauri Temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati. Close to the Gauri Temple is the Uma Maheswar Temple where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a rock. Gaurikund is congested and there are a number of shops catering to all the needs of the travellers. There are a number of accommodation facilities as well at Gaurikund.The Mandakini River was gushing down with beauty and spirit.

About half a kilometer from the starting gate, is a booking office for horses, mules and palkis and Pitthus. Pitthus are basically men carrying the pilgrims on their back. Usually very old and young pilgrims take the service of Pitthus. There is a fixed rate for mules and Pitthus. You can book them from here.

However, you will find mules almost entirely through the trail. After a kilometer of trekking comes the Horse Point (Ghoda Pul) or the place from where you can get on your horses or mules to carry your journey. The horses are allowed from this point only. Upto this place, the trail is quite crowded with horses, mules and their owners.

The next significant stop on the trail is the Bheembali. The trekking route bifurcates at Bheembali – one for the trekkers and the other specially designated for horses and mules. Both the trails finally meet after Rambara.

Rambara was once one of the biggest settlements in the Kedarnath trek route. The floods of 2013 had completely wiped off the settlement. What remains now is the debris of the old trekking route which was pointed to us by a local shopkeeper. It is also here that we see the Mandakini River flowing down with force through the gorges.

The older route to Kedarnath was through the left of Mandakini River and that route is now completely destroyed. The new route has now been constructed at the right side of the river. A few more minutes of trekking and reached Chhoti Lincholi. This place can be roughly said to be the midpoint of the trail.

There are a few accommodation options at Lincholi. You can stay here for the night. Kedarnath is about 6 km from Lincholi.There is a GMVN Guest house and cottages at Kedarnath base Camp. Kedarnath shrine is another 500 m from here. There is also a check post here where they check the registration slips. They only ask for the e-pass numbers and really do not check any slips.

The end of the trek

The end of the trek woke early the next morning and go to visit the Kedarnath Temple. The main temple of the Kedarnath remained unscathed in the floods of 2013.The interior of the temple is a bit dark. There are statues of the five Pandava brothers and Draupadi, their consort. Inside the main hall, there is a conical shaped stone that is said to be the hump of the bull that Lord Shiva transformed into (remember the story mentioned above). There are statues of Lord Shiva and a few other deities inside the main hall as well. Outside the temple, there is a statue of Nandi, the bull facing the temple. The entire place looks quite beautiful with the snow-covered Kedarnath peak (6940 m or 22,769 ft), the Kedar Dome (6,831 m 22,411 ft) and other peaks surrounding the temple on three sides. Just behind the temple is a huge rock known as the Shri Divya Bheem Shila. It is believed that this stone had protected the temple from the waters of the flood in 2013. When the waters of Gandhi Sarovar carried large chunks of moraines and stones, this huge stone boulder tumbled down and anchored just behind the temple. This rock then diverted the flow of water to the sides and the temple remained intact. You will invariably feel calmness at this place. All around the temple, you will see many ash-smeared saints and sadhus sitting with a trident (Trishul). They seem to be in a world of their own. It is quite interesting to see these sadhus all around the temple, sometimes singing while at other times having a pot of marijuana.

Kedarnath Temple Timings: The temple remains open from 4 AM to 9 PM everyday. All that you need to know about Kedarnath Trek and Yatra

How to Reach Kedarnath?

How to Reach Kedarnath? Airport near Dehradun is the nearest airport and is located about 235 km from Kedarnath. Taxis are available from the airport to Sonprayag.The nearest railway station to Kedarnath is Haridwar or Rishikesh. From Haridwar and rishikesh, you will get direct buses to Guptkashi and Sonprayag. But these buses are few in number. You can check online bus sites to see the time of the buses. Buses to Guptkashi, Karnaprayag, Gopeshwar are now available from Delhi (ISBT) as well. You can also hire a car to reach Guptkashi or Sonprayag. However, it is better to book a car for both Kedarnath and Badrinath or the entire Char Dham Package. The cars charge a lot more if you only ask them to drop at Sonprayag.

If you are driving by your own car, you can follow the route: Haridwar – Rishikesh – Pipalkoti – Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Agastamuni – Guptkashi – Phata – Sonprayag Sonprayag has a huge parking space where you can keep your car for the night. The Registration centre for the yatra is just a few metres ahead of the parking space. The distance between Sonprayag and Gaurikund is about 5 km. You can start the trek from Sonprayag or else take the shared jeeps to Gaurikund. The jeep fare is INR 30 per head. The stretch of road from Sonprayag to Gaurikund is quite bumpy and rough. Gaurikund serves as the base camp for the Kedarnath trek.From Gaurikund, you can either trek or ride horses/mules to Kedarnath.

Kedarnath Trek Route

Gaurikund – Jungle Chatti (4 km)

Jungle Chatti – Bheembali (3 km)

Bheembali – Lincholi (4 km)

Lincholi – Kedarnath base camp (4 km)

Kedarnath base camp – Kedarnath temple (1 km)

The entire trail can be covered in a single day on foot. There are a few accommodation facilities in the middle

Things to carry for the Kedarnath trek, Things to carry for the Kedarnath trek: important things to carry

Woollen clothes like sweaters, thermals, pairs of gloves, caps, mufflers, socks: Heavy and complete three to five clothing layers are minimal during Winters as the weather might get unpredictable. Light woolen is enough for summer trips.
Windproof jacket
Hiking shoes, sandals or slippers
Walking stick or a trekking pole
Accessories like sunglasses with UV protection, sunscreen lotions, lip balm, headlamp, torch with extra batteries.
Toiletries: Sanitizer, tissues, liquid soaps, paste and toothbrush
Medicines: Diamox for altitude sickness, essential medicines for headache, stomach upset, and regular medication if you are taking any, band-aids, volini spray, and anything else.
Phone chargers or power bank
Raincoat, extra shirts/t-shirts, and trekking pants (Raincoat, extra shirts/t-shirts, and trekking pants During Monsoons, please do not forget to carry a raincoat, an umbrella, and an extra pair of clothes.)
Identity card and photocopies.
Water Bottle or insulated water bottle
Woollen fleece jackets
Few poly bags to keep any wet clothes.
Energy bars, biscuits, chocolates, dry fruits to munch, and ORS or Glucose to not drain energy.
Camera with extra memory cards, batteries, chargers.

Things for Helicopter ride to Kedarnath trek

The helipads are at Phata, Sersi and Sitapur.Only 2 kg of luggage is allowed per person.

Additional charges are levied if you weigh more than 80 kg and above 120 kg, 2 seats need to be booked. The price of the tickets depends on the helipad you are flying from. Usually a round trip cost somewhere between INR 5000 to 7000. If you get the round trip ticket for the same day, then they usually allot 2 hours to visit the temple and come back to the helipad. It takes roughly around 10 minutes to fly to Kedarnath Base Helipad and from there it is an easy trek of 15-20 minutes to the Kedarnath Temple. Helicopter services might stop at any time due to bad weather conditions.

If you are planning to go on the Kedarnath trek, there are a few things that you need to know before you take the helicopter ride to Kedarnath. Here are a few tips that will help you make the most of your trip:

Make sure that you book your tickets in advance so that you can get a confirmed seat.
The helicopter ride to Kedarnath is a great way to avoid the crowds and save time. However, it is important to keep in mind that the weather can be unpredictable and the flight may be cancelled due to bad weather.
If you are travelling with children, it is important to make sure that they are comfortable and secure during the flight.
Keep in mind that the helicopter ride is not cheap and you will need to pay for it in advance.
Keep in mind that the helicopter ride is not cheap and you will need to pay for it in advance.
Lastly, enjoy your trip and make sure to take plenty of pictures!

Never stop exploring ✈️. Time is short. Take time to travel.