| Kalpeshwar Temple | |
|---|---|
 Kalpeshwar Cave Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| Deity | Shiva |
| Festivals | Maha Shivaratri |
| Location | |
| State | Uttarakhand |
| Country | India |
  Location in Uttarakhand | |
| Coordinates | 30°34′37.35″N79°25′22.49″E / 30.5770417°N 79.4229139°E /30.5770417; 79.4229139 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | North-Indian Himalayan Architecture |
| Creator | Pandavas (according to legend) |
| Completed | Unknown |
Kalpeshwar (Sanskrit:कल्पेश्वर) is aHindu temple dedicated toShiva located at an elevation of 2,200 m (7,217.8 ft) in the Urgam valley in theGarhwal region ofUttarakhand state in India. The temple's ancient legend linked to thePandavas, heroes of the epicMahabharata, is the fifth temple of thePanch Kedar (five temples) of Shiva's five anatomical divine forms; the other four temples in the order of their worship areKedarnath,Rudranath,Tungnath andMadhyamaheshwar temples; all in the Kedar Khand region of theGarhwalHimalayas.[1][2][3] Kalpeshwar is the only Panch Kedar temple accessible throughout the year. At this small stone temple, approached through a cave passage, the matted tress (jata) of Shiva is worshipped. Earlier it was approachable only by 12 km (7.5 mi) trek from the nearest road head of Helang on theRishikesh-Badrinath road but now the road goes up to Devgram village from where the trek now is just 300 metres. The road is accessible to bicycles and small cars except in monsoons.[1]
A folk legend about Panch Kedar relates to thePandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epicMahabharata. After the Pandavas had defeated and killed their cousins — theKauravas in theKurukshetra war, they wished to atone for the sins of committingfratricide (gotrahatya) andBrāhmanahatya (killing ofBrahmins — the priest class) during the war. Thus, they handed over the reins of their kingdom to their kin and left in search of lordShiva and to seek his blessings. First, they went to the holy city ofVaranasi (Kashi), believed to be Shiva's favourite city and known for itsKashi Vishwanath Temple. But Shiva wanted to avoid them as he was deeply incensed by the death and dishonesty at the Kurukshetra war and was, therefore, insensitive to Pandavas' prayers. Therefore, he assumed the form of a bull (Nandi) and hid in the Garhwal region.
Not finding Shiva in Varanasi, the Pandavas went toGarhwalHimalayas.Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers, then standing astride two mountains started to look for Shiva. He saw a bull grazing nearGuptakashi (“hidden Kashi” — the name derived from the hiding act of Shiva). Bhima immediately recognized the bull to be Shiva. Bhima caught hold of the bull by its tail and hind legs. But the bull-formed Shiva disappeared into the ground to later reappear in parts, with the hump raising inKedarnath, the arms appearing inTungnath, the face showing up atRudranath, the nabhi (navel) and stomach surfacing inMadhyamaheshwar and the hair appearing in Kalpeshwar. The Pandavas pleased with this reappearance in five different forms, built temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping Shiva. The Pandavas were thus freed from their sins.[4][5]
A variant of the tale credits Bhima of not only catching the bull, but also stopping it from disappearing. Consequently, the bull was torn asunder into five parts and appeared at five locations in theKedar Khand of Garhwal region of the Himalayas.[4]
After completing the pilgrimage of Shiva'sdarshan at the Panch Kedar Temples, it is an unwritten religious rite to worshipVishnu at theBadrinath Temple.[6]
The temple priests at this temple also are the Dasnamis and Gossains, disciples ofAdi Shankara. At Tungnath also the priests are Khasiya Brahmins. These priests hail from South India; theNamboodiribrahminfromKerala sect who worship atBadrinath. at Kedarnath, theJangamas areVeerashaiva fromMysore inKarnataka. In all these temples the pooja is designed by adi sankara. these priests also are supposed to be appointed byAdi Shankara. The priests at the Rudranath temple areDasnamis andGosains.[7]
The Kalpeshwar temple is located in the Urgam valley of the Himalayan mountain range near Urgam village (2 km (1.2 mi) short of the temple). On the bridle path from Helang to Kalpeshwar, the confluence of the Alaknanda and Kalpganga rivers is seen. Kalpganga river flows through the Urgam valley.[8][9] The Urgam valley is a dense forest area. The valley has apple orchards and terraced fields where potato is grown extensively.[10]
Access to Kalpeshwar by road up to Urgam is from Rishikesh, a distance of 253 km (157.2 mi) on theRishikesh-Badrinath road. The road is very rough and not suitable to normal cars, and should only be driven by skilled drivers. The nearest airport is at Jolly Grant,Dehradun, 272 km (169.0 mi) away and the nearest railhead, Rishikesh, is 255 km (158.4 mi) away.
Boodha Kedar temple surrounded by potato fields is seen on the trek route. Also seen is the Dhyan Badri temple at Urgam Village, one of the Sapt Badri (seven Badri) temples.[11]
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