 | This articlemay need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia'squality standards.You can help. Thetalk page may contain suggestions.(January 2024) |
Kedarnath Kedarkhand | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 A view of Kedarnath | |
  Kedarnath Location in Uttarakhand, India Show map of Uttarakhand Kedarnath Kedarnath (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:30°44′N79°04′E / 30.73°N 79.07°E /30.73; 79.07 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttarakhand |
| District | Rudraprayag |
| Named after | Kedarnath Temple |
| Government | |
| • Type | Nagar Panchayat |
| • Body | Kedarnath Nagar Panchayat |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.75 km2 (1.06 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3,583 m (11,755 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 612 |
| • Density | 223/km2 (576/sq mi) |
| Language | |
| • Official | Hindi[1] |
| • Additional official | Sanskrit[2][3] |
| • Regional | Garhwali |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 246445 |
| Vehicle registration | UK-13 |
| Website | badrinath-kedarnath |
Kedarnath is a town andNagar Panchayat inRudraprayag district ofUttarakhand,India, known primarily for theKedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86.5 kilometres fromRudraprayag, the district headquarters. Kedarnath is the most remote of the fourChota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is located in theHimalayas, about 3,583 m (11,755 ft) abovesea level near the Chorabari Glacier, which is the source of theMandakini River. The town is flanked by snow-capped peaks, most prominently the Kedarnath Mountain. The nearest road head is atGaurikund about 16 km away. The town suffered extensive destruction during June 2013 from theflash floods caused by torrential rains in Uttarakhand.[4]
The name "Kedarnath" means "the Lord of the Field". It is derived from theSanskrit wordskedara ("field") andnatha ("lord"). The textKashi Kedara Mahatmya states that it is so-called because "the crop ofliberation" grows here.[5]
Kedarnath is a pilgrimage site ortirtha dedicated to the Hindu deityShiva. It is one of the four pilgrimage spots that form a part of the Uttarkhand Char Dham yatra orChota Char Dham yatra.[6] The temple's construction is credited to thePandava brothers mentioned in theMahabharata.[7][8] However, theMahabharata does not mention any place called Kedarnath. One of the earliest references to Kedarnath occurs in theSkanda Purana (c. 7th-8th century), which names Kedara (Kedarnath) as the place where Shiva released the holy waters ofGanga from his matted hair, resulting in the formation of the Ganges River.[9]
The Acharyas rebuilt the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand under the guidance of Adi Shankaracharya. According to the hagiographies based on Madhava'sSankshepa-Shankara-Vijaya, the 8th-century philosopherAdi Shankaracharya died near the Kedarnath mountains; although other hagiographies, based on Anandagiri'sPrachina-Shankara-Vijaya, state that he died atKanchipuram. The ruins of a monument marking the purported resting place of Adi Shankaracharya are located at Kedarnath.[10] Kedarnath was a prominent pilgrimage centre by the 12th century when it is mentioned inKritya-kalpataru written by theGahadavala minister Bhatta Lakshmidhara.[11]
Kedarnath is located at a distance of 223 km fromRishikesh inUttarakhand and close to the source of theMandakini River at the height of 3,583 m (11,755 ft) above sea level.[12] The township is built on a barren stretch of land on the shores of Mandakini River. Behind the town and the Kedarnath Temple, standsKedarnath peak at 6,940 m (22,769 ft), the Kedar Dome at 6,831 m (22,411 ft) and other peaks of the range.[12][13]
As of the 2011 Indiacensus,[14] Kedarnath has a population of 830. Males constitute 99% of the population and females 1%.[15] Kedarnath has an average literacy rate of 63%: male literacy is 63%, and female literacy is 36%. Out of total population, 604 were engaged in work or business activity. Of this 601 were males while 3 were females.[15] In Kedarnath, none of the population is under six years of age. The floating population from May to October every year is more than 5000 per day with the pilgrim influx rising up to 10lakhs in 2022.[16]
The Kedarnath Temple is closed during the winter months due to heavy snowfall. For six months, from November to April, the palanquin with theUtsava Murti (Idol) of Kedarnath and of theMadhyamaheshwar Temple is brought to the Omkareshwar Temple inUkhimath, nearGuptakashi. Priests and other summer-time residents also move to nearby villages to cope with the winter. Around 360 families of the Tirtha Purohit of 55 villages and other nearby villages are dependent on the town for livelihood.[17]According to theKöppen-Geiger climate classification system, Kedarnath's climate ismonsoon-influenced subarctic climate (Dwc), bordering auniform rainfall subarctic climate (Dfc) with mild, rainy summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for Kedarnath, Uttarakhand | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) | 2.4 (36.3) | 6.0 (42.8) | 10.8 (51.4) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 15.9 (60.6) | 14.3 (57.7) | 10.6 (51.1) | 6.9 (44.4) | 3.7 (38.7) | 10.0 (50.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.7 (25.3) | −2.3 (27.9) | 1.2 (34.2) | 5.6 (42.1) | 9.3 (48.7) | 11.9 (53.4) | 12.3 (54.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 9.8 (49.6) | 5.3 (41.5) | 1.6 (34.9) | −1.4 (29.5) | 5.1 (41.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.4 (16.9) | −6.9 (19.6) | −3.5 (25.7) | 0.5 (32.9) | 3.8 (38.8) | 6.8 (44.2) | 8.2 (46.8) | 8.1 (46.6) | 5.3 (41.5) | 0.1 (32.2) | −3.6 (25.5) | −6.5 (20.3) | 0.3 (32.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 118.0 (4.65) | 101.0 (3.98) | 116.0 (4.57) | 63.0 (2.48) | 50.0 (1.97) | 75.0 (2.95) | 240.0 (9.45) | 234.0 (9.21) | 149.0 (5.87) | 57.0 (2.24) | 24.0 (0.94) | 51.0 (2.01) | 1,278 (50.32) |
| Source:[18] | |||||||||||||
On 16 June 2013, at approximately 7:30 P.M., a landslide occurred near the Kedarnath Temple. On 17 June 2013 at approximately 6:40 a.m., water began to rush down from the Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Sarovar, bringing along with its flow, a huge amount of silt, rocks, and boulders. A large boulder got stuck behind the Kedarnath Temple, protecting it from the flood. The floodwater gushed on both sides of the temple, destroying everything in its path.[19][20] Since it occurred in the middle of the pilgrimage season, the torrential rains, cloud bursts, and resulting flash floods nearly destroyed the town of Kedarnath.[21] Thousands of people were killed, and thousands of others (mostly pilgrims) were reported missing or stranded due to landslides around Kedarnath. Although the surrounding area and compound of theKedarnath Temple were destroyed, the temple itself survived.[22][23]
The rescue operation resulted in more than 100,000 people being airlifted with the help of mainly the Private Helicopter Operators, who began the rescue mission voluntarily without any clear directives from theState Government or theMinistry of Defence. TheIndian Army andIndian Air Force helicopters arrived much after the Private Helicopter Operators had already begun the massive air-rescue mission. TheNDRF represented by a commandant, and another junior officer arrived at the 'right-ridge' of the town bordering theMandakini River with more men and supplies being brought in the next day. The Indian Army later launched a massive rescue effort. AEurocopter AS350 B3 helicopter, each, of the private helicopter operators - Prabhatam Aviation & Simm Samm Aviation, were lost during the rescue mission without any reported casualties. An Indian Air Force helicopter (Mil Mi-17) also crashed, killing all 20 people on board (all of them were soldiers involved in relief and rescue work). The Air Force dropped logs to build pyres for mass cremations of the victims.[21] It was reported that previously uncollected bodies were still being found one year after the tragedy.[24]
After the floods, theGovernment of India decided to provide a flood-free infrastructure plan for the town. This involves:
The foundation stone for the plan was laid by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on 20 October 2017.
Other than the Kedarnath Temple, on the eastern side of the town is Bhairavnath Temple,[12] and the deity of this temple,Bhairavnath, is believed to protect the town during the winter months.About 6 km upstream from the town, lies Chorabari Tal, a glacier-lake also called Gandhi Sarovar.[12] Near Kedarnath, there is a cliff called Bhairav Jhamp.[12] Other places of interest include theKedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi, and Rudra meditation cave.[25]
Media related toKedarnath at Wikimedia Commons
Kedarnath travel guide from Wikivoyage| Deities |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texts | |||||||||||
| Mantra/Stotra | |||||||||||
| Traditions | |||||||||||
| Festivals and observances | |||||||||||
| Shiva temples |
| ||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||
