The highest of the 12 Jyotirlingas at 3,583 m in the Garhwal Himalayas, and part of both the Char Dham and Panch Kedar circuits. Reaching it is one of the most demanding and rewarding pilgrimages in India.
Primary Deity
ShivaLocation
Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
Pilgrimage Circuit
Char DhamBest Time to Visit
May to June and September to October, between the opening (Akshaya Tritiya) and closing (Bhai Dooj) of the shrine. It stays closed in winter due to heavy snow.
Kedarnath is the northernmost and highest Jyotirlinga and one of the four Char Dham shrines of the Himalayas. Legend holds that the Pandavas sought Shiva here to atone for the bloodshed of the Kurukshetra war; Shiva, avoiding them, took the form of a bull and dived into the ground, leaving his hump at Kedarnath (the other parts forming the Panch Kedar). The temple's survival of the 2013 disaster deepened its aura of divine protection. A pilgrimage to Kedarnath is regarded as one of the most spiritually potent journeys a Hindu can undertake.
Set against the snow-clad Kedarnath peak and the Mandakini river, this ancient stone temple is believed to have been built by the Pandavas and revived by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. The conical lingam within is worshipped as one of the Panch Kedar, and the shrine remains open only about six months a year, closing through the fierce Himalayan winter when the deity is symbolically moved to Ukhimath. The temple famously survived the catastrophic 2013 floods almost untouched — a boulder that split the floodwaters around it is revered by devotees as 'Bhim Shila'. The 16–18 km trek from Gaurikund, now aided by ponies and helicopters, remains a test of devotion that culminates in one of the most awe-inspiring settings of any temple on earth.
The Char Dham (Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram) are the four sacred abodes at the cardinal corners of India that every Hindu aspires to visit once in a lifetime. This temple is one of the 5 sacred sites of the Char Dham.
📍 Badrinath, Uttarakhand
The holiest Vishnu shrine of the Himalayas and one of the four Char Dham, set at 3,133 m between the Nar and Narayan peaks. Its brightly painted facade beside the Alaknanda river is one of the most iconic sights in Hindu pilgrimage.
📍 Dwarka, Gujarat
The soaring Char Dham temple of Dwarka, the 'King of Dwarka' Krishna's own city, believed raised over his royal residence. Its five-storey spire and giant flag are visible from far out at sea.
📍 Puri, Odisha
One of the four Char Dham, home to Lord Jagannath and his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra, worshipped as unique wooden deities. It is world-famous for its colossal annual Rath Yatra chariot festival.
📍 Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
Both a Jyotirlinga and a Char Dham shrine on Pamban Island, celebrated for its breathtaking pillared corridors — the longest of any Hindu temple in India. It is where the north and south of sacred India meet.
📍 Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
The highest Shiva temple in the world at about 3,680 m, the third and loftiest shrine of the Panch Kedar in the Garhwal Himalayas.
📍 Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
The revered origin-shrine of the holiest of rivers, the Ganga, and one of the Chota Char Dham, set at around 3,100 m in the Garhwal Himalayas. It marks where Ganga is said to have first descended to earth.
📍 Badrinath, Uttarakhand
The holiest Vishnu shrine of the Himalayas and one of the four Char Dham, set at 3,133 m between the Nar and Narayan peaks. Its brightly painted facade beside the Alaknanda river is one of the most iconic sights in Hindu pilgrimage.
📍 Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
The sacred source of the river Yamuna and the first stop of the Chota Char Dham yatra, at about 3,293 m in the Garhwal Himalayas. Pilgrims cook offerings in its natural hot springs.
📍 Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
A sacred Shiva temple set amid the forested Garhwal Himalayas near Rishikesh, marking the spot where Shiva drank the world-destroying poison of the Samudra Manthan. His throat turned blue, giving him the name Neelkanth.
📍 Haridwar, Uttarakhand
An ancient Siddh Peetha atop the Neel Parvat in Haridwar, marking where the goddess Chandi is said to have slain the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. It is one of Haridwar's three sacred hill shrines.
Kedarnath Temple is primarily dedicated to Shiva.
Kedarnath Temple is located in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand.
May to June and September to October, between the opening (Akshaya Tritiya) and closing (Bhai Dooj) of the shrine. It stays closed in winter due to heavy snow.
Kedarnath Temple is one of the 5 temples in the Char Dham.
Kedarnath is the northernmost and highest Jyotirlinga and one of the four Char Dham shrines of the Himalayas. Legend holds that the Pandavas sought Shiva here to atone for the bloodshed of the Kurukshetra war; Shiva, avoiding them, took the form of a bull and dived into the ground, leaving his hump at Kedarnath (the other parts forming the Panch Kedar). The temple's survival of the 2013 disaster deepened its aura of divine protection. A pilgrimage to Kedarnath is regarded as one of the most spiritually potent journeys a Hindu can undertake.
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