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near the [[Mandakini river]], in the state of [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]]. Due to [[extreme weather]] conditions, the temple is open to the general public only between the months of April ([[Akshaya Tritiya]]) and November ([[Kartik Purnima]], the autumn full moon). During the winters, the ''vigraha'' (deity) of the temple is carried down to [[Ukhimath]] to be worshipped for the next six months. Kedarnath is seen as a homogenous form of [[Shiva]], the 'Lord of Kedarkhand', the historical name of the region.<ref name="official">{{cite web|year=2006|title=Kedarnath Temple|url=https://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/|access-date=16 May 2021|publisher=Kedarnath - The official website}}</ref> | near the [[Mandakini river]], in the state of [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]]. Due to [[extreme weather]] conditions, the temple is open to the general public only between the months of April ([[Akshaya Tritiya]]) and November ([[Kartik Purnima]], the autumn full moon). During the winters, the ''vigraha'' (deity) of the temple is carried down to [[Ukhimath]] to be worshipped for the next six months. Kedarnath is seen as a homogenous form of [[Shiva]], the 'Lord of Kedarkhand', the historical name of the region.<ref name="official">{{cite web|year=2006|title=Kedarnath Temple|url=https://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/|access-date=16 May 2021|publisher=Kedarnath - The official website}}</ref> | ||
The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a {{convert|22|km|mi|abbr=}} uphill trek from [[Gaurikund]]. Pony, mule and ''manchan'' service is available to reach the temple. According to [[Hindu]] legends, the temple was initially built by the [[Pandava]]s, and is one of the twelve [[Jyotirlingas]], the holiest Hindu shrines of [[Shiva]].<ref name="James G. Lochtefeld 2002 363–364">{{cite book |author=James G. Lochtefeld |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA363 |year=2002 |publisher=Rosen |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |pages=363–364 }}</ref> The Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in [[Kedarnath]].<ref name="ABC-CLIO">{{cite book |editor1=J. Gordon Melton |editor2=Martin Baumann |title=Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices |volume=1 (A-B) |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2yiyLLOj88C&pg=PA1624 |year=2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-204-3 |page=1624 }}</ref | The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a {{convert|22|km|mi|abbr=}} uphill trek from [[Gaurikund]]. Pony, mule and ''manchan'' service is available to reach the temple. According to [[Hindu]] legends, the temple was initially built by the [[Pandava]]s, and is one of the twelve [[Jyotirlingas]], the holiest Hindu shrines of [[Shiva]].<ref name="James G. Lochtefeld 2002 363–364">{{cite book |author=James G. Lochtefeld |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA363 |year=2002 |publisher=Rosen |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |pages=363–364 }}</ref> The Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in [[Kedarnath]].<ref name="James G. Lochtefeld 2002 363–364" /><ref name="ABC-CLIO">{{cite book |editor1=J. Gordon Melton |editor2=Martin Baumann |title=Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices |volume=1 (A-B) |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2yiyLLOj88C&pg=PA1624 |year=2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-204-3 |page=1624 }}</ref> The temple is one of the four major sites in India's [[Chota Char Dham]] pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas and is the first of the [[Panch Kedar]] pilgrimage sites. This temple is the highest among the 12 Jyotirlingas.<ref>{{cite news |title=KEDARNATH |work=chardhamtour |url=https://www.traveltoindia.org/kedarnath-dham.html}}</ref> It is one of the 275 [[Paadal Petra Sthalam|''paadal petra sthalams'']] expounded in the ''[[Tevaram]],'' a sacred [[Tamil language|Tamil]] [[Shaivite]] text written during the 6th and 7th centuries by 63 saints called [[Nayanars]]. This temple is sung of by [[Sambandar|Thirugnanasambandar]], [[Appar]], [[Sundarar]] and [[Sekkizhar]] in their ''Tevaram'' texts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shaivam.org/hindu-hub/temples/place/206/thirukkedaram-kedareswrar-temple|title=Tiruketharam (Kedarnath)|language=tamil|access-date=6 November 2021|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20211106055017/https://shaivam.org/hindu-hub/temples/place/206/thirukkedaram-kedareswrar-temple|archivedate=6 November 2021}}</ref> | ||
Kedarnath was the worst affected area during the [[2013 North India floods|2013 flash floods in North India]]. The temple complex, surrounding areas, and Kedarnath town suffered extensive damage, but the temple structure did not suffer any major damage, apart from a few cracks on one side of the four walls which was caused by the flowing debris from the higher mountains. A large rock among the debris acted as a barrier, protecting the temple from the flood. The surrounding premises and other buildings in the market area were heavily damaged.<ref>{{cite news |author=Joanna Sugden |author2=Shreya Shah |date=19 June 2013 |title=Kedarnath Temple Survives Flash Floods |work=WSJ |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/06/19/kedarnath-temple-survives-flash-floods/}}</ref> | Kedarnath was the worst affected area during the [[2013 North India floods|2013 flash floods in North India]]. The temple complex, surrounding areas, and Kedarnath town suffered extensive damage, but the temple structure did not suffer any major damage, apart from a few cracks on one side of the four walls which was caused by the flowing debris from the higher mountains. A large rock among the debris acted as a barrier, protecting the temple from the flood. The surrounding premises and other buildings in the market area were heavily damaged.<ref>{{cite news |author=Joanna Sugden |author2=Shreya Shah |date=19 June 2013 |title=Kedarnath Temple Survives Flash Floods |work=WSJ |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/06/19/kedarnath-temple-survives-flash-floods/}}</ref> | ||