Kedarnath Temple (meaning'temple of the lord of the field'), is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines (temple) of Shiva.Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath.The temple is one of the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas. This temple is the highest among the 12 Jyotirlingas.
According to a theological account, the god Shiva agreed to stay here at the request of Nara-Narayana.After the Kurukshetra War, when the Pandava brothers, came here to seek forgiveness for killing their kin during the war.As lord Shiva did not want to forgive them: so, he turned into a bull and hid himself among the herd of cattle.Finally when the Pandavas managed to track him, he tried to disappear by sinking himself head-first into the ground.One of the brothers, Bhima, grabbed his tail, forcing him to appear before them and forgive them. The Pandava brothers then built the first temple at Kedarnath. The portions of Shiva's body later appeared at four other locations; and collectively, these five places came to be known as the five Kedaras ("Panch Kedar"); the head of the bull appeared at the location of Pashupatinath.
Kedarnath was a prominent pilgrimage centre by the 12th century.In Skanda Purana (c. 7th-8th century), which contains a story describing the origin of the Ganges river. The text names Kedara (Kedarnath) as the place where Shiva released the holy water from his matted hair.It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, expounded in Tevaram, a sacred Tamil Shaivite text written during 6th and 7th century by various saints called Nayanars. This temple is sung by Thirugnanasambandar and Sundarar in their Tevaram texts
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