Shri Kedarnath Temple

The above Shloka has been taken from Skanda Purana where lord Shiva is saying “Anyone who leaves their home to come for the darshans of Kedarnath Mahadev in Kashi, sins committed by them in their previous 2 Births will start moving away from their body”.

1. In the Kedarnath Temple of Kashi along side Bhagwan Shiv and Maa Gauri reside in one half and Shri Hari Vishnu and Maha Laxmi Devi reside in the other half.
2. The Kedarnath Temple Shiv Linga is a self manifested Ardhanarishvara roop, ideal for the worship of both Shiva and Shakti.

3. The Kedarnath Shivling in Kashi is made from ‘Anna’ which is the very source of life and energy and because of this Maa Annapurna also resides in the sacred Shiv Linga.
4. The Kedarnath Temple in Kashi is very dear to Mahadev and is considered as a direct doorway to Shiv Dham
5. The Kedarnath Khand of Kashi i.e the locality around the Kedarnath Temple is considered to be the most auspicious place to die on this planet as people who die in this Kshetra don’t have to face the Bhairavi Yatana.
6. Just as it is there in the Himalayas in Kashi also both the Kedarnath and Badrinath Temple are located close to each other.
7. The Kedarnath Temple also houses the 56 Vinayak Murty and by obtaining his darshans, devotees attain Punya which is equivalent to having the darshans of 56 Vinayak Yatra in Kashi.
8. Neelkanth Mahadev, Meenakshi Devi and Mangala Gauri are among some of the presiding deities in the Kedarnath Temple.
9. When Maha Laxmi Devi was cursed by Maa Bhagwati she roamed everywhere but did not receive any peace anywhere, it was only she had the darshans of Kedarnath Mahadevp Laxmi Devi obtained peace and stability.
10. On the auspicious day of Karthik Purnima all the 33 Koti Devi and Devtas come to worship the Kedarnath Shivling in Kashi.
11. The Kedarnath Temple is unique also in the sense that it is the only Temple in India where from sitting inside Sanctum Sanctorum, devotees can also have the darshans of Maa Ganga.

The above lines have been quoted from the Shiva Mahapurana which means that “any devotee gets entry inside the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath Temple in Kashi is freed from the cycle of birth and rebirth and attains to Moksha. Moksha Lakshmi herself comes to pick him/her to Shiva Dham.

Puja, Sewa and Anusthans to be performed in the Kedarnath Temple :
The Sewa of Kedarnath Temple is also different as compared to other temples. In the Kedarnath Temple Brahmins perform Aarti for four times only wearing unstitched clothes. Bilva Patra, Milk and Gangajal along with Khichadi Bhog are definitely included in the bhog sewa of the temple. It is a belief that Lord Shiva himself comes here to receive Bhog Sewa. And because the Kedarnath Shivling is made of Anna, therefore Maa Annapurna Devi also resides in the Shivling and the importance of Annadan donation in the temple is also very high.

Kedarnath Temple is situated on Kedar Ghat at the southern end of Kashi. From the Kedarnath temple, Maa Ganga can also be seen sitting in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
The Kedarnath Temple is located at a distance of 30 km from Varanasi Airport, and 5 km from Cantt Railway Station. The Kedarnath Temple can be easily reached by road, Taxi, and private cars.
Auto rickshaws and E rickshaws are the most popular modes of transport to reach the Kedarnath temple. The Kedarnath Temple is situated on the banks of the Kedar Ghat, and hiring a boat is also an option to reach the temple.

The Kedarnath Temple opens at 4 am after performing the Mangala Aarti in the Temple.
Then Bhog Aarti is then performed at 10 am and Sandhya Aarti is performed at 6:00 pm.
The temple closes after performing the Sayan Aarti at 9 pm.
The Kedarnath Temple is open 365 days a year and timings may vary on festive days like Mahashivratri and Shravan Mondays.