Kedarnath
Kedarnath temple
Kedarnath temple ( image of the houge boulder that blocked the temple and saved the temple from the sudden floods due tomelting of glacier in 2013 )
Samadhi of Shri Adi Shankaracharaya in Kedarnath temple
Kedarnath is one of the most sacred Char Dhams for the followers of Hinduism, the others being Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. As per religious Hindu scriptures, Pandavas from the Mahabharata did the Char Dham yatra in order to wash away the sins that were committed by them during the epic war of Kurukshetra. So Kedarnath holds such religious significance in India for Hindus.
Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple (shrine) dedicated to God Shiva. Located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river, Kedarnath is located in the state of Uttarakhand, India.
Kedarnatha Dham is the 3rd dham in the circuit of Chota Chardham. It is said that this is the place where Mahadev presents every time. Kedarnath Dham is in the list of 12 Jyotirlingas and the most important temple among Panch-Kedar. This Dham is located in the lap of Himalayas and near the bank of Mandakini River which is recreated by Adi-Shankracharya in 8th AD.
How to Reach - To reach Kedarnath you have to first visit Haridwar, which is well connected by both road and railway routes. From Haridwar there is a direct bus for Guptakashi which generally departs early morning which takes approx. 8hr.
Once you reach Guptkashi you can take a shared cab for the Gaurikund. Gaurikund is the last stop for any vehicle, and rest of the journey could be finish by foot, pony or helicopter flight. If you are planning to take the helicopter, then from Guptkashi the helipad is nearby deoending on which aircraft you have booked . Arrow aircraft was the one that we had booked on line and it was very close to our resorts ,about 3 kms.
For trekking or going by pony, kucchar or by pithu or palki , you have to go till Gaurikund .
The total distance of the trek from Gaurikund is 19 km which can easily be cover in 8 hrs depending on ones health , fitness and ge, some fit and healthy youngsters can easily do this in 6 hours . coming down the mountain after darshan i even faster, about 4 hours , as it is all down hill .
On this trek, there are few on way halts where you can take break- Chirbasa, Rambara and Kedarnath.
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) from Kedarnath temple is carried down to Ukhimath and where the deity is worshiped for the next six months. Kedarnath is seen as a homogenous form of Shiva, the 'Lord of Kedarkhand', the historical name of the region.
How we reached Kedarnath :
From Dehradun , we proceeded to Haridwar , then after overnight stay in a hotel, we proceeded to Guptkashi by bus early morning from Haridwar . It was a beautiful scenic journey all the way , with halts in between for lunch , and tea . One never realised the long journey approx 8 hours I think .
Our route from Haridwar to Guptkashi
Distance between Haridwar to Guptkashi by Road is 208 Kms
Distance between Haridwar to Guptkashi by Flight is 108 Kms
Travel Time from Haridwar to Guptkashi by Road is7:35 hrs
Nearest Airport in HaridwarJolly Grant , Dehradun
Which helipad is best in Kedarnath?
The Phata helipad is located beyond Guptkashi and is also linked by a good motorable road on the way to Kedarnath. Pawan hans has made it convenient for pilgrims to visit the Kedarnath Ji shrine at a reasonable ticket cost. Devotees would get one hour thirty minutes at Kedarnath for darshan. However the choice of helipad will depend on which aircraft you have booked on line depending on availability .
In our case when the season opened for September to October Heli booking , Phata and Sersi helipads and helicopters from this helipads were fully booked, so we had to choose Arrow aircraft which was operating from Guptkashi , the most distant helipad from Kedarnath . Also most expensive compared to other two .on account of disatnce to Kedarnath .
Infact one cannot even choose, as the rush to book on line is so stressing that that we have to grab whatever is available , it is like lottery . Please do not imagine you will have ample time to pick your favourite helipcopter and favourite helipad, you have to quickly scan at options available, keep your documnets ready for upload as soon as you have seen the available slots and seats for your date .
Kedarnath temple
To reach Kedarnath you need to take a bus or a car from rishikesh…the travel journey is 8–10 hours approximately. The car will drop you at sonprayag which the last stop…then you will have to take government run taxi till gaurikund.
The trek(19km) begins from gaurikund…you can choose to walk …other options are ghoda and palki…helicopter facilities are also present(for senior citizens or someone who cannot walk the 17 km I would recommend this).
After 6–8 hours of trekking you will reach the base camp and rent a camp for the night. Wake up early morning and join the line for darshan…it is one of the most beautiful place you will ever see.
Kedarnath is accessible only after a steep 18 km trek through a paved path (horses or palanquins are available for rent) from Gaurikund, which is connected by road from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun and other important hill stations of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions in Uttaranchal. The charges are fixed for Horses, Dandies and Ponies if you book directly on booking counter. You can check latest Govt rates for Ponies &Palki and book from there only to get best rates.
Route to Kedarnath from Rishikesh (223 Kms)
Rishikesh → Devaprayag (70 kms) → Srinagar (35 kms) → Rudraprayag (34 kms) → Tilwara (9kms) → Agastamuni (10 kms) → Kund (15 kms) → Guptkashi (5 kms) → Phata (11 kms) → Rampur (9 kms) → SonPrayag (3 kms) → Gaurikund (5 kms) → Jungle Chatti (6 kms) → Bheembali (4 Kms) → Linchauli (3 Kms) → Kedarnath Base Camp (4 kms) → Kedarnath (1 Kms).
By Air
The nearest airport from Kedarnath is the Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun, about 239 km from Kedarnath. In fact this airport is closer to Rishikesh (approx. 16 km) and takes roughly 20-30 minutes to reach Rishikesh. From there you need to book a taxi or take a bus to reach Joshimath. Kingfisher Airlines connects Dehradun airport with New Delhi through its Kingfisher Red service leaving New Delhi airport at 11:35 and 03:20 pm and reaching Dehradun at 12:30 pm and 04:20 pm respectively.
Kedarnath by Helicopter
Kedarnath can be reached very easily via Helicopter services, which operates from various places in Uttarakhand. Some of the prominent places from where you can get Helicopter to Kedarnath are: Dehradun, Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata.
By Train
There is no railway station at Kedarnath. Rishikesh Railway Station is the nearest railway head from Kedarnath. Located about 210 km from Gaurikund, Rishikesh Railway Station is well connected to almost all the major cities of India and has a regular trains on a daily basis. From Rishikesh, one can take a bus to Gaurikund.The nearest railway stations to Kedarnath are at Rishikesh (215 kms), Haridwar (241 kms),
Dehradun (257 kms) and Kotdwar (246 kms). Rishikesh is not connected by fast trains and Kotdwar has very less number of trains. However, Haridwar railway station, 25 km from Rishikesh is better connected with New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Howrah.
ponies leave at a certain distance from the temple from where you will have to walk.
The route is not easy if you can’t walk you always have an option of hiring a pony or pitthu- they charge anywhere between 2300 to 4000 for pony and pitthus charge 7–8k. this also depends upon the weight.
On the way you will find small shops where you can have tea, coffee, Maggi, parantha, pakoras, etc.
There are Four ways to reach the dham :
By Khacchar (donkey and horse mix breed) - It takes 4 - 5 hrs to reach base camp
By Doli - Doli is 4 people carrying yatri or 1man carrying yatri. Only childrens , old people or someone who's condition gets weak during the trek are allowed for doli.
By self - If you are adventure obsessed person and have great stamina to do this 21km trek , It takes 9 - 12hrs or more than 12hrs depends on your speed.
By Helicopter - Easiest way to reach the dham, you reach by just 15–20min. If you have booked for 2way trip by helicopter you can return the same day. Because Kedarnath takes 1day to reach and 1day to return.
By Kachhar and self its very difficult. I highly suggest to go by helicopter. But if you want to have Yatra experience. Then go by self rather than Khacchar ride, its very very difficult and scary.
In 2013, a mighty glacial lake from a natural dam like formation, that originates River Mandakini on top of snowy Himalayas, suddenly broke and burst open. People heard a thunderous clap 50 kms away. Millions and millions of gallons of icy water, several thousand large boulders, and rocks slid vertically down Himalayas and washed away everything on the way - several towns got wiped away and thousands of people died.River Mandakini from Himalayas was raging that night for about 10 hours throwing boulders and wiping out everything for at least 200 kms.
The very first human habitation in upper Himalayas was the temple town of Kedarnath at 11400 feet from sea-level. Kedarnath town was almost completely destroyed. The temple on the center of the town was literally the epicenter, and it faced the first attack and full brunt of mother nature.
One day after the event, high altitude helicopter crews surveyed the town. The town did not exist. Himalayas covered it. However to everyone's surprise the 7th century temple, built by ancient Saint Shankaracharya from South India, in the center of the town was standing.
As if by magic, a monstrous boulder (this magic rock) slid down the mighty Himalayas and just stopped short of the 7th century temple at raised ground of 10 feet. It diverted the boulders away from the temple and let minimal water above the rock.
Still water reached 21 feet inside the temple and 3 people inside the temple survived.A few more feet of sliding, the temple wont be standing. A few less feet of sliding, the temple wont be standing. Nothing around the temple was standing. The boulders and debris that was left behind had a V-formation around just the temple structure. Yes, God split the river that night.
The whole area was ridden with boulders till 2021. Government cleaned it and is rebuilding Kedarnath with safety structures that can divert water flow.
How to plan :
If you are going on the Kedarnath yatra then you should plan it well in advance to avoid last-minute delays. Earlier there was no per day limitation on the number of people visiting Kedarnath but after the June'13 disaster Govt had restricted the number of tourists going on the Kedarnath route to 1500 per day during Kedarnath yatra 2015. But this time onwards, Govt has removed such restrictions & almost 9 lakh people visited Kedarnath .
There are two ways to get registered for Chardham yatra and Kedarnath yatra. You can either do registration directly at the registration counters or through online registration (limited seats). The Government has made counters at public places like railway stations, market places, near the bus stand in Haridwar and also at the Chardham Yatra terminal in Rishikesh. This terminal in Rishikesh is located at the compound of ISBT ( Inter State Bus Terminal). You have to go to the counter with a photo id ( not mandatory). When you reach the counter you have to specify for which Yatra you are going - Chardham Yatra, Do Dham Yatra, Ek Dham yatra, etc. It is better if you tell them the exact dates on which you are planning to visit the temples. They take your photo with a webcam and issue a trip card. You have to carry this card throughout the journey.
Reach ISBT,and from ISBT catch a bus to Rishikesh or Haridwar,I would suggest you to board bus to Rishikesh or Haridwar between 9pm to 10. Generally it takes 5–6hrs,when you reach bus stop of Rishikesh or Haridwar you no need to go anywhere, some private bus services are there,they are ready to leave from 3am,without any delay catch a bus to kedarnath, if you could not find any direct bus to kedarnath,catch a bus to at least Rudraprayag which is also falls on the same route to kedarnath because from there it takes almost 10–12 hrs because of the ghat road.
There is also a bus service from Delhi to Guptakashi which is almost 2 hrs far away from Gaurikund which is last point of any vehicle going to kedarnath,you can enquire at ISBT about the fares.
There are some sharing sumos also available.But they don't go directly,you need to go like part by part.
If you don't find direct bus from Delhi you must reach Rishikesh or Haridwar .
Approximate costs :
Delhi to Haridwar ac bus 330,
Haridwar to Rudraprayag 270
Rudraprayag to Guptakashi 100
Guptakashi to sonprayag 100
Sonprayag to Gaurikund 30.
The fare may changes according to present charges,but doesn't vary very much.
These are the following most essential things which you have to carry . these are mostly required byb all yatrais whether going by helicopter or by trek excepet moisturisers etc . But if you go in cold weather,better to carry small tubes of moisturisers esp for lips .
Warm clothes
Non slippery shoes,better to buy anti skid hiking shoes rather than sport shoes. For summer travel go for hiking sandals but carry socks also just in case the weather turns cold suddenly . do not wear jeans or tight fitted pants or dresses for trekking, make sure to travel in loose clothes , cotton pants ( for summer )
Rain coat (you can buy this from there also), it is much cheaper in the shops selling these in trek route than purchasing from your place in Delhi etc .
Woollen cap or monkey cap, also carry ankle braces or knee braces from your destination itself, it helps in case of pain in legs or ankles .
Umbrella
Dry fruit, camphor , is a must as once you start climbing higher altitudes, your breath will be short and heavy, so it helps to inhale camphor from time to time.
Chocolates
More then 2 pair socks
Torch
BSNL all the way
Power bank of extra battery
Moisturiser or cream
Some essential medicine like pain killer,band-aid,iodex etc
Walking stick is available there, you can purchase from the trak point itself, plenty of shops along the trek route from-the starting point . You may not get them later after you cross the initial trek route , so make all small purchases fromthe beginning of trek route itself .
Sunglasses
Camera with extra battery and rain cover
Normally in a temple the priests are the local people there but this is not the case in Kedarnath. Kedarnath temple is there in Uttarakhand but the priests here are South Indian. It is believed that this tradition is going on since the time of Adiguru Shankaracharya.
Helpful contact
If you are in Phaata
Phata Hotel Details - Sakshi Hotel Phata (Near Pawan Hans Helipad) Contact No. 6005949562 / 9682368431 / 9019200978
Do watch my youtube video about Kedarnath , how we trvaelled by Helicopter from Guptkashi to Kedarnath by Arrow aircraft in 9minutes .
This is a short video of our journey from Guptkashi helipad to Kedarnath ji helipad . due to bad weather , rainy day we couldnt capture much . any queries regarding the heli service and how to reach Kedarnath will be answered in comments if anyone needs . Har Har Mahadev
From Guptkashi helipad it takes about 8-9 minutes to reach Kedar Helipad by Arrow Aircraft .
For helicopter booking https://heliservices.uk.gov.in/ Yatra registeration https://registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in/
Our accomodation at Guptkashi : Adhvanta Resort Guptakashi special resort in Guptakash Address: Tyuri, Uttarakhand 246439 Hours: Open 24 hours Phone: 085277 21880 Jakhdar Road Tyuri Village, Guptakashi 246439 India
Another recommended resort is Buransh Heli Resort Jaakhdhar Bansu Rd, Guptkashi, Uttarakhand 246439•098730 46065 They have helipad closeby in the resort and arrow aircraft to Kedarnath takes off from this resort helipad, you can see this helipad in the video , it is in Buransh Heli resorts .
About Guptkashi
Guptakashi, Gupta Kashi or Guptkashi is a fairly large town located at an elevation of 1,319 metres in the Kedar-khanda, in Garhwal Himalayas of Rudraprayag district in Uttrakhand, India.
It is known for its ancient Vishwanath Temple dedicated to the god Shiva, which is similar to the one in Varanasi. Guptkashi is fairly large village located in the Northern Himalayan belt within Mandakini river valley at an elevation of 4327 feet in the Kedar sector, in Garhwal Himalayas of Rudraprayag district in Uttrakhand, India.
Guptkashi is famous for the ancient Vishwanath Temple – dedicated to the god Shiva – similar to the one in Varanasi. The other famous temple here is dedicated to Ardhanareshvara (a half man half woman form of Shiva and Parvati).
Its religious importance is considered next to that of Varanasi, believed to be the most pious of all Hindu pilgrimage places.
The temple town is located on the way to the Kedarnath, one of the Chota Char Dhams and Panch Kedar. It has the scenic backdrop of the snow-covered peaks of Chaukhamba and enjoys salubrious weather throughout the year.
How to reach Kedarnath from Guptkashi.
Guptkashi is well connected by motorable roads with Rishikesh. Taxis and buses are easily available from Rishikesh to Guptkashi. By Road: Guptkashi is well connected by motorable roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand state. Buses to Rishikesh and Srinagar are available from ISBT Kashmiri Gate. There is no motor road from GauriKund to Kedarnath. So we can travel by motor vehicle from Guptkashi to gaurikund, then we have to trek from gaurikund to Kedarnath temple by foot.. or go by helicopter after prior booking .
The distance between Guptkashi and Kedarnath is 46 KM by road. How to reach Kedarnath from Guptkashi There is no motor road from GauriKund to Kedarnath. So we can travel by motor vehicle from Guptkashi to gaurikund, then we have to trek from gaurikund to Kedarnath temple by foot. Guptkashi to gaurikund distance is 32 KM by motor road
Gaurikund to Kedarnath distance is 19 KM by treking Guptkashi to kedarnath helicopter price is around 3875 INR for one way trip. Round trip from guptkashi to kedarnath and return kedarnath to guptkashi price is 7750INR as on 2022. Please check the concerned aviation company for current price and timings.