Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple (shrine) dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river. Kedarnath is located 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 Tritriya) and November (Kartik Purnima - the autumn full moon). During the winters, the vigrahas (deties) from Kedarnth temple are carried down to Ukhimath and where the deity is worshiped for the next six months. Kedarnath is seen as a homogenous form of Lord Shiva, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand, the historical name of the region.
The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 16 kilometres uphill trek from Gaurikund. Ponie and porter Service is available to reach the Temple. 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 at a height of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), 223 km from Rishikesh.
