Kedarnath

Kedarnath, at 3,583 m in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, is the holiest Shiva shrine in the Himalaya and one of the four Char Dhams of the Uttarakhand pilgrimage circuit (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath). The Kedarnath Temple — one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva — is an ancient stone structure believed to have been built by the Pandavas (and according to a more historical reading, revived in the 8th century CE by Adi Shankaracharya, who established the shrine's current administrative structure; by tradition he attained mahasamadhi at Kedarnath, and a samadhi memorial stands immediately behind the temple). The temple's setting is almost impossibly dramatic: it stands directly below the Kedarnath mountain (6,940 m), its back wall touching the glacier, on a flat meadow above the Mandakini river gorge that it shares with only a few dharamsalas and ashrams — at 3,583 m, it is among the highest temples in India open to public pilgrimage. The temple is open from May to October-November (the precise dates shift annually based on the Uttarakhand government and the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temples Committee — check official portals before planning). The standard approach is the 16-km trek from Gaurikund (the roadhead at 1,982 m, where Gauri Devi Temple and natural hot springs mark the starting point), taking 5-8 hours on foot; a pony, palki (palanquin), or helicopter (from Phata or Guptkashi) are the alternatives. The 2013 Kedarnath disaster (cloud-burst flood, estimated 6,000+ deaths) resulted in a complete rebuild of the pilgrimage infrastructure; the new Kedarnath Dham development project has dramatically expanded the ghats, paved paths, and facilities around the temple. For vegetarian travellers, the pilgrimage route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath is served by a complete chain of tea-and-snack stalls and basic bhojnalayas at every stopping point (every 2 km); the food is simple, sattvic, and warm — puri-aloo, khichdi, dal-chawal, and hot chai are the staples. The GMVN (Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam) tourist rest houses at Kedarnath itself serve basic vegetarian meals. Open May to October-November only.