Uttarakhand · North
Kedarnath
High Himalayan Jyotirlinga, reached by a trek of about 16–17 km
- Principal temple
- Kedarnath TempleShiva as Kedarnath
- Best time to visit
- May to June and September to October (avoid July–August monsoon; closed by snow November–April)
- Nearest airport
- Jolly Grant Airport (DED), Dehradun
- Nearest railway station
- Rishikesh Railway Station (RKSH); Kedarnath is ~221 km from Rishikesh
- Tradition
- Śaiva
Overview
Kedarnath is a high Himalayan town in Rudraprayag district, beside the Mandakini river at about 3,580 m, reached by a roughly 16–17 km uphill trek from Gaurikund or by helicopter. Its Kedarnath Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the first of the Panch Kedar and one of the four Chota Char Dham shrines. Because of heavy snow the temple opens only from about April–May (around Akshaya Tritiya) to November (around Kartik Purnima); in winter the deity is carried to the Omkareshwar Temple at Ukhimath. For 2026 the doors were announced to open on 22 April; the 2026 closing date had not been found in a fetched source.
See sources [1–6]- Shiva as Kedarnath
