The beautiful hilly state of Uttarakhand in Northern India, also called 'Devbhoomi' or 'Abode of the Gods,' owes its name to the presence of 60 temples dedicated to the revered Lord Shiva on its sacred land.
Each of these temples is seeped in mythology and folklore, mysticism and magic, and interesting anecdotes from the Puranas* that help reiterate the belief that these temples stand for, an unshakeable, unwavering faith in the almighty Lord Shiva, the invincible.
About Tungnath and Panch Kedar
Tungnath temple belongs to the group of 'Panch Kedar Temples' or 5 Kedar temples. As per popular folklore, Pandavas, the gallant and righteous five princes of Indraprastha defeated their deceitful one hundred cousins, the Kaurvas in a fierce and bloody battle of Kurukshetra.
After the war, the Pandavas wanted to atone for their sin of fratricide (the sin of killing one's kin). They worshipped Lord Shiva and sought his forgiveness but Shiva wanted them to undergo penance for their deeds and cleanse themselves of their sins.
When Pandavas reached Varanasi at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the abode of Lord Shiva, he disguised himself as a bull to avoid the Pandavas and hid himself in the Garhwal Himalayas. This place came to be known as Guptkashi, Gupt meaning hidden and Kashi, the city of Shiva.
Lord Shiva re-appeared as a bull in the Himalayan region. Bheema, the most powerful of the Pandava brothers was looking for Lord Shiva. He spotted the bull and recognised it as Lord Shiva. But the bull vanished and re-appeared in five parts at five different locations namely Kedarnath, where the hump appeared, the arms appeared in Tungnath, the face in Rudranath, the navel in Madhyamaheshwar and the hair in Kalpeshwar.
The Pandavas built temples in all these 5 locations to seek the forgiveness and blessings of Lord Shiva.
All 5 temples of Panch Kedar are located in the same region and cover a total mountain trek of about 170 km. It takes about 15 to 21 days to cover all these temples in one go. Rudranath is considered to be the toughest of all these 5 mountainous treks.
How to reach Tungnath
Tungnath temple, located at an altitude of 12,070 feet above sea level, is the highest Shiva temple in the world!
There is a scenic pass through the hills, 3.5 kilometres long, that will take you right up to the temple's entrance. 3.5 km sounds quite doable, but the steep incline and the high altitude can be challenging for some people.
The walk uphill starts on a cobbled path from the nearest town of Chopta.
The winding pass passes through beautiful meadows and scenic valleys. Ponies are also easily available if you do not wish to walk.
Here are the Top 5 tips for your Tungnath trip
The trek is only 3.5 km but it's quite steep uphill. If you're not up for walking all the way uphill, then you should opt for a pony.
The high altitude can cause breathing discomfort in some people. You must carry camphor tablets to ease breathing on your way up.
There is very limited infrastructure en route to the temple. There are just one or two small shacks selling basic snacks and drinks. Unlike many other popular shrines, there are no covered sheds or resting places along the way. You should carry an umbrella if the weather forecast is cloudy. Also, carry drinking water for the journey.
Most importantly, start early in the morning. The trek is even but there is no lighting throughout the route. It was pitch dark by the time we came downhill. It would help if you carried a torch to see the route. We had to depend on the torchlight of our phone to get back safely.
1.5 km further from the Tungnath temple is Chandrashila, a viewpoint that offers unobstructed and glorious views of the Himalayas, Nandadevi, and Kedar Peak. If you have the zeal and energy to walk up another 1.5 km, you should not miss it.
We visited Tungnath in October 2024. The journey was every bit memorable. I'm sharing some pictures of our journey.
The route to the temple was very scenic, as we went through lush green valleys and meadows....
Last leg of the journey....
Entrance gate of the temple...
First look of the temple complex...
The valley around the temple at dusk...
The trek is plunged into darkness by the time we set forth on our return journey...
*Puranas are Hindu religious texts that are part of the Vedas. There are 18 Puranas in all, that deal with exhaustive information on many subjects like theology, cosmology, religion, astronomy and medicine among others. Puranas use religious symbolism and fables to carry their message.
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