VishwanathTemple of Lord Shiva:
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(Guptkashi Vishwanath Temple) is a famous and popular religious place of Uttarakhand. This temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is the main center of faith of Hindus.
This holy place is located on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund National Highway in Uttarakhand. It is believed that Lord Shiva came from Varanasi and hid here and then from here he also became secret, hence this place is known as Guptkashi.
Ardhanarishvar Temple:
There is also the famous Ardhanarishvara temple here. Where Lord Shiva is seated as half male and half female.
This place is also known asChota Chardhamin Hinduism. There is also Manikarnika Kund in front of Ardhanarishwar Temple. Two streams always fall in it, in which people take bath.
Guptkashi to Kedarnath:
Guptkashi is just 47 kilometers away from the holy Kedarnath Dham of Lord Shiva at an altitude of 1319 meters above sea level. The devotees who come to visit Kedarnath, stay in Guptkashi. Guptkashi is surrounded by snowy hills, greenery, cultural heritage and pleasant weather of Chaukhamba hills. For this reason, this place is the perfect holiday destination for tourists.
Vishwanath Temple:
It is believed that after the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas wanted to get salvation by getting rid of their sins, because during the war, their family members died and Brahma killed by their hands.
On the advice of Lord Krishna, the Pandavas reached Varanasi to apologize to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was angry with the Pandavas due to the unjust incidents that happened during the war, so Lord Shiva reached Guptkashi from Varanasi. When Pandavas also reached Guptkashi chasing Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva took the form of Nandi (bull). When Bhima tried to catch Nandi’s tail, Nandi disappeared from Guptkashi.
According to the legend, after his disappearance from Guptkashi,
the upper part of his torso appeared in Kathmandu. Where is the famous temple of Lord Pashupatinath.
Apart from this, the arms of Lord Shiva appeared in TungnathTungnath.
The face in Rudranath
The navel in Madhyamaheshwar.
His Jata in Kalpeshwar.
Therefore these places including Shri Kedarnath are calledPanchkedar.
How to reach Guptkashi:
By Bus:
Guptkashi is well connected to neighboring cities and states through National Highways. From Delhi you can go to Rishikesh by bus.
Bus and taxi facilities are available from here to Guptkashi.
Thenearest airport from Guptkashiis at Dehradun, about 197 kms away.
By Train:
If you want to go to Guptkashi with the help of rail route, then you can come to Rishikesh, 170 km from Guptkashi by rail. The journey beyond this will have to be decided by road only.
Guptkashi is 415 kms from Delhi and 43 kms from Rudraprayag.