At Yamunotri & Gangotri, the pilgrims are
cleansed body & soul and with having achieved
purity in that sense, pilgrims to Sri Kedarnath
becomes most rewarding.
It is also customary to
worship Lord Shiva with water of Ganga, which
pilgrims going from Gangotri as well take some
there to Kedarnath. Kedarnath is the seat
of
Lord Shiva.
It is one of the twelve
"Jyotirlingas" of Lord Shiva. Lying at an
altitude of 3584 m at the head of river
Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is amongst
the holiest pilgrimage for the Hindus.
It is no
wonder that Adi Guru Shankaracharya - a great
scholar & saint, chose to enshrine Lord Shiva in
this land, where the unholy becomes oly and the
holy becomes holier.
It is the place where Lord
Shiva absolved Pandavas from the sin of killing
their own cousins Kauravas in the battle of
Kurukshetra.
At Kedarnath there are several Kunds (pools,
tanks) that are known for their religious significans - shivkund, Retkund, hanskund,
Udakkund, Rudhirkund are the most important.
