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PANWALI KANTHA BUGYAL
Situated on the southwestern end of a ridge in the Kedarnath region, in Rudraprayag District, Garhwal Himalayas. Panwali Kantha trek is the part of old pilgrimage trail from Gangotri to Kedarnath and, it goes through some of the most beautiful “bugyals” (meadows). If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the ‘blue mountain goat’. One can witness to a growing panorama of Great Himalayan Peaks: Meru, the Gangotri Range & the Kedar Dome
KEDARNATH
A kilometer away, the dark stone of the shrine has a massive sense of gravity to it. A delightful contrast to the vaulting slopes of the mountains behind. At night, the temple is a looming shadow, the kedar massif a glistening wall of ice and, above, the stars are icy pinpricks of light. Heaven meets earth, water meets stone and, if you believe in such things, mortal man meets the cosmos.
Located within the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, the ancient shiva temple is one of the many said to have been built in 19th century by the Adi Shankaracharya The Rawal, or high priest at the shrine, is in the long line of the nambudiris established by him, and the pilgrimage, believed to be one of the four most essential in the Hindu tradition, is an ode to faith. |
