Devbhumi Uttarakhand
Table of Contents
Covered with mountains and clouds is the Land’s of Gods, Devbhumi Uttarakhand. The beauty of nature has the power to attract the soul and fell the environment. Uttarakhand is divided into two divisions, Garhwal and Kumaon. Kedarnath, Badrinath, Dharavi Devi temple, Uttarkashi, Haridwar are some of the holy places in Uttarakhand. Tungnath is the highest temple of Lord Shiva in the world and it is in Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand is the origin of the holy river Ganga. Yamuna, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Mandakini are some of the holy rivers that flow within The Land Of God’s.
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is one of the divine temples of Lord Shiva. There’s a very interesting story behind this temple. It is believed that this temple was built by the Pandavas. After the Mahabharat war, the Pandavas wanted to meet Lord Shiva to seek forgiveness for their sin of killing their kin, but Lord Shiva did not want to forgive them so he turned into a bull and hid among the cattle. Bhima discerned this form of Lord Shiva when Lord Shiva came to know about this the bull sunk into the ground. Bhima grabbed the tail of the bull forcing him to appear before them and forgive them. The Pandavas then built the first temple at Kedarnath.
All the other portions of the bull appeared in different locations. Hump in Kedarnath, navel in Madhya-Maheshwar, arms at Tungnath, face in Rudranath and hairs in Kalpeshwar. Pandavas built a temple at each place. These temples are together known as “Panch Kedar.
Panch Kedar
These are the five temples of Lord Shiva which were built by Pandavas. Kedarnath was the first temple among them. It is in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Kalpeshwar and Rudranath temples are in the Chamoli district. Tungnath and Madhya-Maheshwar are in Rudraprayag district.
Badrinath
Badrinath is one of the four sites in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage(four abodes), which is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, being one of the most important temples of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the temple was established by Adi Shankar in the 9th century. He discovered the image of Lord Badrinath in the river Alaknanda and Tapt Kund. In the 16th Century, the king of Garhwal moved the idol in the present temple.
Haridwar
Talking about the Land of God’s, Devbhumi Uttarakhand and Haridwar is not included can never happen. Haridwar is the holy place for Hindus. It is considered sacred because Lord Vishnu took bath at this spot and it relieves all the sins. It is one of the most sacred bathing ghats in India. Haridwar is also known as “The Gateway to Lord Vishnu” as it is the place where the pilgrim starts their journey to visit the prominent temple of Lord Vishnu, which is Badrinath.
Nanda Devi Raj Jat
Nanda Devi Raj Jat is one of the biggest festivals or pilgrimages of Uttarakhand which happens ones in 12 years. People from different parts of the world participate in this yatra. Goddess Nanda Devi is worshipped in different parts of Kumaon and Garhwal. Pithoragarh, Almora, Chamoli are the major area of this yatra. The yatra starts from Nauti village in Knaprayag and goes up to the height of Roopkund.
The people of Uttarakhand at an individual level worship God and Goddess by conducting pujas at home. All the people of the village gather at the place where the puja is conducted. The enthusiasm among the people can be seen. One can feel the power of the environment in this Land of God’s.
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