Kedarnath FAQs

Every Year Kedarnath shrine open for darshan on the aupicious day depends on Akshay Tritya. On the day of Maha Shivratri, priests of Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath declare the date of opening of Kedarnath Temple for the darshan by pilgrims. The holy shrine remain open till the day of Bhai Dooj. On the occasion of Bhai Dooj, which falls after Diwali festival, the Kedarnath shrine gets closed for pilgrims for six months.

‘Kedar’ refers to Lord Shiva in Vedas & Puranas. Kedarnath, as per holy belief and sacredness, is known to be the land of Lord Shiva, where Lord still resides in the form of Linga. It is also one of 12 Jyotirlings and the highest among all. As per legends, after the Mahabharata war Pandavas came to Kashi and then Guptkashi in search of Lord Shiva for the easy ablution from their sins. But Lord Shiva was annoyed with them due to bad events at war. In order to not meet Pandavas, Lord Shiva concealed himself near Guptkashi in the form of a buffalo. Pandavas , in search of Lord Shiva came to this place witness the unique buffalo and follow him. In an act to hide, buffalo get inside the earth, but Bheem grabbed his tail and legs from behind. All Pandavas then request Lord Shiva to come out from the earth and give them easy ablution from their sins. After sometime Bholenath gave darshan and comes out. Different parts of buffalo came out at five places, well known as Panch Kedar. Hump at Kedarnath, arms at Tungnath, navel & stomach at Madhyamaheshwar, face at Rudranath and head & hair at Kalpeshwar.

After building five temples at Panch Kedar, Pandavas meditated at Kedarnath Dham for salvation and get free from sins. So it is believed that Kedarnath Dham darsham is the road to salvation for Hindus.

Kedarnath temple darshan timings
Morning : 5 AM – 01:30 PM
Evening: 05:30 PM – 10 PM

Yes, Kedarnath trek starts from Gaurikund and pilgrims have to cover 16 kms to reach the temple. The trek is medium steep at some points and adequate fitness is advise to pilgrims visiting Kedarnath. For senior citizens and children, there are facilities of Kandi, Palki and Mules. Proper facilities of drinking water and small shops are there in the trek route. Also there is helicopter service from Phata and other helipad to Kedarnath.

Please note that these are high altitude areas,and thus it is advised that people who have any respiratory problems or cardio-vascular problems to seek doctor’s advice before venturing to these areas.

The fare of helicopter ticket to Kedarnath is approx Rs 7,000/- per person from Phata, which includes return helicopter fare with exclusive of priority darshan as per the prevalent rate.

The cost of Dandi/ Palki, Kandi & Mule/ Ponies are regualtd by the administration and one can get them booked at fixed price from booking counter at Gaurikund/ Sonprayag.

For different distances, there are different rates. Such as for Gaurikund to Kedarnath, Dandi will cost INR 4550/-, Kandi will cost INR 3350/- and Pony will cost INR 4100/-. Check complete Dandi, Kandi & Mules rates at Kedarnath.

As Kedarnath trek is situated in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, pilgrims are not allowed to trek any time. In the morning trek starts from Gaurikund at 04:00 am and stop at 01:30 pm. No pilgrims is allowed to leave after this specific time. Check more about Kedarnath Trek Timings.

Yes, Helicopter flights to Kedarnath are totally safe as it is approved by DGCA. In case of bad weather, no heli flight take off for the safety of passengers. There are many heli operators are conducting heli flights to Kedarnath such as UTAir, Himalayan Heli, Heritage Aviation, Pawan Hans etc. Pilgrims can book tickets directly from heli operators.

If such situation arises, one can take Palki or Ponies help to reach the destination. Other option is to stay in camps in between the trek at Jungle Chatti, Bheem Bali and Lincholi for a night and start journey next morning.

Every Year Kedarnath Yatra begins from the month of April or May onwards (Akshay Tritya) and continues until Bhai Dooj after Diwali. After Bhai Dooj doors of the shrine remain close for the next five or six months due to heavy snow fall and very cold weather as all the shrine is located in the Himalayan Mountain where life is not easy to survive due to uncertain weather conditions.

Kedarnath temple is located at high altitude and can be reach only via trek, dandi, kandi, mules and helicopter from Gaurikund. Till Gaurikund/ Sonprayag, there is metalled road connected to Haridwar and further to other major cities like Delhi. Kedarnath Yatra can be starts either from Delhi or Haridwar as being a capital of India, Delhi is connected with almost entire World & all major Cities of India through various flight connections and Trains. Road connectivity from Delhi to Haridwar is very good as by road it is just 210 km/ 5 hours drive (approx). One can travel by air from Delhi to Dehradun (Jolly Grant Aiport) which is just 40 Km away (1 hrs drive approx) from Haridwar. One can also travel to Rishikesh which is only 20 kms from the airport.

From Haridwar, one can board bus to Sonprayag / Guptkashi or hire a car for Kedarnath yatra. Travel time to Sonprayag is 8-9 hrs and there is shared taxi service to Gaurikund. One can start trek from Gaurikund as early at 04:00am in the morning. After 16 kms trek one can take darshan at Kedarnath temple and return back same day or next day. The route will be DELHI – HARIDWAR – RISHIKESH – RUDRAPRAYAG – GUPTKASHI – SONPRAYAG – GAURIKUND – KEDARNATH

You may choose either GMVN or private agencies, provided they are reliable, low cost and affordable. There are some deluxe category hotels termed as ‘3 star hotel’. You will get basic meals in this route. If budget is no constraint, you may hire a cab from Delhi or Haridwar for the entire trip.

You can also choose private Char Dham operators as well. You can hire a cab or book a Kedarnath tour package at SacredYatra.com !!

Kedarnath temple in situated at high Himalayan region, so weather is cold at night even in the month of May-June. It is advisable to take heavy woollen cloths such as warm Jacket, Coat, Sweater, Gloves & woollen socks and good walking shoes with grip, slippers & sandals, first aid kit. Rain coat is must as weather can be changed at any time here. As there are basic medical facilities available at Kedarnath, one has to bring personal medicines during your trip and carry prescriptions of the medicines, preferably carry a letter from your physician during your trip.

There are number of prasad shops at Gaurikund and even at Kedarnath, so pilgrims doesn’t have to carry any offering with them. If one has to donate something, then there is office of Badri-Kedar Samiiti and donation boxes at Kedarnath.

Kedarnath has only 2-3 budget hotels (other hotels washed away in 2013 floods). GMVN is providing adequate accommodation in tents and pre fabricated huts. More than 1000 bed facilities is available at Kedarnath Dham. Pilgrims can book in advance through GMVN official website.

Kedarnath Yatra is known for its steep and long trek, but it has many hidden treasures and some awesome experiences to be touch during yatra and at Kedarnath. The trek itself is full of natural beauty and at Kedarnath, one couldn’t describe the view of the temple and its backdrop. To explore Kedarnath, one has to must visit Bhauravnath Temple situated near the temple at a hill. A good DSLR will add beauty to the experience. If open, one must trek to Vasuki Tal (Lake at 8 kms from Kedarnath).

Registration for Kedarnath or Chardham Yatra can be done at various counters free of cost. Or you can do it online too. Registration counters are available at Haridwar, Rishikesh, Guptkashi, Phata, Sonprayag and Kedarnath. It is advise to register at earliest possible either online or at the counter. Check more details about Kedarnath Yatra Registration.

Yes, All pilgrims have to park their vehicle at Sonprayag Parking area. Further to Gaurikund, there are shared service taxi service available. This is due to narrow road condition between Sonprayag & Gaurikund.

Kedarnath is well connected by road till Sonprayag. So you can easily travel by all vehicles.

There are various types of Puja one can perform inside the temple. But due to heavy rush of pilgrims, there is a system for performing Puja. One can pre book the slot for Puja by phone to Badri-Kedar Temple Samiti. There are numerous types of Pujas performed in Kedarnath. Check Latest Pujas Rates in Kedarnath