Tungnath Temple
Tungnath Temple – :
Chopta region is blessed with God Tungnath ji give Chopta region create sense of spiritualism. Tungnath ji is Triteeya (third) Kedar among Panch Kedar. Tunganath ji (Lord Siva) temple is the only temple in the world at this height (3680mt) from sea label. Chopta Tungnath region has its own religious and spiritual importance since ancient and vedic time/era.
The trek to highest temple of Lord Shiva begins from Chopta. You can reach Tungnath by a 3.5km easy but steep trek.
Find what is Tungnath Temple famous for, Tungnath weather updates-:
Tungnath literally means ‘Lord of the Peak’. The Tungnath Temple is Tritiya (third) Kedar among Panch (five) Kedars, where the arms of Shiva are worshiped. It is the world’s highest Shiva Temple (at the elevation of 3680 meters or 1274 feet) , situated in Chopta, Rudpraprayag District.
It is said to be located on the Satya Tara Mountain, because the Seven Rishi and stars had attained the boon of staying at a height hereby from Shiva Parvati. It is on just the bottom of the Chandrashila peak. Which is 1.5km from Tungnath ji.
Even at such a height, it is the most accessible trek among the Panch kedar’s. One can reach Tungnath by 3.5km trek, which goes through the Rhododendron (burans) and through picturesque velvet meadows.
The initial 1 kilometer track goes through the forest and its look easy. After that the steep and tuff part starts and it goes through bugyals up to 1.5km, near to bottom of Tungnath Ji. The mesmerizing views of Himalaya and the beauty of this valley remove your fatigue and you crossed it easily.
Lord Bholenathji’s temple is visible from the last section of this trek and you have no idea when you reached the threshold of God.
Legend/History of Tungnath Temple-
Information about the construction of the temple is found that it was established by the Pandavas to pleased Lord Shiva.The story behind it is that , the Bholenath was disgusted with Pandavas due to the massacre in Kurukshetra by him, only then this temple was built to please him.
Apart from this, it is also believed that Mata Parvati also did penance here to get Shiva.
What to see in Tungnath /What is Tungnath famous for
Rawan Shila – There is a Ravana rock near the Tungnath temple. It is said that Ravana did penance to Lord Shiva here. The Views of the valley from Ravan Shila are amazing.
Alpine Research Center Tungnath – The Alpine Research Station at Tungnath (3600m a.s.l.) stablish by High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre (HAPPRC), Srinagar Garhwal University. This centre is for the research of the sensitive plant species i.e. rare, endangered, and threatened. you can earn good knowledge about alpine herbs and their uses.
Akash Ganga – it is a small Dhara (stream of water) in Tungnath ji, The Akash Ganga flows through the velvety grasslands descending from the hills of Tungnath (Click her for Detail)
Sunset – At sunset, the color of the Tungnath valley suddenly changes and it colored the entire valley in golden color. It is a very beautiful sight in itself.
Temples around Tungnath ji- The main entrance of the temple has a stone idol of Nandi bull, which according to Hindu mythology is the ascension of Lord Shiva. Statues of popular Hindu saints such as Kaal Bhairava and Vyasa are also enshrined in the temple with images of Pandavas. Also, small shrines of various deities can be seen around this temple.
Himalayan views – A spectacular view of the Himalayas is seen from Tungnath. From Bandar punch to Chaukhamba there is more than 10 picks that can be visualized.