केदारनाथ

Kedarnath Jyotirlinga, Rudraprayag

No. 5 in the stotram list, in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. Himalaya, seasonal.
Stotram list
No. 5
Season
May to November, the window the temple committee gives
Railhead
Rishikesh
about 228 km
Airport
Jolly Grant, Dehradun
about 248 km
Stay
Dharamshalas at the temple, BKTC guest houses at Sonprayag and Guptkashi

Official website: Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in)

The emblem here is our own drawing. The logo belongs to the trust, so we leave it on their site and keep this independent guide from being mistaken for it.

The map loads when it scrolls into view.

© OpenFreeMap ©OpenStreetMap
Map centre: town, not the gateOpen in Google Maps
Kedarnath temple from the approach road, wide enough to show the queue area and the shoe stand, taken in the morning light2000x583 webp

The story of Kedarnath

In the Garhwal Himalaya, in the region the official site calls Kedar Khand, and held by it as one of the Char Dham and of the Panch Kedar. It is the highest of the twelve.

The legend

The official site records the Pandava legend: after the Kurukshetra war the Pandavas sought Shiva's blessings for redemption, and the parts of Shiva that remained appeared at four other places, which are worshipped there as his forms and are the other Panch Kedar shrines.

What it is known for

The temple stands in the middle of a wide plateau ringed by snow peaks, and the site dates the original building to the 8th century AD. Chamoli district alone, it notes, holds more than 200 shrines to Shiva, of which this is the most important.

Where this came from
What a jyotirlinga is, and the traditional order →

Darshan at Kedarnath

Kedarnath is an active temple with a daily ritual schedule, not a monument. The free queue is the default: it costs nothing and on a normal weekday it moves well. Paid darshan, if the trust offers one, buys a shorter line rather than a different view of the linga. On festival days the paid line is often suspended entirely.

Aarti is the part worth planning around. Slots are limited, some are booked days ahead, and walk-ins are turned away once the hall is full.Data check pending

Booking and darshan optionsTrain, flight and road
The queue on a normal day

Darshan runs only in the months the temple is open, and the queue shape follows the Char Dham season: heaviest in the weeks right after the opening and in the school holidays, quietest in the shoulder weeks at the start and end of the season.

What changes at peak

No source read so far describes the festival queue at this temple, so this site does not describe it either.

Where this came from
  • Official temple site, season, temple trust, read 19 Oct 2026. The opening and closing dates change each year and are announced by the temple committee. Check the committee notice before booking.

When the crowds arrive

Two periods are heavy at every one of the twelve: Mahashivratri and the month of Shravan. What is specific to Kedarnath is the part this site has not sourced yet.Data check pending

What Mahashivratri changes at all twelve →

Where to stay

Three ways people stay at Kedarnath, cheapest and closest first.

Trust guest houses and dharamshalasThe cheapest rooms with the shortest walk. Usually booked by phone or at the counter on the day, and the ones that take online bookings are listed on the stay page.
Hotels and lodges in townDharamshalas at the temple, BKTC guest houses at Sonprayag and Guptkashi. Price bands and the walk time to the gate are on the stay page, with the booking links.
Staying outside and driving inUseful when the town fills up: the nearest city with a wider choice of rooms, and what that adds to the morning.
All stay options near Kedarnath →

What is around Kedarnath

16 km walk from Gaurikund, or pony, palanquin and helicopter. Most visitors give the temple a few hours and leave the same day, which is a miss: the places worth half a day sit within a short drive, and going early or late avoids the crowd that arrives with the coaches.

  • The other Panch Kedar shrines
  • Badrinath
  • Gaurikund and the trail
Everything around Kedarnath, with the sources →
Kedarnath: what a visitor sees within a half day of the temple, shot the way a traveller arrives1600x1067 webp

Rules and practicalities

Phones, cameras and bags

Phones and cameras are not allowed inside the sanctum area at any of the twelve. Lockers and deposit counters sit at or near the gate.

Dress code

Covered shoulders and knees are the safe default. Checked against each temple's own notice.Data check pending

Accessibility and the walk

The last road point is Gaurikund and the temple is 16 km on foot from there, with pony, palanquin and helicopter as the alternatives.

Festival days

Kedarnath on Mahashivratri and during Shravan runs on a different schedule with far longer queues. See the festival pages for what changes.

Other notices
  • A green card and vehicle permit for the Char Dham route is issued at greencard.uk.gov.in.
  • The committee help line for Kedarnath is +91-8534001008, given as Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM.

Sources for this temple: badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in, badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in, badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in. What each one covers, and the date it was read, is on the darshan and booking page.

Common questions about Kedarnath

What are the Kedarnath temple timings?
Darshan hours change with the season and with the aarti schedule, so this site does not print a fixed clock time without rechecking it. The darshan and booking page carries the current schedule, the aarti slots and the source it was checked against.
How do I reach Kedarnath?
The nearest railhead is Rishikesh, about 228 km, and the nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun, about 248 km. The how to reach page covers the last mile as well: which transport runs from the station, what it costs and how long it takes.
Where should I stay near Kedarnath?
Dharamshalas at the temple, BKTC guest houses at Sonprayag and Guptkashi. The stay page lists the options by walking distance and price band, including the trust rooms and dharamshalas.
When is the best time to visit Kedarnath?
May to November, the window the temple committee gives. The shrine closes on the first day of Kartik and reopens in Vaishakh. The committee announces the exact dates each year, so treat any date you see elsewhere as last season's.. 16 km walk from Gaurikund, or pony, palanquin and helicopter.

Also in the North group

The other temples in the North group, the himalaya and the ganga plain.

Kashi VishwanathVaranasi, Uttar Pradesh
The North group: stations, airports and links to the other groups →

Plan Kedarnath

How to reachRishikesh and Jolly Grant, DehradunWhere to stayDharamshalas at the temple, BKTC guest houses at Sonprayag and GuptkashiDarshan and bookingFree queue, paid options, aarti slots