If you are a devotee of Kedarnath then you must visit Jageshwar & Basukedar

By:- Kartikeya Semwal

If you have been to Kedarnath & are a devotee of almighty god Shiva, then you must visit Jageshwar dham & Basukedar. Jageshwar Dham is a collection of 124 temples that are dedicated to different gods & goddesses that is located 37 kms from Almora. This temple is located at a height of 1,870 mtrs & is situated amidst dense forest of Deodar trees. A stream called Jata-Ganga flows close by in its backyard.

 The temple premises are located in calm peaceful environment that will distress your mind & body. In ancient times, Jageshwar dham used to be a stop-point for people going to Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. It is said that the original temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya about 2500 years ago & were later rebuilt by the kings of Katyuri dynasty & Chand dynasty.

 The two main temples are dedicated to God Shiva while the 3rd biggest temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga. The other temples are dedicated to Chandi devi, Kuber, Mrityunjaya, Nav Durga, Ganesh & so on. These temples are built in Nagara style of architecture that is of North India. The temple complex can be reached by road from Almora.

 There is another temple called Vriddha Jageshwar that is situated 3 km upwards from Jageshwar temple complex. It is said to be the old abode of God Shiva before he came down to Jageshwar. It is said that he used to meditate out there. One can reach Vriddha Jageshwar by trekking.

 Another temple which devotees of God Shiva must visit is Basukedar. It is located in a village by the same name in Rudraprayag district. Basukedar has 1 main temple & 8 small temples in its complex. The main temple is dedicated to Kedar form of God Shiva while other temples are devoted to different gods & goddesses including local deities. This temple is carved out of stone.

 It is said that almighty God Shiva rested (basa) here for a night. This is how it got its name as ‘Basukedar’. It is said that this temple was built by the Pandavas 1000 years ago, after they fought Mahabharat & started their journey for penance & towards their end. The route to Basukedar sued to be the original route to Kedarnath when there were no roads in the past.

 The temple is located 5 kms from Chandrapuri & 31 kms from Rudraprayag town. You must visit all 3 temples to get blessings of almighty God Shiva.