Kedareshvara

About

After a short walk pilgrims reach to the Kedara Ghat from which side by climbing stairways one enters to the temple of Kedareshvara. This temple is a part of monastery, established in late 16th century by Kumarasvami, a devotee of Dattatreya. One can also enter to the temple from the main street linking it from the west. At the bank there is a stone staired sacred water pool, called Gauri Kund, consisting the image of Gauri in the posture of yoga. While entering from the Ghat side one passes through a variety of images and lingams, followed by an inner ante-room adorned with large black-stone statues of ƒa×kara, Buddha, Ganesha and Durga before entering to the inner sanctum (garbhagrha) where the central image of Kedareshvara is enshrined. Outside the inner sanctum can be seen small image of Kala Bhairava and of Cuti Bai. Kedareshvara lingam is not a smooth-surfaced shaft set into a holy spot but a rough mound with a white line in the middle like a mound of Khichari cut at half. For king Mandhat‚ offered his half of Khichari to Shiva in the guise of a guest, when the whole mound turned into a stone lingam. A full chapter of the Kashi Khanda (77) describes the glories of this lingam. Skanda said, a man becomes contended and blessed by listening to the origin of Kedareshvara lingam; he becomes rid of sins instantly and attains Shiva’s world› (Kashi Khanda, 77.74).