Tungnath Temple is a major travel center of Chopta (Tungnath Temple) which comes under Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. In this post, we will give detailed information about Tungnath Dham of Lord Shiva situated in Chopta. So read this post till the end.
Tungnath Temple, Chopta
Uttarakhand is known all over the world for its religion and faith. The number of temples present here can be known that how much faith people have in God. And among them all, Lord Shiva is adorable. Shiva who is the resident of Kailash. Shiva who is the lord and deity of this land of the Himalayas. How hollow is the imagination of Uttarakhand without Shiva, it can be gauged from the fact that every time there is a rush of devotees to visit the five Kedars present here. And in those temples, the Tungnath temple of Shiva, the resident of Kailash, is present.
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Located at an altitude of 3680 meters above sea level, the highest temple of Shiva, Tungnath, is built on sight. The presence of the supreme abodes of Shiva, the resident of Kailash, in nature shows how much Shiva was attached to nature. At the same time, in front of the beauty of these abodes, even the urban decorations seem faded.
History and beliefs of Tungnath Temple
The Tungnath temple in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand is paramount in Panchkedar. This temple is on the peak of Tongnath or Tunganath mountain. Tunganath means the lord of the mountains and that alone adds to the splendor of the Tungnath temple fourfold. It is said that the Pandavas worshiped Lord Shiva at this place while climbing the Sarvarohani where the Tungnath Temple exists. Lord Shiva who was omniscient knew what was the intention of the Pandavas. That is why he was avoiding Lord Shiva. They hid by keeping the shape of a bull. Kedarnath has the back part of the bull form of Lord Shiva. The second Kedar is navel in Madmaheshwar, arms in Tungnath and face in Rudranath and hair in Kalpeshwar. This is called Panchkedar.
Rudraprayag which is also known from the land of Pandavas. While walking on the banks of Alaknanda, he was moving towards ascension. According to legends, when he was on his journey, he presented his weapons to the residents of this place. Since then the practice of Pandava dance started in Uttarakhand.
When Shankaracharya went on a journey to this part of the Himalayas, he laid the foundation of the Tungnath temple at this place. The architecture of the Tungnath temple resembles that of the northern part of India and that of Kedarnath. Unlike other temples where the priests are from South India, in this temple local priests from Makkumath offer prayers to the Tungnath temple.
About 2 km uphill from the Tungnath temple is the Chandrashila mountain peak. It is believed that Lord Rama worshiped Lord Shiva on Chandrashila to get rid of the sin of killing Brahma. There are stone slabs on the summit of Chandrashila which have been made by humans. There is a small temple near it.
Places to visit in Tungnath Temple
The specialty of Tungnath temple is its architecture which is similar to Madmaheshwar and Kedarnath temples. This temple is believed to be more than 1000 years old. There is an idol of Nandi at the entrance of this temple and there is also a natural source of water a little closer to the temple. Situated at the top of the valleys of Alaknanda and Mandakini, Tungnath offers beautiful views of the Himalayan peaks.
The main attraction of this temple is that there are small temples of Pandavas present here. Those who are related to Mahabharata period and ascension. Apart from this, there are small temples around the temple. The sacred part of this temple is a black rock. Which is considered self-existent and self-existent. At the same time, the view of the valleys is made from the Chandrashila present on the top of this temple.
Why visit Tungnath Temple?
The importance of Tungnath temple is paramount like other temples of Shiva. Not only will you be able to connect with religion and spirituality here, but you will also be exposed to the various beautiful colors of nature. Shailani walks from far and wide throughout the year on the Tungnath temple trek. At the same time, people from beautiful places around Tungnath are also drawn to this place. On the opening of the doors of the temple, the pilgrims doing the Panchkedar trek also dare to complete the journey from Tungnath to Panchkedar on foot.
You will also get to see small bugyals on the Tungnath trek. On the other hand, this area of Tungnath comes under Kedar Valley / Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, so rare natural wealth and animals will also be seen. Chopta where the Tungnath Temple is located has become a major travel center for travelers in winters.
How to reach Tungnath?
- From Garhwal -
- Dehradun / Rishikesh / Haridhar - Rudraprayag
- Rudraprayag - Chopta
- from Kumaon
- KATHGODAM - CHAMOLI
- Chamoli - Chopta
You can reach Rishikesh, Haridhar, Dehradun by rail to reach Tungnath. From where Rudraprayag can be reached by road. You can reach Chopta via Ukhimath from Rudraprayag. From where Tungnath Temple is situated at a distance of 3.5 km by road. Apart from this, you can come to Chamoli via Kathgodma / Haldwani from where Chopta can be reached from Sari village and Sari village via Gopeshwar. Watch video.
Read this also -
- places to visit in Chopta
- Top Camping Places in Uttarakhand
- A lake near Tungnath where medicinal secrets are hidden in the water
- Badrinath Travel Guide
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