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Uttaranchal Tungnath Temple
Located at 3,680 meters above the sea level on the Himalayan range, Tungnath is the serene ancient temple of Tungnath. Known to be the second important shrine of the Panch Kedar which is the collection of five holy places dedicated solely to the god Shiva, the temple holds lots of interesting history and legend waiting to be unfolds. The temple is receiving regular pilgrimage annually that visits and prays to the god Shiva at all the five temples in its order. Located just 2 Kilometers from the Chandrashila Peak and divided by two great river known as Mandakini River and Alaknanda River, the Tungnath Temple is the highest temple dedicated to this god known as The Auspicious One or the Mahadev Shiva.
History
Although the exact date on when the temple was built is not known till now, however the story on how the temple was built can be found in the ancient India's Sanskrit epic of Mahabharata. According to what people believe, the age of this temple is more than 1000 years old based on what had been told by the local Brahmins from one generation to the next who had been the priest of the temple. According to the Mahabharata, the five temples of the Panch Kedar were built by Pandavas who was on his way to heaven. He built the temple on all the location where the various part of the sacred bull was found. This is a sign of gratitude towards lord Shiva to whom they were seeking for forgiveness for their sin of killing lots of people in the battle of Kurukshetra against their own cousins known as the Kauravas.
How to Reach
By Air
The nearest airport to get to this temple is the Jolly Grant Airport located in Dehradun which is 115 kilometers away. To get to the airport, visitors need to take a flight from either New Delhi or Lucknow with average duration of flight around one hour. There are three main airlines operating the domestic flight to Jolly Grant Airport hence, giving the visitors more choice to get there based on their schedule and budget. The three airlines are the Air India, Jet Airways and Spice Jet.
By Rail
There are two main railways station close to the temple that are located in Rishikesh and Kotdwar which are 221 kilometers and 236 kilometers away respectively. The Rishikesh Railway Station can be reached by train from lots of major cities in India such as Jammu by using Hemkunt Express, Delhi by using Dehradun or Mussoorie Express, and Haridwar using the Dehradun Express. For train from Delhi, it is advised to use the Mussoorie express as the travel time is only 9 hours with ticket fares as low as 170 Rupees. It is advised to take the train only to Haridwar and continue by bus from there if you missed the train exchange there as there are only three trains from Haridwar to Rishikesh.
By Road
From Rishikesh, it will be another 189 kilometers journey to get to Tungnath before you can start to hike your way to the temple. By using the National Highway, it will be less than 4 hours ride to reach there either by auto rickshaw or bus. However, the fare varies from season to season.
Important Shrines
The Shrine was built as a toke of gratitude to god Shiva by the Pandavas when they are seeking for forgiveness from Shiva for their sin due to lots of bloodshed in their war. The Tungnath temple was built on the scared place where Pandavas found the hand of the sacred bull that had been missing into the ground after Bhima, the second brother of the Pandavas managed to grab the sacred bull by its tail after he had recognized it as Shiva.
Significance of the Temple
The temple is second in the row of temples that pilgrimage should visit after Kedharnath followed by Rudranath, Madhyamaheswar, and Kalpeshwar. It is one of the important holy places in the Shaivite sect in Hinduism with lots of followers. At this temple, devotees pray to seek forgiveness and repent to god Shiva just like the way Pandavas did.
Weather and Time to Visit
The weather in this area is like most part of India which is uncertain and could vary from great cool climate to warm and rain during the monsoon season. The best time to visit this temple is during summer which is around May or June. Visitors are reminded that the temple is closed during winter as it is not reachable due to heavy snow covering the path there. However, the visitor can still pray to the deity at Tungnath during the winter in Ukhimath as it will be moved there.
Accommodation
Since the Tungnath Temple is located in a small area, there are not many hotels available to visitors. However one can easily find a good cheap home stays and hostels Nanda Devi Paryatak and Mayadeep Resort. Visitors can also stay in camps or in tents as campsites are provided by the Magpie Camp Resort and Alpine Adventure camp. All the accommodation starts from as low as 800 Rupees per night.
Tips for Devotees
It is the best to meet the Brahmin in charge before going into the temple to get some overview on the best way to pray in this temple. Devotees are also advised to visit the temple according to their order in the Panch Kedar list to make sure they get the most out of their worship.
Rules and Rituals of the Temple
There are no particular rules here as all the visitors are expected to dress properly during their visit and do not do any bad action during their visit such as littering.
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