Rudranath Temple is a famous holy temple located in Gopeshwar of Chamoli district. This holy temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is one of the Panch Kedars of Uttarakhand. This temple is located at an altitude of approximately 3,600 meters above sea level. This temple is constructed entirely of natural stone.
Lord Shiva's face is worshiped in this temple and also called 'Rudrammukh'. Holy kund like Chandra Kund, Maan Kund, Surya Kunda, Tara Kund are situated near this temple. Temple comes in third place in Panchkedar pilgrimage.
According to the legend, after the war of Mahabharata, Pandavas wanted liberation from their sins, so Lord Krishna advised Pandavas to get the blessings of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was angry with Pandavas as the Pandavas had destroyed their kindred.
That is why Lord Shiva comes to hide in Guptakashi. When Pandav reached Guptakashi then Lord Shiva reached Kedarnath, where Lord Shiva took the form of the bull. Pandavas discovered Lord Shiva and received blessings from them. It is believed that when Lord Shiv got the self-absorbed in the form of a bull, the upper part of their torso appeared in Kathmandu, where now is the famous temple of Pashupatinath.
Shiva's arms are in Tungnath, in mouth Rudranath, in navel Madhyameshwar, in the form of the shape-pind of the backside of Lord Shiva bull is worshipped in Shri Kedarnath and hair appeared in Kalpeshwar. Therefore, in these five places, Temple is called Panchkedar.
.By Air
The nearest airport of Gopeshwar is Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun, which is about 228 km from Gopeshwar.
By Train
The nearest railway station of Gopeshwar is Rishikesh, which is about 210 km from Gopeshwar.
By Road
To reach Rudranath Temple, there is a 22 km trek from Saggar village and Saggar village is 5 km from the road from Gopeshwar.
The journey of Rudranath Temple can be done throughout the year, but the best time to visit here is between the months of May to October. Travelling here in these months is the best and enjoyable. During winter, the weather of here is cold.
Because of the surrounding snow in winter, the temperature here can drop significantly.
Due to the heavy rains in the rainy season, it is somewhat difficult to travel around here because of the risk of landslides caused by heavy rains.
