Madhyamaheshwar Temple, Garhwal – The Temple
The temple is constructed in the north Indian style of
architecture. It is situated in a lush meadow, just below a high ridge. The
older, so-called 'Vriddh-Madmaheshwar', temple is a tiny blackened shrine on the
ridge, which looks straight up at the commanding Chaukhamba peaks. In the
current temple, a navel-shaped Shiva-lingam,
made of black stone, is enshrined in the sanctum. There are two other
smaller shrines, one for Shiva’s consort Parvati and
the other dedicated to the Ardhanarishwara,
a half-Shiva half-Parvati image.
Bhima, the second Pandava brother is believed
to have built this temple and worshipped Shiva here. To the right of the main
temple there is a small temple where the image of Saraswathi,
the Hindu goddess of learning, made of marble is installed in the sanctum. Madhyamaheshwar
and Rudranath are supposedly toughest pilgrimage site to travel to among the Panch
Kedar temples as devotees have to travel 30 Kms and 21 Kms respectively on foot
to reach there.
Other than being a religious destination,
Madhyamaheshwar is also a well-known trekking destination. It is a paradise for
trekkers through the beautiful meadows and mountains. Madhyamaheshwar is
mystically covered by the snow-capped Himalayas and lush green alpine meadows
and dense forest acts as its backdrop. The region has rich flora and fauna,
particularly the endangered species of Himalayan Monal pheasant and Himalayan
Musk Deer in the Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary.
No comments:
Post a Comment