Overview
Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini River, Kedarnath is located in the state of Uttarakhand, India.
Kedarnath is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimages, named after king Kedar who lived during Satya yuga. Kedarnath is only accessible through hiking since ancient times as per Hindu beliefs. It is also part of the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage. After the Sino-Indo war in 1962 Indian govt. decided to make some important infrastructural developments like roads and highways here. Thus Kedarnath becomes more accessible to the pilgrims. Kedarnath has so many places to visit.

A few of the important places of Kedarnath are introduced below:

Gandhi Sarovar
Gandhi Sarovar or Chorabari Taal is located close to Chorabari Bamak Glacier in the Garhwal Himalaya region of Uttarakhand State. A lake full of crystal clear water is about a distance of 3 km from Kedarnath, the divine Hindu pilgrim land. The legend Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in this lake that’s how it got its name in the year 1948. Gandhi Sarovar is one of the two snouts of the Chorabari Glacier. Many travellers come here to enjoy the amazing sight of greater Himalayan peaks, but mostly in the summertime since the only way to reach here is through tough trekking. Kanti Sarovar is another name for the lake. According to the beliefs, adi guru Lord Shiva has chosen the banks of this lake to transmit yoga to Saptarishis. The best time to get the most scintillating view is during the morning hours as the weather in this place may change abruptly.
Photo
Popular for its helipad Phata is often visited by travellers to get to Kedarnath by helicopter. The photo is located on the route of Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. It is a small but beautiful village well known among pilgrims.

Sonprayag

‘Prayag’ means confluence because Sonprayag is situated at the confluence of two sacred rivers Basuki and Mandakini. Sonprayag is located on the banks of river Mandakini River in the Chamoli district of the Indian state Uttarakhand. Sonprayag is a proposed Y-forked railway junction on Char Dham Railway because it is connected with Kedarnath and Badrinath through two different railway routes.

Gaurikund Temple

Gaurikund temple got its name from goddess Parvati, as she is also known as Gauri. According to Hindu beliefs, in this place goddess, Parvati won the heart of the lord Shiva and became her wife through her hard penance and with her strong faith and devotion toward lord Shiva.
Gaurikund

Gaurikund is situated at an altitude of 1982 m above sea level and almost 16km of trekking distance from the divine Kedarnath shrine. As the name suggests this place is dedicated to lord Shiva’s wife Parvati, there is a temple belonging to her name ‘Gauri’.
Vasuki Tal Lake

Vasuki Tal is situated at a massive elevation of 14,200 feet above sea level in Kedarnath Dham of Uttarakhand. It is also known as Vasuki Taal which is a high glacial lake. Brahma Kamal and other divine Himalayan flowers bloom around this holy lake, making the aura sacred.
Shankaracharya Samadhi
Adi Guru Shankaracharya‘s samadhi is located just behind Kedarnath and it is known as the most popular tourist attraction and also the most visited place in Kedarnath.
According to the legends, Sri Sankaracharya was a famous Hindu philosopher and also known as the renovator of the Kedarnath shrine. It is said that to propagate his Advaita Philosophy he made very long journeys throughout India.
Triyuginarayan Temple

Triyuginarayan is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand situated at the altitude of 1980m. It is a well-known village and popular with travellers because of its panoramic views of snow-covered mountains which makes this place in the Garhwal region more gorgeous. As the name suggests the main attraction of this place is the TriyugiNarayan which is also known as Trijugi Narayan temple. It is a temple of the preserver, Lord Vishnu. Its architecture resembles of Badrinath temple.

Bhairav Temple

Bhairavnath Temple is dedicated to the fierce manifestation of lord Shiva named – Bhairav who is known as the god of destruction and devastation. This temple also known as Bhairon Baba Mandir is located south of the Kedarnath temple on the eastern hill of the lofty Himalayas of Uttarakhand.

Kedarnath Temple
In the indomitable Garhwal Himalayas, this divine shrine is standing gloriously. It is situated at an altitude of 3,580mts in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. This holy shrine is known as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and this is also a part of the Char Dham pilgrimage. This divine temple is counted among the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams(the most powerful Shiva temple in the world) and also the most important in Panch Cedars. Places to visit in Kedarnath

Rudra Cave Kedarnath
Constructed by the Nehru Mountaineering Institute Rudra Cave is an underground meditation cave. It is situated one and a half kilometres left from the Kedarnath Temple and this is a part of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam’s Guest houses chain. To provide the devotees with a peaceful spiritual practice, this cave is built at the other end of the Mandakini.
To reach Rudra cave is situated almost in 1 km trekking distance of Kedarnath town, which is perfectly connected by and roads railway with other parts of India.

Kedarnath Temple itself is a good enough reason for pilgrims to visit Kedarnath. But Kedarnath has so much more than a mortal needs to witness in their life at least once. Because of this reason every year, thousands of people places to visit in Kedarnath to Witness its grace.