Information of Tungnath Temple, Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand

Tungnath Temple is the world's top most temples built at an altitude of 3680 meters above the mean sea level. It is proudly located on the Himalayan Mountain Ranges in the Gharwal region of India. This has one more record of having a Lord Shiva temple in the highest peak of mountain temple in India and the world. It is only accessible in the summer seasons prevailing in India that's from April to August in a year. Rest of the season is rain fed in the monsoon and snow fed in the winter seasons. This Hindu Shiva temple is a heavenly temple to see in the highest mountain ranges and is more beautiful to see along snow falls and its snow capped mountains. It is a major Hindu pilgrim center in India and its originators are known from the Vedic Era since 7000 BC. Anyone coming to this temple can never forget those beautiful scenes of the Himalayas from the top of the world. It is divinely located at Tungnath mountain Peak in Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand State in India.

Tungnath Temple Religious Significance

Tungnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva who is known as the almighty and the preserver of this world. This is under the religious pilgrimages taken by the Hinduism to the mountain temples of the Himalayas known as the Panch Kedar. The panch kedar is the 5 Lord Shiva temples located in the greater Himalayas. The Tungnath temple is one of the popular among these temples. This temple is open for only 6 months and the panch kedhar pilgrimage is also taken throughout this 6 months open season. Lord Shiva is the primary deity here and along with his animal the Nandhi (Bull) in front of this temple. For Hindus this is the great place to see where lord Shiva once meditated here. The temple is also built in the same place making it more divine and spiritual. It is believed that once visiting this temple and meditating on this mountain can feel the inner soul of our self. Visiting this temple and offering prayers and getting blessed from his is of holy importance for the Hindus. The idol of Lord Shiva is also known as the self manifested one.

Tungnath Temple Mythology & History

As per the Vedic mythology the Epic saga of Ramayana and the Mahabharata legends are recorded in these ancient texts of the Hindus. It is mentioned in the Epic that Lord Rama once meditated here at Chandrashila Peak which is near to Tungnath Peak. The King of Lanka well known as the Ravana also came here and meditated before Lord Shiva to get a boon is also mentioned in the ancient texts. The Mahabharata legends known as the pandava's do visited here in search of Lord Shiva to get forgiveness of their sins committed in the Kurekshetra War. The pandavas who came in search of him was unable to meet him and they placed an idol and prayed his abode place instead. This later became a divine place in the passage of time and the present temples temple is a very ancient temple whose creator was the Pandava's. Lord Shiva's entire mighty abode on Earth is Mount Kailash. But Lord Shiva and his wife Parvathi Devi resided here for some time apart from their main heavenly abode on Earth that's on the peak of kailash Mountains.

Tungnath Temple Architectural Significance

Tungnath Temple is a very cute temple built just few meters down from the Tungnath peak. This temple built is unknown but is a very ancient temple since the Mahabharata legends pandavas visited here. They were the first to worship this place and named it the lord's peak, either the Tungnath. This is a single tower temple and having its sanctum sanctorum just down of this temples dome. This is an obelisk tower with a beautiful porch like dome on its top of the tower. In front of this temple there are many tridents fixed on the ground and a Nandhi statue is carved on a single stone which is facing to temple. The entire temple structure is built with granite stone locally cut from the same mountains. This is built in the Hindu Nagara style of those seen in the North Indian temples. In the medieval times, mainly the King of Nepal's and the Gharwal rulers made many structural changes to this temple. The main deity of this temple is known to be a self manifested one. Whatsoever this temple is standing as almighty abode for Lord Shiva, which invited devotees from all across India.

So come this holy month and offer prayer to Lord Shiva to seek blessing for happy and joyful life.