By Shivani Ujjainwal

Tungnath Temple- The lord of the peak.

Tungnath is the most beautiful and one of the highest lord Shiva temples in the world. It is the highest
of the Panch Kedar temples which is located in the Rudraprayag district of Garhwal in the Indian state
of Uttarakhand. The Tungnath means- Lord of the peak. Tungnath temple, the temple of the lord
shiva, is believed to be a 1000-year-old temple. Tungnath temple is situated at a height of fourteen
thousand ft.

The elegance of Tungnath Temple:

Tungnath temple is one of the Panch Kedar (The Hindu five temple) of lord shiva and is worshiped in
Tungnath form. Mountains form the Mandakini and Alaknanda river valleys are located at an altitude
of 3,470m (11,385)ft and below the peak of Chandra Shila. Chandrashila is the summit of the
Tungnath which means “Moon Rock”. It is located at a height of about 12,110 ft above sea level.
According to legend, Chandra Shila is the place where Lord Rama meditated after defeating the
demon king Ravana. It also says that moon God Chandra spent time here in penance. It is said that by
the legend that Ravana performed penance to Shiva, the lord of the peak when he resided Chandra
Shila.

Mythology terms, story of Tungnath temple:

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati both reside in the Himalayas,
Lord Shiva lives at Mount Kailash. Parvati is also called shali Putri which means “daughter of hills”.
The legend says that sage Vyas Rishi advised the Pandavas that since they were culpable of slaying
their relatives during the Mahabharata, Kurukshetra war their act could be forgiven only by Lord
shiva then The Pandavas built the tungnath temple to please lord shiva.

Lord Shiva forgives the Pandavas and blesses them. The temple is identified with a part of the shiva’s
body. Tungnath is identified as the place when the bahu(arms) were arm, (the hump)was seen at
Kedarnath, head appeared at Rudranath, his navel and stomach surfaced at Madhyamaheshwar and
his Jata(hair) at Kalpeshwar.

When can you visit the tungnath temple?

This area is one of the most beautiful places in the Garhwal Himalayas. In January-February this area
of the Tungnath temple is usually covered with sheets of snow. But July-August is worth seeing the
beauty of grassland spread over miles and the beauty of flowers blooming. This place is also

Compared to Switzerland as tourists have experienced this place. You can travel to this place from
May to November.