Tungnath Temple ( Hindi चोपता तुंगनाथ , English Tungnath Temple ) is one of the five Shiva sanctuaries of Punch Kedar located on the Tunganath mountain range in the Indian state of Uttarakhand . The temple is located at an altitude of 3680 m above sea level , which makes it the highest of all Shaivist temples. It is believed that the temple is 1000 years old, the second among Punch Kedar . According to legend, its construction is associated with the Pandavas , the heroes of the epic Mahabharata [1] [2] .
| Sight | |
| Tungnath Temple | |
|---|---|
| चोपता तुंगनाथ | |
 | |
| A country |  India |
| State | Uttarakhand |
| Denomination | Shaivism |
| Type of building | Hindu temple |
| Architectural style | North indian architecture |
| Project Author | Arjuna (according to legend) |
Content
Legend
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati lived in the Himalayas.
According to the legend described in Mahabharata, after the fratricidal battle on Kurukshetra, the sage Vyasadeva advised the Pandavas to go to Varanasi in order to receive forgiveness from Shiva and atone for their sins. Shiva , not wanting to meet the Pandavas because he was convinced of their guilt, left Varanasi and hid in Uttarakhanda , and then in neighboring Kedarnath. However, the Pandavas followed him to Kedar. In order to prevent himself from being discovered, Shiva took the form of a bull grazing in a herd with other bulls. In the evening, when it was time for the herd to return home, Bhima , one of the Pandavas , of enormous growth and strength, stood with his feet on the tops of the mountains, standing along the edges of the valley and began to pass all the bulls under them alternately. The whole herd safely passed through it, with the exception of one mighty Siva Bull. Bhim bent down, trying to grab him with his hands, but Shiva's body left his hands and went to the five places of Panch-Kedar , where subsequently, the Pandavas built five temples in honor of Shiva to pray to him and ask for forgiveness. Each temple is identified with a specific part of Shiva's body:
The back turned out to be in Kedarnath , Tungnath is considered to be the place where the hands were, the head in Rudranath , the body in the region of Madhyamameshvara , and the hair from Kalpeshvari [2] [3] [4] [5] .
Legend also says that Rama , the protagonist of the Ramayana epic, meditated on the peak of Chandrashila, not far from Tungnath. Ravana , another character of the Ramayana , spent time here in the repentance of Shiva [2] .
Building
Tungnath is built in the typical Indian style of temple architecture. Small in size, ten people can be accommodated in its sanctuary. The temple is surrounded by several smaller structures (about ten) dedicated to various gods. The temple sanctuary borders a hill where there is a sacred black stone ( Swayambhu ) measuring about 30 cm, tilted to the left, symbolizing the hands of Shiva. The construction of the temple is attributed to Arjuna , the third of the Pandava brothers [1] [2] [6] .
At the bottom of the hill where the path to the temple begins, there are relatively recently built gates with the name Tungnath written on top. The inscription on the gate indicates the distance to the temple (4 km) and indicates that pilgrims who are unable to overcome such a distance can leave donations in a box at the gate [7] .
The architectural design of the temple is similar to the temples of Guptakashi , Madyamashashvar and Kedarnath . All buildings inside the fence are built of stones decorated with decorations painted on them. The highest dome has a wooden platform at the top. There are 16 windows under the dome. The roof of the temple is covered with stone plates. At the entrance to the temple is an image of the bull Nandi , wrapped inside the temple, where is the idol of Shimi himself. The image of Nandi is adorned for worship with flowers and three lines of yellow clay (tripundra) , with the designation of the third eye of Shiva , its traditional symbol. To the right of the entrance is an image of Ganesha , the son of Shiva . In the main sanctuary of the temple, ashtadhatu , are the idols of the sages Vyasa and Kala Bhairava, followers of Shiva . In addition, in the temple there are images of Pandava and images of the other temples of Punch-Kedar [7] [8] .
Among the small temples around, the central one belongs to the goddess Parvati , the wife of Shiva. On the right is a group of five small temples dedicated to Panch-Kedar temples, including the Tungnath [7] .
Near the nearby Akash Ganga waterfall there is a small temple dedicated to the sacred mountain Nanda-Devi , marking its origin. At the main idol of Shiva is a small statue of Adi Shankara .
Worship
The priest of this temple is the local brahmin from the village of Mak, unlike the other temples of Punch-Kedar , where priests come from South India , according to the tradition established by the 8th century Hindu guru Adi Shankara . During the rainy season, the temple closes, and the symbolic idol of Shiva and the servants of the temple move to Makunatha, a settlement 19 km from the temple. This settlement is located near the city of Duggilbitha, 10 km from the city of Chopta [9] .
Geography
Tungnath is at the top of the ridge along which the watershed of the Mandakini (flowing from Kedaranath ) and Alaknanda (flowing from Badrinath ) passes. At Tungnathu, there are three springs in the spine, from which the Akashkamini River begins. The temple is located about 2 km from the peak of Chandrashil (4000 m). The road to the city of Chopta runs directly at the foot of the ridge and provides the easiest way to the temple from Chopta, only 4 km long. The best view of the Himalayas opens from the peak of Chandrashil, from there you can see the snowy peaks of Nanda-Devi , Punch-Chuli, Banderpoonch, Kedarnath , Chaukhamba and Nelkanth on the one hand and the Garhwal valley on the other. The valley between Choptoi and the Tungnath Temple crosses forested hills with rich alpine meadows, rhododendron groves and agricultural fields. Rhododendrons during flowering in March are covered with bright flowers, from raspberry to pink. Nearby is the alpine botanical station of Garhwal University. Near the temple there is also a forest guest house, opposite the Kendanath hills. On these hills is a wildlife sanctuary, the Kendarnath musk deer reserve, founded in 1972 to preserve the endangered musk deer that lives in the region. Another musk deer breeding center operates in Kharchula-Kharak near Chopta [10] [11] [12] [13] .
Access
In addition to the place of pilgrimage, the temple is also a popular destination for mountain hikers. The path to the temple begins from the city of Chopta at an altitude of 1926 m above sea level , which can be reached from National Highway 58 (Rudraprayag - Shivrupi - Devrayang - Srinagar). Of all the paths leading to the Punch Kedar temples, the path to Tungnath is the shortest - only 4 km from Chopta, this distance can be covered in about 4 hours. The trail of medium steepness, climbing 730 m, is paved with stones, and benches were set at approximately equal intervals for rest and enjoying views of the Himalayas [10] . Usually pilgrims going to Tungnath do this as part of a tour to all five temples, passing the path of 170 km starting from Rishikesh. Temples are visited in the order of Kedarnath , Tungnath, Rudranath , Madhyamameshvari , Kalpeshwar . This pilgrimage takes place in the summer, from April to October, because in winter the roads are covered with snow. Even the city of Chopta becomes empty in winter. However, it is rumored that some adherents of Shiva, on the contrary, come here in winter to prevent meetings with other visitors. From the temple you can get to the top of Chandarshil if you walk another 2 km [1] [2] [10] . The nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun , 258 km away. The nearest railway station is Rishikesh, 241 km away [14] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Chopta, Tungnath and Chandrashila . Archived on September 5, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Rajmani Tigunai. At the Eleventh Hour . - Himalayan Institute Press, 2002. - P. 93-94. - ISBN 0893892122 , 9780893892128.
- ↑ Tungnath (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment December 9, 2011. Archived June 30, 2013.
- ↑ Panch Kedar Yatra unopened (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment December 9, 2011. Archived on May 24, 2011.
- ↑ Kapoor. AK Ecology and man in the Himalayas. - MD Publications Pvt. Ltd .. - P. 250. - ISBN 8185880166 , 9788185880167.
- ↑ Pancha Kedar unopened (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment December 13, 2011. Archived on April 14, 2004.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Tungnath . Archived on September 5, 2012.
- ↑ Panch Kedar - Tungnath . Archived on September 5, 2012.
- ↑ Jha. India and Nepal. - MD Publications Pvt. Ltd, 1998. - P. 143. - ISBN 8175330813 , 9788175330818.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Roma Bradnock. Indian Himalaya handbook . - Footprint Travel Guides, 2000. - P. 114-115. - ISBN 1900949792 , 9781900949798.
- ↑ Vishwambhar Prasad Sati. Uttaranchal: Dilemma Of Plenties And Scarcities . - Mittal Publications, 2004 .-- P. 278. - ISBN 8170998980 , 9788170998983.
- ↑ Panch Kedar-Tungnath . Archived on September 5, 2012.
- ↑ Bill Aitken. Footloose in the Himalaya . - Orient Blackswan, 2003 .-- P. 134-137. - ISBN 8178240521 , 9788178240527.
- ↑ Panch Kedar: Rudranath unopened (unreachable link) . Shri Badrinath - Shri Kedarnath Temple Committee (2006). Date of treatment December 13, 2011. Archived July 21, 2011.