Guptakashi Temple

Guptakashi is a fairly large town located at an elevation of 1,319 metres in the Kedar-khanda (‘khanda’ means “sector”), in Garhwal Himalayas of Rudraprayag district in Uttrakhand, India. It is famous for the ancient Vishwanath Temple – dedicated to god Shiva – similar to the one in Varanasi (Kashi). The other famous temple here is dedicated to Ardhanareshvara (a half man half woman form of Shiva and Parvati).

The temple town is located on the way to the Kedarnath, one of the Chota Char Dhams and Panch Kedars. It has the scenic backdrop of the snow-covered peaks of Chaukhamba and enjoys a salubrious weather throughout the year. Its religious importance is considered next to that of Varanasi, believed to be the most pious of all Hindu pilgrimage places.

Apart from the main Vishwanath temple, a large number of Lingas are seen in and around Guptakashi. During the winter months when Kedarnath temple is inaccessible due to snow conditions, the symbolic deity of Kedarnath is shifted via Guptakashi to Ukhimath to continue worship uninterrupted. The temple priests of Kedarnath stay at Guptakashi during the winter period. In a small pond called the Manikarnika Kund here, in front of the temple, a Shiva-linga is bathed by two springs, representing the rivers Ganges (Bhagirathi) and Yamuna. The Yamuna spring water emanates from a goumukh and the Bhagirathi spring flows through trunks of two elephants strategically placed above the linga.