Madhyamaheshwar Temple

Madhyamaheshwar is the second temple to be visited in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit, comprising five Shiva temples in the Garhwal region. The other temples in the circuit include: Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath and Kalpeshwar. The middle (madhya) or belly part or navel (nabhi) of the bull, considered a divine form of Shiva, is worshiped at this temple.

It is a Hindu temple located in the Mansoona village of Garhwal Himalayas, at an altitude of 3625 meters above sea level in Uttarakhand, India.

The Temple is constructed in unique North Indian architecture. The older, so-called ‘Vriddh-Madhyamaheshwar’, temple is a tiny blackened shrine on the ridge, which looks straight up at the commanding Chaukhamba peaks. In the current temple, a navel-shaped Shiva lingam, made of black stone, is enshrined in the sanctum.

Two other small shrines are also installed in the temple, one of which is dedicated to Parvati and the other one to Ardhanarishvara, half Shiva and half Parvati idol. The second Pandava brother, Bhima is believed to have built the temple. A small temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and a marble icon of the Goddess inside it is also installed here.