Guptkashi has a great importance quite like that of Kashi. The ancient Vishwanath temple, Ardhnareshwar temple and Manikarnik Kund, where the two streams of Ganga and Yamuna are believed to meet, are the main places of attraction in Guptkashi.
It is believed that after the battle of Mahabharata, the Pandavas wanted to meet Lord Shiva and seek his blessing. But Lord Shiva evaded from Guptkasi to Kedarnath as he did not want to meet the Pandavas, the reason being that although they had fought for the right cause, they were also responsible for destroying their own dynasty.
Guptkashi is situated at an elevation of 1319 mts. The one Stupa is situated in Nala which is quite close to Ukhimath. Some local people call it the grave of Rana Nal.
3 kms. from Guptkashi, the remains of Ramgarh(in Ronitpur) still seem to echo the love between Lord Krishna’s son Anniruddha and Vanasur’s daughter Usha.
Gupt Kashi (4850) is in important market town on the road to Kedarnath, and an important stop on the traditional pilgrim route. It is set high on a ridge on the west side of the Mandakini river valley (and getting there involves a major ascent with numerous hairpin turns). The name Gupt Kashi means "Hidden Benares," and the town's sacred identity plays on its identity with the more famous pilgrimage site. The site's charter myth describes how when the Pandava brothers were searching for a glimpse of Shiva, Shiva first concealed himself in Gupt Kashi, but later fled from them further up the valley to Kedarnath, where the Pandavas finally got their wish. There are more tangible connections as well--the Kedarnath pandas (hereditary pilgrimage priests) live in Gupt Kashi during the winter months, and after the Kedarnath temple closes for the winter, the image of Kedarnath passes through Gupt Kashi on its way to Ukhimath (across the valley), where it stays for the winter.
Gupt Kashi's main temple is to Shiva as Vishvanath, "Lord of the Universe" (the most important Shiva temple in Benares). It is built in an enclosed courtyard, and the architectural style here is typical of this region--stone construction with a high tower over the main sanctuary, and a wooden frame on top of the tower). The smaller temple to the left (photo below) is to Shiva Ardhanarishvara, and the two streams of water flowing into the temple tank in the foreground (click here or on the spouts for a closeup) are said to be the Yamuna (left) and the Ganga (right).
Gupt Kashi's main temple is to Shiva as Vishvanath, "Lord of the Universe" (the most important Shiva temple in Benares). It is built in an enclosed courtyard, and the architectural style here is typical of this region--stone construction with a high tower over the main sanctuary, and a wooden frame on top of the tower). The smaller temple to the left (photo below) is to Shiva Ardhanarishvara, and the two streams of water flowing into the temple tank in the foreground (click here or on the spouts for a closeup) are said to be the Yamuna (left) and the Ganga (right).
Excursions from Guptkashi to Nearby Places
Vishwanath temple
Ardhnareshwar temple
Manikarnik Kund
Ukhimath: The winter seat of Lord Kedarnath, it is 12 Km from Guptkashi
Triyuginarayan: It is believed that the wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati took place here.
Tungnath: This is the highest shrine of Shiva amongst the Panch Kedars.
How To Reach Guptkashi
By road, it is well connected with the major destinations of the region like Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Rudraprayag and so on. Nearest railhead is at Rishikesh (186 Km) and nearest airport is Jolly Grant of Dehradun.
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