The outer facade of the famed Omkareshwar temple complex in Ukhimath
After having visited
Chopta as the first destination from my so called base camp i.e. Syalsaur, we
were ready for our next trip to Deoriatal.However, being a Tuesday, as per my practice, I had to visit some
Hanuman temple, but this time around I chose to visit Ukhimath because of its
importance as a pilgrimage destination that finds mention in the annals of
ancient scriptures.Ukhimath is a small
little hamlet situated in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand State in
India. It is situated at a distance of 41 km from Rudraprayag and is perched at
an elevation of 1317 metres above mean seal level and is juxtaposed to another
ancient township of Guptkashi, on the Kedarnath route, saddled on the opposite
ridge across the valley.As we started
for temple town in the early morning, the weather was clear and very pleasant
and we traversed a distance of about 19 Kms. along the same route that we had
taken the previous day and reached the temple precincts of the famed
Omkareshwar temple.
As we get ready for the journey - a perfect clear day lights up Kedarnath peaks - view from Syalsaur
This temple popularly
known as Omkareshwar Pith is one of the oldest in the country and houses the
deities of Kedarnath and Madhmaheswar during the winter months (November to
April). During this time the temple of Kedarnath and Madhmaheshwar remains
closed. The deities are brought here from Kedarnath after Diwali and from Madhmaheswar
in December and worshipped here for six months. These deities are taken back in
a procession to their original temples in mid-May and in 2018 the opening of
Kedarnath temple is scheduled for 29th of April, 2018. Ukhimath can
be used as nodal destination for visiting different Shiva temples of the Panch
Kedar fame that are located nearby, i.e. Madhmaheshwar (Second Kedar), Tungnath
ji (Third Kedar) and also Deoria Ta l(natural fresh water alpine lake) that we
were scheduled to visit later in the day.
View of the inner courtyard of Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
Typical pahari style painted frames in Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
Ukhimath temple dates to the time of Mandhaata, ancestor
of Rama. It is believed that the
wedding of Usha (Daughter of Vanasur) and Anirudh (Grandson of Lord Krishna)
was solemnized here. This place was named as Ushamath after the name of Usha
and is now known as Ukhimath.Ukhimath is also written as Okhimath and the temple is
known as Omkareshwar. There are quite a
few mythological anecdotes associated with this destination and the name of the
temple as Omkareshwar is related with story of Mandhaata. According to one of the legends, the emperor
Mandhaata, during his last years of his reign gave up everything, including his
empire and came to Ukimath and did penance for 12 years by standing on one leg.
At the end Lord Shiva appeared in the form of ‘omnipresent sound of Omkar', and
blessed him. From that day onwards this place came to be known as Omkareshwar.Ukhimath
has many other ancient temples dedicated to several Gods and Goddesses such as
Usha, Shiva, Aniruddha, Parvati and Mandhata.
The anecdote associated with Mandhaata is quite intriguing, it is
written in the ancient scriptures that Yuvanashva, Mandhaata's
father, had one hundred wives but no children. So his guru advised
him to perform ‘Putrakameshti yoga’ to beget a child. The sacred water that was
generated from this yaga was supposed to be given to his wives, the next
morning. But destiny played a different hand or rather a prank with him
and that night Yuvanashva, who was feeling thirsty at night, so he got up
and drank the sacred water without realizing that it was the holy water and not
the normal water that was kept alongwith. Thereafter, Yuvanshava started having intense pain in his chest and within
a few days Yuvanashva's chest got torn open and therefrom emerged a child, was
born as Mandhaata.Normally, whenever
a child's birth takes place from the mother's womb, she feeds the infant
with her breast milk to satisfy his hunger and then the child becomes calm and
quiet.However, in this peculiar case ast
the child that was born from Yuvanashva's chest, it started crying.
Yuvanashva could not feed the infant, so it started sucking its own
fingers. Lord Shiva had blessed that child with nectar (Amrit) in his
fingers. Thus sucking his fingers and satisfying his hunger and thirst,
the child grew up and in course of time became an Emperor. This
emperor, during his last years gave up everything and did penance for 12
years by standing on one leg. At the end Lord Shiva appeared in the form
of ' the omnipresent sound of Omkar', and blessed him. From that day
onwards this place, where the present temple stands came to be known as
Omkareshwar.
The main temple base of Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
The Chatri shading Nandi bull in front of Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
The statute of Mandhata inside Omkareshwar temple complex in Ukhimath
There
is another interesting ancient anecdote associated with Ukhimath, Okhimath or
so called Ushamath of ancient times.Ushadevi, was the daughter of the devil king Banasura, who
used to reside at Ukhimath. Ushadevi had
a close friend whose name was Chitralekha. Once, in her dreams,
Ushadevi saw a very handsome prince and in her dreams she instantly fell in
love with him and married him. Not only this, she even experienced a
physical relationship with him in her dream.
The next day she described her dream to her close friend Chitralekha and
told her to search for this prince as Usha had decided to marry him in real
life too. Hence, Chitralekha started making portraits of all the
princes on this earth. After observing all the portraits, Usha was able to
identify the prince who had appeared her dream. Usha asked Chitralekha to
cast a magic spell to locate his whereabouts and bring him to
Ukhimath. The name of the prince was Anirudha, the grandson of Lord
Krishna, and he was staying in Dwarika. Ushadevi with the help of her
friend Chitralekha brought him here to Ukhimath, where Anirudha and Usha
started living together. When Usha's father Banasur came to know about it
he got angry and put prince Anirudha in prison.
The temple spire of Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
Close up of the temple top of Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
Lord Krishna came to know about the
imprisonment of his grandson Anirudha and attacked Banasur. A fierce
battle took place. There was no sign of vicotry on either side and it
became a stalemate, because Krishna himself was God and Banasur had the
blessing of Lord Shiva. Thus, there was no sign of this fierce battle
ending soon.At this juncture Lord
Kedareshwar appeared there and placated the anger of either side by consoling
them.With the blessings of Lord Shiva, the
marriage ceremony of Usha and Anirudha took place in Ukhimath.Even today you can see the place where they
got married. In the beginning this place was known as USHA MATH later it
changed into UKHA MATH and now it is popularly known as UKHI MATH.
Worn out sculptures of temple pillars that pre-date history
The panoramic view of the old temple complex behind the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
The bill board displaying historical facts about Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath
The
temple precincts and the holy shrine therein is
built in the North Indian Nagara style of architecture.The temple houses, a navel-shaped
Shivlinga, made of black stone and is located in the sanctum sanctorum.
Furthermore, there are shrines of both Shiva's consort, Parvati,
and Ardhanarishwara, an image of half Shiva and half Parvati. To the right
of this temple is a small shrine of Maa Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of art and
learning. It is wholly made of marble. Ukhimath is dotted with
several artistic ancient temples dedicated to Usha, Lord Shiva, Goddess
Parvati, Aniruddha and Mandhata. Ukhimath is mainly inhabited by the Rawals,
who are the head priests (pundits) of Kedarnath. Snow-capped peaks of the splendid Himalayan
range are distinctly visible from Ukhimath. From Ukhimath on a clear day one
can see the beautiful view of Kedarnath peak, Chaukhamba & other green
beautiful valleys that sprawl alongside the lower reaches along the enchanting
Mandakini River. Having performed puja
at this ancient temple town and especially when both the deities of Kedarnath
& Madhamaheshwar were being housed there, made our souls feel blessed and
rejuvenated.
Here is the link to the video for the destination -
