Kedarnath

Kedarnath is where the Pandavas are said to have chased Shiva, who took the form of a bull and dived into the earth, leaving his hump behind; the temple worships that hump, a conical rock, and the other Panch Kedar shrines the rest of him. Adi Shankaracharya is believed to have rebuilt the temple in the eighth century and to have died here at 32; his samadhi and a 12-ft statue stand behind the shrine, reconstructed after the flood of June 2013 that destroyed the town but spared the temple, a boulder having lodged behind it and split the torrent. The pilgrimage begins at Gaurikund, 5 km beyond the Sonprayag parking, where a hot spring marks Parvati's penance.

The 16-km path climbs beside the Mandakini through Jungle Chatti, Bheembali and Lincholi, with ponies, palanquins and porters for those who need them, and by Rudra Point the valley opens to snow. The temple sits on a plain at 3,583 m in front of Kedarnath peak and the Kedar Dome, built of massive grey stone slabs with a Nandi facing the door and Bhairav Nath's shrine guarding the ridge above. Morning abhishek, when pilgrims touch the rock with ghee, is the heart of the darshan; the evening aarti in a cold wind is the memory.

Chorabari Tal, 3 km up, and Vasuki Tal, 8 km, are for the fit. On closing day, Bhai Dooj, the deity's doli walks to Ukhimath for winter. It matters because nothing here is easy, and that is precisely the point.