DOLESHWAR MAHADEV, the head of Kedarnath

Doleshwar Mahadev Temple, which lies in Bhaktapur district of Nepal, is 20 km from the capital city of Kathmandu. It is about a 30 minute drive from Kathmandu. For all the Shiva devotees, it is believed that the trip to Kedarnath is incomplete without visiting Doleshwar Mahadev and Pashupatinath. The visit to all these 3 holy places is believed to wash off all the sins of one’s lifetime and an opportunity of receiving holy blessings from Lord Shiva.

On Aug 22, 2009, the Doleshwar Mahadev was officially declared as the head of Kedarnath, one of the Char Dham Yatra, by Shree 1008 Jagat Guru Bheemashaankarling Shivacharya, the head priest of Kedarnath. The relation between Kedarnath and Doleshwar was unknown to the general public for the last 4,000 years.

Looking back at the history of Doleshwar Mahadev, it is believed that Pandav brothers, after the Mahabharata of Kurushetra, left for the Himalayas in search of forgiveness from Lord Shiva for the killing of many people during the war. But as Lord Shiva was not willing to forgive them he disguised himself in the form of a bull. Having known about Lord Shiva’s disguise as the bull that was about to flee, Pandavas caught the tail of the bull and in this time, the head of bull got separated from the rest of the body. It is believed that the remaining body is in Kedarnath in Uttarakhand of India, and that people have been searching for the head since then.

In the year 2013, after the devastating flood hit the temple of Kedarnath, situated in Uttarakhand, the regular prayers that were interrupted were carried out in Doleshwar Temple. The head priest of Kedarnath Temple requested regular prayers that used to be held in the Kedarnath Temple to be held in the Doleshwar Mahadev Temple.

Credit: Nepal Tourism Board