Garhwal Post Bureau
Rudraprayag, 22 Apr: The portals of the revered Tungnath Mahadev temple, one of the Panch Kedar shrines, were opened this morning amidst Vedic chants and elaborate rituals, coinciding with the ceremonial opening of Kedarnath. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has extended a warm welcome to all devotees arriving in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand for the Char Dham and Panch Kedar pilgrimage, wishing them a safe and auspicious journey.
The portals of Tungnath were opened this morning with full traditional rites, witnessed by hundreds of devotees from across the country. The shrine and its subsidiary temples were adorned with nearly eight quintals of flowers, while large community feasts were organised at Chopta and Bhujgali where the prasad was distributed among devotees. The atmosphere was charged with devotion as pilgrims thronged the temple throughout the day.
Before the opening, special rituals were performed at the Bhootnath temple in Chopta during Brahma Bela, invoking Lord Tungnath along with other Deities. At 8 a.m. the festive palanquin of Lord Tungnath was decorated and taken out in procession, with devotees offering flowers, rice grains and colourful garments while seeking divine blessings. The palanquin was taken along its way through the scenic meadows before reaching the shrine around 11 a.m., where it circumambulated the main temple thrice and bowed before the subsidiary shrines. The portals were then formally opened with Vedic hymns, followed by special worship conducted by scholars.
More than 692 devotees performed jalabhishek on the self-manifested Lingam, praying for peace and prosperity. The temple was decorated with flowers through the efforts of Surendra Aswal from Dehradun and Dhir Singh Negi from Agastyamuni, while large feasts were organised under the leadership of Narayan Datt Juyal at Bhujgali and by Pankaj Jindal from Palam, Delhi, at Chopta.
It may be reminded here that Tungnath Dham, situated at an altitude of about 3,680 metres amidst the Himalayan ranges, is renowned as the third Kedar and is worshipped as the place where Lord Shiva’s arms are believed to have appeared. It is considered a site of immense spiritual energy, where the Pandavas are said to have performed penance after the Mahabharata war. The temple, built in remarkable stone architecture and believed to have been restored by Adi Shankaracharya, houses a self-manifest Lingam that draws thousands of devotees every summer.
Located just 1.5 kilometres from Tungnath is Chandrashila peak, a favourite among trekkers. At nearly 4,000 metres, it offers panoramic views of Himalayan peaks including Chaukhamba, Nanda Devi, Trishul and Kedarnath.
