Madhyamaheshwar Temple

When it is open

In 2026 the doors opened on 21 May at 11:30 am, in Karka lagna. The closing date is fixed on Vijayadashami (20 October in 2026) at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath; it had not been announced by 5 October 2026. In 2025 the doors closed on 18 November at 8 am.

Source: etvbharat.com·Checked: 5 October 2026

The Panch Kedar story (by tradition)

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee and Uttarakhand Tourism give this story: after the Mahabharata war the Pandavas sought Shiva’s blessing to atone for killing their own kin. Shiva kept avoiding them and hid in the Kedar region in the form of a buffalo. Bhima recognised him, and he sank into the ground; his body appeared at five places: the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the navel at Madhyamaheshwar and the matted hair at Kalpeshwar. At Madhyamaheshwar the middle of the body, the navel, is worshipped; the "madhya" (middle) in the name comes from this. The news calls it the "second Kedar".

We did not find this story in a Purana with chapter and verse, so it is given as a story of the tradition. The sources differ in small details, given further down this page.

The temple and the winter seat

According to the temple committee there are two smaller shrines in the complex, one of Parvati and one of Ardhanarishvara. According to Uttarakhand Tourism, about 2 km higher up is Budha Madmaheshwar, an old shrine of piled stones.

In winter the deity is worshipped at the Omkareshwar temple in Ukhimath, where Kedarnath is also worshipped in winter (temple committee). In 2026 the palanquin left Ukhimath on 19 May, halted at the Rakeshwari temple in Ransi and at Gaundar on 20 May, and reached the shrine on 21 May (ETV Bharat).

How to reach Madhyamaheshwar

• According to Uttarakhand Tourism the trek begins at Uniana, with Ransi as its base; from Ukhimath, Jolly Grant airport is 196 km and Rishikesh railway station 181 km.
• According to Rudraprayag district, Ukhimath is 41 km from Rudraprayag and 13 km from Guptkashi.

Where the sources differ

• Shiva’s form: the temple committee and Uttarakhand Tourism’s Panch Kedar page say a buffalo; Uttarakhand Tourism’s Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar pages say a bull.
• Shiva’s part: the temple committee says the belly, Uttarakhand Tourism’s Panch Kedar page the navel, and its Madhyamaheshwar page the middle of the torso.
• The temple committee’s "Other temples" page says Madmaheshwar is a 16 km walk from Gaurikund; that is the Kedarnath route, not Madmaheshwar’s, so it is not used. Walking distances differ between sources, so none is given here.

Frequently asked questions