Rudranath Temple

When it is open

In 2026 the doors opened on 18 May at 12:45 pm. The closing date has been announced: 17 October 2026, the night of Tula (Kartik) Sankranti. In earlier years too the doors closed at this Sankranti, on 17 October (2021, 2024).

Source: amarujala.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 Rudranath the face is worshipped. The Chamoli district website says that Shiva’s ekanana (face) is worshipped here, while the whole body is worshipped at Pashupatinath in Nepal. The news calls it the "fourth 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 winter seat: the Gopinath temple

According to Uttarakhand Tourism the Gopinath temple in Gopeshwar is the home of Rudranath; Rudranath is worshipped there in winter. In 2026, after the doors close, the palanquin is to halt at Dumak on 18 October and Kujaun on the 19th, and on 20 October to reach the Gopinath temple by way of Dever village (Amar Ujala). Rudranath is not on the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee’s list of temples.

How to reach Rudranath

• The footpath starts at Sagar village on the Gopeshwar-Ukhimath road. According to Chamoli district Sagar is 219 km from Rishikesh and Rudranath a 20 km walk from there; Uttarakhand Tourism gives the path as 22 km and Sagar as 5 km from Gopeshwar.
• The nearest railway station is Rishikesh and the nearest airport Jolly Grant, Dehradun.
• In 2026, as crowds grew, the Kedarnath Wildlife Division decided to let only 250 pilgrims a day go up from Sagar (Amar Ujala, 20 May 2026).

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.
• Walking distance: Chamoli district 20 km, Uttarakhand Tourism 22 km. The height figures do not agree either (Chamoli district gives 2,290 m, far lower than other figures), so no height is given here.
• Closing time: in the announcement the priests say the closing begins at 7:47 pm with the Sankranti. By our panchang and by Drik Panchang, Tula Sankranti falls at 7:57 pm on 17 October 2026 (New Delhi), so we give only the date, not that minute.

Frequently asked questions