Ukhimath (also spelled Okhimath) is a small town and a Hindu pilgrimage site in

Rudraprayag district Rudraprayag is a district of the state of Uttarakhand of northern India. The district occupies an area of 1984 km2. The town of Rudraprayag is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district is bounded by Uttarkashi District ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is situated at an elevation of 1,311 meters and at a distance of 41 km from

Rudraprayag Rudraprayag is a town and a municipality in Rudraprayag district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, the point of confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. K ...

. During the winter, the Utsava Idols from the

Kedarnath Temple Kedarnath Temple (Sanskrit: केदारनाथ मंदिर, IAST: ''Kēdāranātha Mandira'', ) is a Hindu temple roughly 1200 years old dedicated to Shiva. The temple is located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river ...

, and Madhyamaheshwar Temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped here for six months. Ukhimath can be used as center destination for visiting different places located nearby, the Madhyamaheshwar Temple, Tungnath Temple and

Deoria Tal Deoria Tal (also Devaria or Deoriya) is a lake about from the villages of Mastura and Sari on the Ukhimath- Chopta road in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Situated at an altitude of in the Garhwal Himalayas, it has heavily wooded, lush gre ...

(a natural fresh water lake) and many other picturesque places. According to

Hindu Mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...

, the wedding of Usha (Daughter of

Banasura Bana, also referred to as Banasura (), is an asura king in Hindu mythology, ruling from the city of Śoṇitapura. He is described to be the son of Mahabali. His tale of battling Krishna is described in the Bhagavata Purana. Legend A mighty ...

) and

Aniruddha Aniruddha ( sa, अनिरुद्ध ') is a character in Hindu mythology, the son of Pradyumna and Rukmavati, and the grandson of Krishna and Rukmini. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he is con ...

(Grandson of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

) was solemnized here. By name of Usha this place was named as Ushamath, now known as Ukhimath.

King Mandhata Mandhatra ( sa, मान्धातृ, ), also rendered Mandhatri, is a king of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He is the son of Yuvanashva, as cited in the Mahabharata. He marries Bindumati, the daughter of Yadava king Shashabindu. Ac ...

had performed severe penances to Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

here. During the winter, the Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar Temples are closed due to heavy snowfall in the area. As a result, the Utsava Idols of Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar are brought from Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar to the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath. The winter puja of Kedarnath and Omkareshwar (the presiding deity of Ukhimath) is performed here. The Omkareshwar Temple is located at Ukhimath, which is at a distance of 41 km from Rudraprayag. Ukhimath has many other ancient temples dedicated to several Gods and Goddesses such as Usha, Shiva, Aniruddha,

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

and Mandhata.Ukhimath Travel Guide
/ref> Situated on the road connecting

Guptakashi Guptakashi, Gupta Kashi or Guptkashi is a fairly large town located at an elevation of in the Kedar-khanda ('khanda' means "sector"), in Garhwal Himalayas of Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand, India. It is known for its ancient Vishwanath Tem ...

with

Gopeshwar Chamoli Gopeshwar is a township in the Garhwal hills and a municipal board within Chamoli district. It is the administrative headquarters of the Chamoli District of Uttarakhand in India. Located above sea level, it is famous for its weather (pl ...

, the holy town is mainly inhabited by the head priests of

Kedarnath Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of the ...

known as Rawals who move here to spend the winter. Ukhimath has an

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

Relay station known as Akashvani Ukhimath. It broadcasts on FM frequencies.

Gallery

File:Rooms around Ukhimath Temple, Uttarakhand.jpg, The courtyard around the Omkareshwar Temple in Ukhimath. File:Ukhimath Temple.jpg, Close-up view of the ''mandapa'' (pillared hall) in the temple.

References

Hindu temples in Uttarakhand Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Rudraprayag district {{uttarakhand-geo-stub

Gallery

See also

References