Tungnath: The Highest Shiva Temple

Tungnath is situated at 3,680 meters above sea level. It is home to the highest Shiva temple in the world. It’s a gorgeous climb from Chopta in Uttarakhand.

A pilgrimage to Tungnath is undertaken as part of the Panch Kedar (five temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in Uttarakhand) trek covering the five temples of Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheswar and Kalpeshwar. The 170km trek route starts from Rishikesh.

However, if you just want to explore Tungnath exclusively, the best way to reach here is after a 4km trek from Chopta.

About the Chopta-Tungnath Trek:

Tungnath trek is short and easy in the Chopta Tungnath trek which runs parallel to the sky-scraping Himalayan Treks. Tunganath is the highest temple of Garwal. During this hiking, one can enjoy a clear view of majestic peaks of Panchchuli, Nanda Devi, Nilkanth and Kedarnath. Chopta gives a picturesque view of the Himalayas. In the early spring, the Rhododendron forest glows red as the flowers bloom.

Your journey for the Chopta Tungnath trekking will start from Haridwar, in Haridwar will visit the famous Mandakini Valley, the river and lake. Then we will visit Chopta, which is surrounded by dense forests. From Chopta, we will start for Tungnath and Chandrashilla Top (Our last destination).

Tungnath is always the starting point of the Chandrashila summit trek which possesses a captivating beauty with the help of many deodar and rhododendron forests. Chopta has a myriad collection of pictorial sights to bewitch the visitors which is marvellously engulfed by huge vegetation in spring and summer. During winter it would be appealing to all eyes since the thick cover of snow will be an amusing part of the region.

The best time to do this trek starts from April to November as Chopta receives heavy snowfall. Tungnath and Chandrashila are snow-covered from December to March. September to November are the best months to visit and experience the clear views of Himalayan Peaks. The temperature drops down in negatives as the region is all surrounded by snow and remains majorly cold.

Chopta Tungnath trek is one of the highlights of this circuit where the trek route surpasses the 1000-year-old Shiva temple. Sharp ascent and steep climb lead you to Chandrashila Peak located 8 km from Chopta; time taken is close to 5 hours. This route passes the iconic Tungnath Temple at 12000 feet.

The summit of the Chandrashilla peak provides a breathtaking 360-degree view. Views, which go far beyond the simple view of mountains.

Quick Facts:
Temperature: Day: 8°C to 15°C and Night: -5°C to 3°C
Maximum Altitude: 11,154 ft
Difficulty Level: Easy To Moderate
Railway Station: Haridwar is the nearest railway station
Airport: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun
Base Camp: Sari Village (6 hrs drive from Haridwar)
ATM: Last ATM is in Ukhimath, around 13 km before Sari.

Architecture:

The temple is believed to be 1000 years old and is the second in the pecking order of the Panch Kedar.

It is an ancient temple built in the North Indian style of temple architecture. It is small in size and can barely accommodate ten people in the sanctum. Surrounding this temple, there are a number of small shrines (about a dozen) of several gods. The sanctum part of the temple abuts the hills where the sacred standing black rock (swayambu or self manifest linga) with tilt to the left, of 1 ft (0.3 m) height, denoting the form of arms of Lord Shiva is worshipped. The construction of this temple is credited to Arjuna, the third of the Pandava brothers, who also worshiped here.

The temples inside the enclosure are made of stones with decorations painted on the outside and they depict tall towers. The highest dome has a wooden stage at the top. The dome has sixteen openings (pictured). The temple roofs are also made of stone slabs. At the entrance to the temple there is a Nandi stone image facing towards the sanctum where Shiva’s idol is deified. The Nandi’s flank is normally sanctified for worship with flowers and with three lines (tripundra) in yellow clay, with a mark denoting Shiva’s third eye, which is symbolic to Shiva’s devotees. At the right of the temple entrance there is the mandatory image of Ganesha. In the main sanctum, ashtadhatu (made of eight metals) idols of sage Vyas and Kala Bhairav (demi-god), disciples of Shiva, are also installed in the sanctum sanctorum. The temple also houses the images of the Pandavas and silver plaques of other four Kedar shrines.

Among the smaller shrines, the central temple is of goddess Parvati, Shiva’s consort. Away to the far right there is a group of five small shrines dedicated to the Panch Kedar, which include Tungnath also as one of the Panch Kedar, in addition to the main Tunganath temple.

The legend behind the world's highest Shiva temple:

A famous legend about the temple goes all the way back to the era of Mahabharata. After the war took place and the Pandavas defeated the Kauravas, sage Vyas Rishi advised the Pandavas their act of killing off their own kins could be pardoned only by Lord Shiva.

Consequently, the Pandavas went in search of Lord Shiva. Shiva was already convinced of the guilt of Pandavas and in order to avoid the, Shiva took the form of a bull and went into hiding. Pandavas chased him to an underground safe haven at Guptakashi, where he was hiding.

After Shiva went back to his natural form, his remains of the bull-styled body is said to have rematerialized at five different locations. These five locations came to be known as the "Panch Kedar". Pandavas built temples of Lord Shiva at each of these locations as a sign of seeking his pardon and blessings.

Tungnath is one of the five locations and is identified as the place where the bahu (hands) were seen; the hump was seen at Kedarnath; the head appeared at Rudranath; his navel and stomach surfaced at Madhyamaheshwar; and his jata (hair or locks) at Kalpeshwar.

Here are some more interesting facts on the temple:

•     It is named after the mountain range of Tunganath that it is located in
•     With an altitude of 3,680 m (12,073 ft), just below the peak of Chandrashila, Tungnath temple is the highest Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva
•     The word Tunganath literally translates to 'Lord of the Peaks'. "Tung" refers to "Hands" and "Nath" means "Lord Shiva".
•     The temple is believed to be over 1000 years old and is the third (Tritiya Kedar) in the pecking order of the Panch Kedars
•     Legend also states that Lord Rama meditated at the Chandrashila peak, which is close to Tungnath
• It is also said that Ravana did penance to Shiva when he resided here.

Sources:
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/tungnath-maha-shivaratri-962420-2017-02-24
https://www.india.com/travel/articles/tungnath-home-to-the-worlds-highest-shiva-temple-3647496/
https://www.templepurohit.com/hindu-temple/tungnath-temple-uttarakhand/
https://www.thrillophilia.com/tours/chopta-tungnath-trek
https://banbanjara.com/tours/chopta-tungnath-chandrashila-trek