।।Kedarnath Dham।।The next Station in Heaven।।

🕉 Now started today's topic "Kedarnath, the next station of heaven" in the name of Lord Kedarnath, the only benefactor who always lives on the summit of Kedar in the Mahagiri Himalayas and is worshiped by muni,sage, deity, demon, yaksha and mahasarpadi.Shiva himself appeared as Jyotirlinga on the night of Aridra Nakshatra. Twelfth Jyotirlinga refers to the twelve special temples of Shiva and the Shivlings established in that temples.The temples are scattered in different parts of India.  To Hindus, the twelfth Jyotirlinga is the holiest temple of Shiva. According to the Shiva Purana, one of the twelfth Jyotirlingas is "Kedarnath Dham". 🕉

Kedarnath is one of the major pilgrimage sites for Hindus.  There are very few Bengalis who have not heard the name of Kedarnath.This temple is located in the Garowal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India.It is heard that this temple is very awake. A miracle is also heard about this temple.In the past, when trains and buses did not run, the only recourse for people to go to Kedarnath was bullock carts or horse carts.But they were only for the rich.The only hope of the poor was to walk.But visiting Kedarnath on foot was very difficult.

**Miracles of Kedar Dham**

Now let me tell you are miraculous story of Kedarnath Dham.

🕉 Once upon a time, a devotee of Mahadev went out of the house to visit Kedarnath.Asking people on the way, walking for two months he arrived in front of Kedarnath temple.But in those days the temple had begun to snow.When the snow falling started in Kedarnath, the road to the temple was covered with snow. Then the temple was closed.When the snow receded, the temple reopened six months later.

When the devotee reached there, the priest of the temple closed the door and left for home. Then the devotee asked the priest about this case.The priest replied that door of the temple are closed, and will open again in six months.The devotee then grabbed the priest by the leg and told him that he reached the temple on foot after a long two months.He has no money, food or clothes to spend another six months.But the priest did not agree and said,"you are now go home.You will come back in six months. It is not possible to stay here even for a day in this cold".After saying this, the priest went his home.

The devotee vows in his heart that he will stay here as long as Mahadev is not seen.As the day goes on, the cold started to increase in the evening.The devotees just started to chanting the name of Mahadev. At night snow storms, disasters increased.Just then a saint visited him.The saint took food out of his bag and gave it to him to eat and kindled fire.The devotee was so hungry that he ate and fell asleep.He woke up the next morning and saw that the road of the temple was clear.There is no more snow like the day before. The priest is coming to the temple with his companions.The devotee asked the priest if the temple will open today?The priestes, the temple will reopen today after being closed for six months".Then the devotee said, " yesterday you said that the temple will reopen after six months.So what makes one day six months?"

  

The priest did not recognize him at first, but this time he remembered him.  Then he immediately wants to know all the details of the previous day from him.  Then the devotee told everything openly.Listen to everything the priest want to know about the appearance of the saint.

The devotee said, "he had long hair,trident in his hand and three eyed on his forehead.After hearing this the priest immediately felt at the feet of the devotee and said the saint he saw was none other than Mahadev himself.Mahadev has transformed six months into one night for his devotee.The devotee must be very pious otherwise the priest did not see Mahadev even after worshiping for so long.                                                This incident has been spreading since that day and Kedarnath is called "Jagrat Mahadev".

 Even today, when someone goes to Kedarnath and remembers Mahadev with devotion, Baba does not disappoint him and fulfills all the desires of the devotees. This is why in my opinion Kedarnath Dham is famous as "the station after heaven".

## Written by Mrityunjoy Saha...##

 

##Picture collected from "Dreamstime.com"##