Adi Shankaracharya was born in the state of Kerala in the eighth century. Hinduism was re-uplifted by him and the whole of India was traveled on foot. Adi Shankaracharya’s established the Char Dham in the four directions of India.
Adi Shankaracharya had come to Kedarnath in his last days after traveling all over India and establishing Char Dham. There he got the Kedarnath temple rebuilt and took samadhi at the age of 32 just behind the temple. Today we will know only about the Samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya.
Adi Shankaracharya’s tomb located in Kedarnath:
Adi Shankaracharya attained salvation at a very young age by leaving his body. He was last seen by his disciples walking around the Kedarnath temple and meditating behind the temple. And after this, he was never seen again.
Adi Shankaracharya gave up his life at a distance of about 20 meters behind the Kedarnath temple and got absorbed in the land. After this, a Samadhi Sthal dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya was constructed at that place by his devotees.
All the devotees who used to come to Kedarnath temple to have darshan of Trikona Shivling used to visit the samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya. There is also a hot water tank near it which was built by Adi Shankaracharya for the comfort of his disciples. It was built by Adi Shankaracharya to provide comfort to his disciples in the cold weather of Kedarnath.
Tomb buried under ice for 400 years
In research, it was revealed that from the 13th century to the 17th century this entire area of Kedarnath was buried in snow. At that time the Kedarnath temple and the tomb of Adi Shankaracharya were also buried in snow for 400 years. After that, in the 17th century, when the snow receded, the temple and the mausoleum were again visible. This can only be called a miracle of Kedarnath.
Shankaracharya’s tomb was destroyed in the natural disaster of 2013.
Who does not know about the horrific natural disaster in Kedarnath in the year 2013? More than 10,000 people died in that natural calamity. In this calamity, the Kedarnath temple was not harmed due to the miracle of Bhimshila, but the samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya was completely destroyed.
At that time the Samadhi of Shankaracharya was washed away in the flood water. After this, in the month of May, when the roads to Kedarnath were opened, then the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi visited this area. At that time, he included the work of revival of Kedarnath in his dream project, which also included the reconstruction of Adi Shankaracharya’s Samadhi.
Presently the Samadhi Sthal of Adi Shankaracharya:
Presently the construction work of Adi Shankaracharya’s Samadhi Sthal has been completed. Six meters of land was excavated near Bhimshila behind the Kedarnath Temple where the Samadhi has been constructed.
A 12 feet high 35-ton weight idol of Adiguru Shankaracharya has been installed in the center of this place. This idol has been made by Yogiraj Shilpi and his son Arun from the Mysore district of Karnataka state. The idol is made of Krishnashila stones.
It was inaugurated on 5 November 2021 by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. A courtyard has also been constructed near the samadhi site for the devotees to meditate and practice yoga.
Aside from this if you ever plan to go near Joshimath, then you will get many houses there for a night stay. There are many neat and clean homestays in Joshimath that are budget-friendly and where you can relax before and after finishing your trip to recharge your strength.
When to visit Adi Shankaracharya’s Samadhi:
Since we told you that this Samadhi Sthal is situated right behind Kedarnath Temple. Therefore, the time to visit here depends on the opening and closing of the doors of Kedarnath temple. The doors of the Kedarnath temple are opened on the day of Akshaya Tritiya in the month of May and then closed from the next day of Diwali.
The portals of Kedarnath remain closed for six months in winter due to heavy snowfall. At that time the local citizens also go to live below and all the routes to Kedarnath are completely closed. That’s why you can visit Adi Shankaracharya’s Samadhi Sthal from May to October.
How to visit Adi Shankaracharya’s Samadhi?
For this, you will have to first reach Rishikesh, Dehradun, or Haridwar in Uttarakhand. Then from there, one has to take a local bus, taxi, or car to Sonprayag. Gaurikund is 5 kilometers away from Sonprayag, from here you will have to reach Gaurikund by sitting in a shared jeep.
The 16 kilometer trek to Kedarnath starts from Gaurikund. If you want, you can trek to Kedarnath on foot or you can take the facilities of palanquin, mare, Pittu, mule, etc. available there. Apart from this, you can also reach Kedarnath directly by air service from Phata airbase located near Guptkashi.
After visiting the Kedarnath temple there, you can also visit the Samadhi of Adi Guru Shankaracharya and sit there and meditate for some time. The view around the mausoleum is mesmerizing and gives peace to the mind. That’s why you must sit there for some time and meditate.
