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Rudranath
Among the Panch Kedar temples of Lord Shiva in Uttarakhand, Rudranath Temple is worshipped as the fourth Kedar. This ancient temple of Lord Shiva is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Apart from Rudranath temple, other Panch Kedar temples of Lord Shiva worship Kedarnath as First Kedar, Madhyamaheshwar as Second Kedar, Tungnath as Third Kedar and Kalpeshwar as Fifth Kedar.
This temple of Lord Shiva is built in an ancient cave in which the face of Lord Shiva is worshipped. Due to the worship of the face of Lord Shiva here, that temple is called Rudranath. It is built amidst rhododendron and alpine meadows around the Shiva temple, which further enhances the natural beauty of this temple. Like the rest of the Kedar temples, the doors of the Rudranath temple are open only for six months a year.
(The Kalpeshwar temple is open for devotees throughout the year) The simple reason for this is that there are many snowfalls here in the winter season and for this reason, you can visit the Rudranath temple only for 06 months a year. The height of the Rudranath temple is only 2290 meters (7513 feet) above sea level, but out of all the Kedar temples, the most difficult and long walk is of this temple.
To reach the Rudranath Temple, you have to travel 20 kilometres (total 40 kilometres) on foot. You should have at least 4 – 5 days for the complete visit to Rudranath temple so that you can complete your walking tour of this temple without any hassle. Before starting the Rudranath temple walking tour or trek, there are some things that you should know before starting your journey to Rudranath like –
01 Where does the Rudranath Yatra start?
02 When does Rudranath Yatra start?
03 What to carry with you during the walking tour of Rudranath?
04 What facilities are available during Rudranath Yatra?
05 What are the precautions to be taken during the Rudranath Trek?
06 Travel route of Rudranath Trek?
So let us know what things we have to keep in mind during Rudranath Yatra.
Rudranath Trek
Situated in the Himalayan mountains, the Rudranath Temple is considered a moderate to difficult trek of 20 km long (total 40 km). Whenever you make an itinerary for Rudranath temple, make sure that you are physically fit and healthy. If you have respiratory or any other type of disease that causes difficulty in breathing, then you should not travel to Rudranath temple on foot.
The length of this trek and the steep steep climb make this trek even more difficult. During the trek to Rudranath temple, you reach the temple through alpine meadows, dense forests and deep valleys. And these dense forests and deep valleys make your Rudranath trek interesting and memorable.
The Rudranath trek is considered more difficult than all the other Kedar temple treks, but the more difficult this trek is, the more pleasure you get in completing this trek. From the Rudranath temple, there are very beautiful and eye-soothing views of the major mountain ranges of the Himalayas like Trishul, Nanda Devi and Nanda Ghunti etc. You are not provided with any kind of facility by the local administration during the Rudranath trek.
Yes, during the trek, there are some places on the way where you can rest for some time and you will also get the facility of breakfast and food. Apart from this, the residents have also made small eateries and restaurants during the trek, in which you can stay overnight by paying just some rent. Most of the facilities you get during the Rudranath trek are provided by the residents so that they can make your Rudranath Yatra easy and earn a living for your own family.
Three different treks are leading to the Rudranath temple. All these three treks present landscapes of different natural beauty. But most of the devotees and trekkers prefer to start their Rudranath trek from Sagar village. Now it depends on you how you want to trek Rudranath by road.
There is a very famous saying among the residents for Rudranath Trek, “The Ascent of Rudranath, Battle of the Germans”, you will know how true this saying is only when you do the Rudranath Trek.
Rudranath Temple Aarti Timings
The Prabhat Aarti in Rudranath Temple takes place at 08:00 in the morning and Sandhya Aarti at 06:30 in the evening. You should plan your trek in such a way that when you reach Rudranath after the trek, you can enjoy the evening aarti and the next day when you return from Rudranath, you can start your return trek by taking morning aarti.
Rudranath Temple opening date 2022
The doors of Rudranath temple will be opened for the general devotees on 19th May 2022, which will remain open for the devotees for the next six months.
Rudranath temple closing date 2022
So far no date has been fixed for the closure of the doors of the Rudranath temple. By the way, the doors of Rudranath temple are closed till the second week of November or even after Bhai Dooj, the doors of Rudranath temple are closed for the devotees.
Rudranath Trek Entry Fee
In Panch Kedar temples, no entry fee is charged for visiting the fourth Kedar Rudranath temple. But this temple is located in the area of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. Because of this, when you do the Rudranath trek and take any plastic packaging items with you such as water bottles, Maggi and biscuits etc.
Then the Forest Department will ask you for any plastic packaged items you have. Nos. charges Rs.100/-. In return for all the money you have deposited at the counter, you are given a slip, which you deposit at the forest department’s counter at the time of the return of your journey, then you get that money back.
But if you get less than one plastic packet out of the plastic packets you have written, then you can be fined Rs 5000/-. This decision on duty on plastic packets has been taken a while back so that plastic waste in forests and mountains is minimized.
Activities in Rudranath
Whenever you plan for the Rudranath trek and you have some spare time, you can also visit some ancient temples while doing the Rudranath trek. Apart from this, alpine meadows also come during the trek, which you can also take out. These grasslands are known as Luti Bugyal and Panar Bugyal.
Many mythological ponds like Chandra Kund, Manas Kund, Surya Kund and Tara Kund are also located around the Rudranath temple.
Rudranath Trek Route
Rudranath Trek 01 – Sagar Village – Litti Bugyal – Panar Bugyal – Pitrudhar – Rudranath
Rudranath Trek 02 – Helang – Urgam – Kalpeshwar – Dumak – Bansi Narayan – Panar – Rudranath
Rudranath Trek 03 – Mandal Village – Anasuya Temple – Hansa Bugyal – Naula Pass – Rudranath
Rudranath Trekking Itinerary
By the way, it takes you 4-5 days to complete the Rudranath trek. Here it is the time of 4-5 days to complete the trek and not the time from starting the journey from your home to reaching back home. When you reach Rishikesh after starting your journey from your home and you reach back to your home from Rishikesh, this time will be considered as the additional time of your journey.
Therefore, you should also make the schedule of Rudranath Yatra in such a way that you do not face any kind of inconvenience related to time. I am going to tell you about the journey from Rishikesh to Rudranath here. Add extra to the time taken to reach Rishikesh from your home. Although there are 03 walks to Rudranath temple, among these three routes, the track from Sagar village to Rudranath is the most famous.
Day 1 – Rishikesh to Sagar village (distance 215 km)
On the first day of your journey, you can reach Rishikesh by bus and taxi to Gopeshwar. From Gopeshwar you will get a taxi to reach Sagar. The distance of Sagar village from Gopeshwar is just 5 km. During the night you can stay at the homestay built-in Sagar village.
Day 2 – Sagar-Pun Bugyal-Panar Bugyal (Total distance of the trek is 12 kms)
After resting overnight at Sagar village, you can start the trek the next morning at your convenience. When you start the trek from Sagar village, after trekking for about 02 hours, you reach Bugyal again, where you can rest for some time and have breakfast. After resting for some time in Pun Bugyal, you reach Luti Bugyal after trekking for about 4-6 km.
If you want, you can also enjoy food in Luti Bugyal. It may take another 3-4 hours to reach Panar Bugyal from Luti Bugyal. After reaching Panar Bugyal, you can stay in the homestay built here in the night time and if you have brought camping equipment then you can also do camping here.
Day 3 – Panar Bugyal – Rudranath (Total distance of the trek is 08 km)
From Panar Bugyal, you can wake up early in the morning and after having some breakfast, you can start the onward journey to Rudranath. After starting the trek from Panar Bugyal your next stop is Pitrudhar. It will take you a total of 02-03 hours to reach Pitridhar from Panar. You can relax for some time by reaching Naola Pass, located at a distance of 01 km from Pitridhar.
The total distance from Naola Pass to Rudranath Temple is 04 km. And this is also the last stop of your Rudranath Yatra. If you have reached Rudranath before Sandhya Aarti, then after Sandhya Aarti you can come back to Naola and go camping at night. But if you want to participate in Prabhat Aarti also, then you can stay in the accommodation built near the temple.
Note – Keep in mind that photography of any kind is not allowed inside the Rudranath temple.
Day 4 – Rudranath to Sagar Gaon ( total trek distance of 20 km)
After seeing the Prabhat Aarti in Rudranath the next morning you can resume your journey to Sagar village. The more roads you cover today, the better. Otherwise, you can resume your journey to Sagar village early the next morning by stopping overnight at Luti Bugyal and Panar Bugyal.
Day 5 – Sagar village to Rishikesh
On the fifth day, after reaching Sagar village, you can travel to Rishikesh by bus and taxi via Gopeshwar.
Stay at Rundranath
There is no special arrangement made by the local administration for your stay or rest during the Rudranath trek. But during the trek, the facility of homestay is made available by the residents. In these homestays, you can stay comfortably in the nighttime by paying just a few rupees and apart from this, you also get the facility of local food here.
If you have camping equipment, you can also go camping in the alpine meadows during the night. If you are camping for the first time, then this activity also adds a different kind of memorable experience to your trip. An accommodation facility has also been provided for devotees and trekkers by the temple committee near the temple.
You will find the facility of homestay available in Sagar village, Luti Bugyal, Panar Bugyal and Urgam valley.
Food in Rudranath
During the Rudranath trek, you will find small eateries made by the residents at many places on the way where you can enjoy Maggi and local food. If you are travelling with your friends or with a trekking group, then you can also take your food items along with you.
You just have to make sure that if your food has any kind of plastic related packaging then you have to bring back all the plastic related items at the time of the return journey or else you may have to pay a very heavy fine.
Tips for Rudranath Trek
01 Identity Card
02 muffler
03 water bottles ( 3-5 litres)
04 Dry Fruits and Packet Food
05 Warm Clothes ( Sweater / Jacket / Pull Over )
06 Poncho / Rain Coat ( For Rainy Season )
07 Sunglasses
08 Extra Battery for Flashlight / Power Bank / Camera
09 Camping gear if possible. ( Mat / Sleeping Bag )
10 Waterproof bags to protect electronic items from rain.
11 lemon and salt or electrolyte powder/drink (Electrical/Gatorade/Glucon D)
12 Tracking Shoes / Tracking Paint / Quick Dry Tshirt / Cape
13 whistle (for emergency)
14 First Aid Kit:- Scissors, Sunscreen (SPF 50+), Band-Aids (Water Proof), Analgesic Spray (Relispray, Volini), Antiseptic Liquid (Sevlon, Dettol), Antiseptic Powder (Povidone-Iodine Based Powders like Cipladine, Savlon), bandage, cotton, crepe bandage etc.
15 medicines:- Fever, headache, motion sickness, loose motion, vomiting and acidity etc.
16 Must know about the weather before starting the Rudranath trek.
17 If you do not have experience in trekking in the mountains, then you can take a local guide with you.
(Note:- Before taking any kind of medicine, please consult your doctor.)
How to reach Rudranath
How to reach Rudranath by Air
Rudranath does not have any type of air service due to it being situated in the middle of the dense mountains of the Himalayas. The nearest airport to Rudranath is the Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradun. Dehradun is very well connected to major airports in the country.
The distance from Dehradun Airport to Rudranath (Gopeshwar) is 258 kilometres. To reach Rudranath, you have to reach Gopeshwar first. The 24-km trek to Rudranath starts from Sagar village, located at a distance of 05 km from Gopeshwar. From Dehradun, you will get a regular bus and taxi service to Gopeshwar.
From Gopeshwar you can start the track of Rudranath by reaching Sagar village.
How to reach Rudranath by Train
By the way, the nearest railway stations of Rudranath are Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun railway stations. But the distance from Rishikesh railway station to Rudranath (Gopeshwar) is only 241 kilometres. From major cities of the country, you will get regular rail service to Rishikesh.
Bus and taxi services are available from Rishikesh to Gopeshwar regularly. From Sagar village, located at a distance of 05 km from Gopeshwar, you can start the track of Rudranath. Rudranath walk is 24 kilometres from Sagar village.
How to reach Rudranath by Road
Gopeshwar is very well connected by road with cities such as Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun. Regular bus and taxi services are available from these three cities to Gopeshwar. If you are coming to Rudranath by your vehicle, then you can reach Sagar village located at a distance of 05 km from Gopeshwar with the help of your car. Rudranath’s walking tour starts from Sagar village itself.
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