Panch Kedar / Second Kedar
मध्यमहेश्वर
A quiet meadow temple in the shadow of Chaukhamba, reached by a forest trail through villages — the most beautiful walk of the five.
The navel and middle portion of the bull surfaced here, so the lingam is navel-shaped. The temple is built in the North Indian Nagara style. Beside it stand small shrines to Shiva–Parvati as Hara-Gauri, to Ardhanarishvara and to Saraswati.
The trail from Ransi drops to the river, then climbs through Gaundar, Bantoli, Khatara, Nanu and Kun Chatti. It passes oak and rhododendron forest and terraced fields, and the villages along it have homestays.
Two kilometres above the temple is Buda (Old) Madhyamaheshwar. This tiny shrine sits beside a pond, and on a still morning the pond mirrors Chaukhamba, Kedarnath and Neelkanth.
About the altitude. Measured from SRTM satellite terrain data at the temple. The figure traditionally quoted is 3,497 m. Satellite terrain data is accurate to roughly ±30 m.
The building and its worship, the festivals, the trail stage by stage, month-by-month weather, facilities on the way, and the customs to know.
Madhyamaheshwar is a stone temple in the North Indian Himalayan style, often grouped with Kedarnath and Tungnath as Katyuri in form. It stands on a meadow just below a high ridge, with Chaukhamba to the north-west.
The garbhagriha holds a navel-shaped black stone lingam. Small subsidiary shrines stand beside the main temple, including those to Hara-Gauri, Ardhanarishvara and Saraswati.
Worship follows the same pattern as Kedarnath: a morning puja and aarti, darshan through the day with a short closure for bhog, and an evening aarti.
The priests are Jangams of the Veerashaiva tradition from Karnataka, like those at Kedarnath. In winter they continue the worship at Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath.
The temple is small and quiet, so darshan is unhurried. Remove shoes and leather outside, and keep your voice low in the sanctum.
The opening date is usually fixed on Baisakhi at Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath, by consulting the panchang.
The doli leaves Ukhimath and is carried up the valley over several days, halting at villages such as Ransi and Gaundar. Villagers come out with drums and offerings as it passes. The doors open on the fixed muhurat.
The doors close in November. The doli is carried down through Gaundar and Ransi to Ukhimath, again halting in the villages.
A fair held at Ukhimath to welcome the doli to its winter seat at Omkareshwar Temple. People come from across Rudraprayag district.
≈ 6 km−170 m
A mostly downhill trail along the valley side, through forest and terraced fields. Gaundar has homestays and tea. Good shade.
≈ 1.3 km−30 m
Drops to the bridge at Bantoli, the lowest point of the walk. Homestays and water here.
≈ 1.7 km+430 m
The hard part begins. A steep, stepped climb through oak forest. Shaded, but relentless.
≈ 2 km+350 m
Steady climbing through forest clearings. Tea stalls and homestays at Nanu.
≈ 2.5 km+400 m
Continues up through oak and rhododendron. The last halt with tea before the meadows.
≈ 2.5 km+220 m
The gradient eases as the forest thins and the meadow opens. The temple appears with Chaukhamba behind it. Little shade on this last stretch.
-12°C17°C
Approximate temperatures at the temple’s altitude (night / day). These are not weather-station records.
Not reliably. Mules on this trail mostly carry supplies, and riding animals are not organised as they are at Kedarnath. Plan to walk, and ask your homestay at Ransi if you need help with a load.
Jangam priests of the Veerashaiva tradition from Karnataka, as at Kedarnath. They move with the deity to Omkareshwar Temple, Ukhimath, in winter.
Usually not. Signal is generally lost after Ransi, so share your plan with family before you start.
In November, when the doli arrives at Ukhimath after the doors close. The exact date follows the closing date, which is announced each year.
Based on: BKTC (badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in) and BKTC announcements as reported in the press · Rudraprayag district website (culture and heritage: Madmaheshwar Mela) · Uttarakhand Tourism · Trek operator and route records (Bikat Adventures DIY guide and others) · Wikipedia (Madhyamaheshwar) for cross-checking.
Traditional accounts, as told in the Puranas and by the temple communities. Versions differ from valley to valley.
At Madhyamaheshwar, the “Lord of the Middle”, the navel and middle of the bull came up out of the earth. The lingam here is shaped like a navel. Tradition says Bhima built the first shrine, and worshipped here the god he had grabbed by the tail.
A spring flows beside the temple, and its water is counted among the holiest in the Himalaya. It is said to be so pure that a few drops sprinkled on the head are equal to a full ritual bath.
Pilgrims carry it home in small bottles for those who could not make the climb.
Two kilometres above the temple, on an open meadow, stands a tiny shrine called Buda Madhyamaheshwar, the old Madhyamaheshwar. Villagers say it marks where the god was first worshipped, before the stone temple was built lower down.
Beside it lies a small pond that mirrors Chaukhamba and the Kedar peaks on a still morning. Many pilgrims feel it is the most peaceful place on the whole yatra.
When the doors close in November, the doli of Madhyamaheshwar is carried down through the villages of the trail, through Gaundar and Ransi, to Ukhimath. There it shares the winter seat with Kedarnath.
Its arrival is celebrated with the Madmaheshwar Mela. Villagers from the whole valley come to welcome their god home for the winter.
Each trail is traced from OpenStreetMap footpaths, and its height is measured every 20 m from satellite terrain data (SRTM). The hiker walks that real profile on a 3D satellite map. Speed comes from Tobler’s hiking function, adjusted for altitude, your pace and rest stops. At every step you see altitude, gradient, oxygen and temperature, and at the end the time you reach the temple.
3D terrain · satellite · camera follows the hiker
Data: trail lines © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Heights come from AWS Terrain Tiles (SRTM, about 30 m resolution), sampled every 20 m. Satellite imagery © Esri, Maxar. Distances are scaled to the official signboard length, because a traced line skips some switchbacks. Model: Tobler’s hiking function, 6·e−3.5|s+0.05| km/h on the trail gradient s. Speed is reduced 9% per 1,000 m above 1,500 m and multiplied by a pace factor, and a 10-minute rest is added each hour. Real times vary with weather, crowds and fitness.
Rishikesh → Rudraprayag → Ukhimath → Uniana / Ransi (≈ 200 km). Ransi is the road head.
Yog Nagari Rishikesh (≈ 200 km).
Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (≈ 220 km).
Meadow shrine and reflection pond with a full Chaukhamba panorama.
≈ 2 kmConfluence of the Markanga and Madhyamaheshwar Ganga; first homestays.
≈ 6 km from RansiWinter seat of Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar.
≈ 20 km from RansiOne of the most revered Shakti peeths of Garhwal.
≈ 25 km from UkhimathHotels at Ukhimath; homestays at Ransi, Gaundar, Bantoli, Khatara and Nanu; simple dharamshala rooms and homestays at the temple.
Madhyamaheshwar · Tungnath
Indicative / night₹1,000 – ₹3,500
Hub for Madhyamaheshwar and Tungnath. Has ATMs, pharmacy and fuel.
Madhyamaheshwar
Indicative / night₹500 – ₹1,500
Simple rooms with home-cooked meals. Cash only.
Madhyamaheshwar
Indicative / night₹500 – ₹1,500
A handful of rooms beside the temple meadow.
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