admin Updated on: December 11, 2018

Madhyamaheshwar Temple: A Spiritual & Adventure Retreat in the Himalayas

The temples in North India are as amazing and beautiful as those in South India. Of the numerous Hindu Temples, Madhyamaheshwar stands out.

In Mansuna village, it is a popular Lord Shiva’s temple in the Garhwal region of the state Uttarakhand. This popular Hindu temple in Uttarakhand is a prominent part of ‘Panch Kedar’ pilgrimage circuit, on which it comes on the fourth. Comfortably seated at a high elevation of 3497 m, the Madhyamaheshwar Temple is said to be built by the heroes of the epic Mahabharata, Pandavas.

Since this Shiva temple is located at a countryside property bent towards the conservation of nature in order to give you the most surreal picturesque, its trail takes you on a short bumpy ride of escapades and adventure for that indelible holiday experience. In order to reach Madhyamaheshwar, one has to undergo a 21 km long moderate trek. The base point of this Panch Kedar Yatra is Uniyana. Moreover, the temple complex is considered as one of the busiest spots of Lord Shiva’s devotees. Though the structure of the temple is not gigantic, yet it is enough to disseminate an eccentric feeling amongst those who gather there. Tiny puddles which embrace the surrounding of the temple impute the calmness and sacredness to a great extent and making it one of the best places to visit in Uttarakhand for peace and spiritualism.

Mythology and Worship

The tale behind the establishment of this temple says that, after the Mahabharat war, the Pandavas (on the advice of sages and Lord Krishna) decided to pay reverence to Lord Shiva in order ask for the absolution from the sin of gotra hatya (killing of own clan) and bless them to attain salvation. But Lord Shiva irked for their part in Kurukshetra War (Mahabharata War). As a result of this, Lord Shiva tried to avoid them and for that, he took the animal form of a bull, Nandi, and left for the Garhwal Himalayas. The Pandavas, after spotting Lord Shiva in the hills of Guptkashi tried to catch the bull by its hind legs and tail. Thereafter the bull disappeared underneath the ground. By seeing Lord Shiva pitching himself into the ground, Bhima tried to stop the lord, and thus, as a result of the struggle Lord Shiva’s different parts appeared at five places; hump at Kedarnath, arms at Tungnath, face at Rudranath, navel and stomach at Madhyamaheshwar, and hair at Kalpeshwar.

For worship, the holy portals of the temple remain open for a specific time period during the year, i.e., from the month of early summer till October/November. In winter, the place remains inaccessible due to the heavy snowfall in the region, and thus, during these months the temple authority shifts the idol of the god to Ukhimath with all the religious customs and formalities. Moreover, the water of the temple is also considered significantly sacred to cleansing one’s body, soul, and mind.

Surrounding & Climate

Since Madhyamaheshwar Temple is a high-altitude tourist destination in Uttarakhand enclosed by green verdant valleys, it proffers some sublime views of various Himalayan peaks like Neelkanth, Chaukhamba, and Kedarnath. Along with that, the region is also blessed with affluent flora and fauna that consist of the endangered Himalayan Musk Deer and Moral Pheasant. As far as climate is concerned, the region witnesses cool and cold climate conditions throughout the year because of the high elevation.

Best Time to Visit

Being an eminent religious place in the Himalayas, the weather of the region remains cold and chilly throughout the seasons. However, summers are very much pleasant as compared to other seasons. During the months of summer, the average temperature ranges around 14°C, and thus, the season is considered as the best time for sightseeing and to adore the beauty of the place.

Monsoon (September to October) is about moderate rainfall and the temperature also drops down to 12°C. Despite this, the remains open during these months. Moreover, the moderate rainfall doesn’t stop pilgrims to visit the temple.

On the other hand, winter, which starts in the month of November and lasts till April, receives a heavy snowfall. As a result of which, the portals of the temple remain closed for these months.

Therefore, May to October are the months in which one can enjoy their time at Madhyamaheshwar Temple to its full. The cool and pleasant climate condition let visitors to spend the most relaxing time in the outdoors, and thus become the best time to visit Madhyamaheshwar.

How to Reach?

Since the Madhyamaheshwar Temple is located on a foothill, and thus, reaching there could have been a difficult task to achieve. But, the state transportation along the airway and Indian railway makes it a simple one.

If you prefer airway as your prime mean of transport then for the information, the nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun which is around 196 km away from the Ukhimath. Ukhimath is the base point of Madhyamaheshwar Trek.

Whereas, the closest railhead is in Haridwar which is around 210 km from the Ukhimath. To reach Ukhimath from the railway station, you can either board a taxi or can also opt to travel in state buses.

For those want to cover their journey by road, visiting Uttarakhand is also pretty-much easy from other cities or towns through the vast network of roads and national highways. For the people travelling from other northern states or cities like Punjab, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh, NH7 and Nh334 will leads you to your destination.

Route: Haridwar – Rishikesh – Devprayag – Srinagar Garhwal- Rudraprayag – Ukhimath – Mansoona – Ransi – Gondhar – Madhyamaheshwar

Moreover, if you’re visiting the temple from the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand like Nainital, Almora, or Champawat then in that case, drive through NH109 to reach Madhyamaheshwar.

Route: Nainital – Kausani – Karnprayag – Rudraprayag – Ukhimath – Mansoona – Ransi – Gondhar – Madhyamaheshwar

Once you reach Ukhimath, you’ll have to undergo a 21 km long Panch Kedar trek which starts from Uniyana and cuts through Ransi Village (3 km) to Gaundhar (6 km) to Bantoli (1 km) and further to Khatara to Nanu and finally takes you to your pilgrimage destination in Uttarakhand – Madhyamaheshwar.

Where to Stay?

In accommodation section, the place might not give you the luxurious accommodation, yet you can find some guest houses & homestay options at Madhyamaheshwar that provide clean rooms with basic home-like facilities. Moreover, on route to this spiritual journey in the Himalayas (trekking route), accommodation options are also available at various destinations like Gaundar, Ransi and Bantoli. Therefore, on your tour to Madhyamaheshwar, don’t bother about the hotels as you surely going to love the home stays there.

Nearby Tourist Attractions

Well, I personally suggest that if you’re planning a trip to Madhyamaheshwar then it would be better to not to restrict your tour to just to it. There are plenty of nearby tourist places from Madhyameshwar where you can surely enjoy the best of your time on your Uttarakhand holidays. Ukhimath, Rudraprayag. Guptkashi and Sonprayag are the towns where you can spend some time adoring the natural beauty and exploring the attractions. Moreover, once completing the Madhyamaheshwar pilgrimage, you can head out for Char Dham Yatra as the temples are of Char Dham are not located much far from Ukhimath. But, make sure, for that you need a well-customized itinerary that takes a great care of your transportation and accommodation.

In this way, you can make your Madhyamaheshwar holidays hassle-free and memorable. Hope you find this Madhyamaheshwar travel guide useful. Reach out to us to get best affordable Madhyamaheshwar tour packages and that too on incredible deals and great discounts. Call us at +91-8744012051/ 9212553107 to craft your choice of travel package for anywhere in India and world.

Published: 23 May, 2018