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About Kartik Swami Temple
Kartik Swami Temple is In the land of the Garhwali region of the Himalayas in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand of India. Kartik Swami Temple is mostly covered with cotton clouds. This temple is dedicated to the elder son of Lord Shiva named Lord Kartikeya.
The Kartik Swami Temple Is Known for its sacredness and for its trek that will take you to heaven. It is 3050mts above sea level which gives you a 360-degree view of the Himalayas.
Overview
| Trek Distance | 3 km |
| Difficulty level | Easy |
| The best times to visit the temple | January to June and October to December |
| Location | Rudraprayag, Garhwal, Uttarakhand |
| Altitude | 3050 meters |
| Starting point | Kanakchauri Village |
| Nearest Airport | Jolly grant airport ( 222 km ) |
| Nearest Railway | Rishikesh Railway Station ( 198 km ) |
| Famous for | Trekking, sunset, and sunrise Religious site, bird watching, etc |
History of Kartik Swami Temple
The history of Kartik Swami Temple dates back to the times of the Mahabharata. It is said that the times of the Mahabharata. They said that the Pandavas built this temple during their exile and worshipped Lord Kartikeya, the God of war .according to legend, the temple was built on the site where Lord Kartikeya meditated and attained enlightenment. The temple was later destroyed by the force of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, but it was rebuilt in the 18th century by a local ruler.
Mythology about Kartik Swami
It is stated that one day Lord Shiva tells both of his sons (Lord Kartikey and Lord Ganesha ) that, both of you who will complete a round of the whole universe and come first will get the privilege to worship first, in the world. Then, Lord Kartikey started his journey toward the universe but Lord Ganesha showed his Intelligence and started taking rounds of his mother and father and said my whole universe is in you, Lord Shiva.
Then, Lord Shiva was very impressed by his intelligence and gave him the privilege to be worshipped first, due to this whole incident Lord Kartikey was very angry and he come to the mountain where today lord Kartik Temple is situated and left his body. And Today, people who visit Kartik Swami Temple worship the bones of Lord Kartikey.
How to reach Kartik Swami Temple
Reaching the Kartikswami temple can be a bit challenging as it is located on a hilltop, but the journey is worth it for the stunning views of the surrounding mountains. The nearest airport is jolly grant airport in Dehradun and the nearest railway station is in Rishikesh, From there one can take a taxi or bus to Rudraprayag. The temple is located about 15 km from Rudraprayag and can be reached by foot or on a pony.
About Kartik Swami Trek
The Kartik swami temple is known for its sacredness and for its easy and beautiful trek that takes you through the natural beauty of the hills. If you are going to Kartik Swami Temple then you have to travel through the dense forest to reach the top from where you can get a stunning view of the sunrise and sunset.
The Kartik Swami trek offers you a view of the snowy peaks starting from the Banderpaunch in the west, Kedarnath dome, Chaukhambha Peak, Neelkhanth parvat, Dronagin, Nanda Ghunti, Trishul, the Nanda devi group of peaks and Meru & sumeru parvat.
From the top of the Temple, you can easily able to hear the creeping sound of birds which will make you feel light. During March and April, you will the trails besieged by rosy rhododendrons, during August and September this region becomes fully green because of the rainfall and during November –January you will be easily able to see the snow-covered mountains of the Himalayan ranges.
Festivals in Kartik Swami Temple
Here, Kartik Poornima is done during the month of November and 11 days of Kalash yatra in June.
Activities in Kartik swami temple
Trekking
Kartik Swami can be reached by an easy trek of 3 kilometers to the top. If you are trekking with your friends then there are various trails on the trek of Kartik Swami that you can explore with them.
Bird Watching
Kartik Swami is also famous for bird watching. According to the research it is found that there are approx 150 species of bird in the region of Kartik Swami Temple including the golden eagle, the steppe eagle and the black eagle, the bearded vulture, the Himalayan snowcock, and the Himalayan monal pheasant to name few.
Camping
Kartikswami offers you excellent conditions for camping with your friends and family to spend some quality in nature. You can see a breathtaking view of the Himalayan peaks like Chaukhamba Peak, Dronagiri and Neelkanth can be seen from the vantage of Kartikswamiand in winter all the peaks become more beautiful because of the snow.
Route from Delhi (NCR): Delhi – Meerut- Haridwar – Rishikesh – Devprayag – Rudraprayag – Saterakhal – Khadpatia – Ghimotla – Kanakchaulri (trek to the temple starts from here)
Here are some distance charts from various cities to Kanakchauri village. From here you can add 3 km of trek to the temple
- Delhi to Kartikswami > 405 Kilometers
- Haridwar to Kartikswami > 205 Kilometers
- Rishikesh to Kartikswami > 175 Kilometers
- Dehradun to Kartikswami > 220 Kilometers
- Devprayag to Kartikswami > 105 Kilometers
- Rudraprayag to Kartikswami > 40 Kilometers
- Chamoli to Kartikswami > 110 Kilometers
- Joshimath to Kartikswami > 170 Kilometers
- Auli to Kartikswami > 180 Kilometers
- Chopta to Kartikswami > 80 Kilometers
- Ukhimath to Kartikswami > 62 Kilometers
