Kalpeshwar Temple

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Kalpeshwar temple is located in Urgam village in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. Situated around 287 km from Dehradun, pilgrims can access this temple by road. It is one of the five Panch Kedar temples built by Pandavas. Kalpeshwar is the last temple that concludes the Kedar Circuits, beginning from Kedarnath followed by Tungnath, Rudranath, and Madmaheshwar. It is the only temple among the five that remains open throughout the year and is accessible by motorable road, although only for skilled drivers.

Jeep and taxi service are available mostly to Sagar village, from where pilgrims can take a taxi to Urgam village. After reaching Urgam, visitors need to trek 2 km to the temple. Nestled in the lush green mountains and dense forest, the temple offers calms and serene natural beauty. A passage through a small cave leads to the small stone temple of Kalpeshwar, where you can worship Shiva in his matted hair form. En route to the temple, you can also see the confluence of Alaknanda and Kalpganga rivers. Moreover, in the dense valley of Urgam, you can find the apple orchards and terrace fields where villagers usually grow potatoes. Temple's history dates back to the Dwapar era which was constructed by Pandavas.

According to folklore, after winning the Kurukshetra battle, the Pandavas were in great grief and wanted to atone for their sins. For this, they sought refuge from Lord Shiva and went to Kashi. However, Shiva was incensed by the dishonesty and death in Kurukshetra. As a result, Shiva did not want to meet Pandavas and disguise himself as a bull. When the Pandavas could not find Shiva in Kashi, they continued their search and eventually reached Guptkashi. During the search, Bhim noticed Shiva in the form of a bull grazing near a field. As soon as Bhim tried to hold the tail and hind legs of the bull, Shiva, in the bull form, disappeared into the earth. Amazed, the Pandavas looked around, and suddenly saw Shiva appearing at five different places in his five body parts; the Hump in Kedarnath, Hands in Tungnath, Face in Rudranath, Navel in Madmaheshwar, and matted hair in Kalpeshwar.

Seeing Shiva in his true form, the Pandavas were elated and begged for his forgiveness. They then worship Shiva at all five places and constructed temples to honor and venerate him. Impressed by their devotion, Shiva forgave them for their sins. The places where the Shiva limbs appeared are known as the Panch Kedar. It is to be believed that after completing the Panch Kedar circuit, if anyone visits the Badrinath and seeks the blessing of Lord Vishnu grants salvation. The head priests of the temple are from Dasnamis and Gossains sects, disciples of Adi Shankaracharya. Basically these priests are from South India and are appointed by Adi Shankaracharya. The road that leads to the Urgam village is challenging and is not suitable for normal cars. On the way, one can also sight Boodha Kedar temple from Urgam, which is one of the Seven Badri temples.