Gopinath Temple

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Gopinath Temple is situated in Gopeshwar, Uttarakhand. Built by the Katyuri dynasty in the 9th Century, it proudly reflects its ancient heritage. The temple holds the winter seat of the revered fourth Kedar, Rudranath. Gopinath temple is renowned for its magnificent architectural design, attracting a multitude of devotees from afar.

Inside the temple sanctum sanctorum, devotees can witness the self manifested Shivling. The broken idols in the temple courtyard narrate its mythological tales. Additionally, it also houses deities including Ganesh, Hanuman, Goddess Durga and more. The trident located in the premises has its own significance.

According to mythology, during Shiva's intense penance the devil Tarakasura created havoc across the three worlds. Defeated deities sought Lord Brahma help. Brahma said, only Lord Shiva son can slay this devil and for this you need to break the Shiva penance. After several failed attempts , Indra summoned the Kamadeva (the god of love), to disrupt Shiva’s penance. Kamadeva succeeded, but an angry Shiva threw his trident to kill Kamadeva, which now stands in the temple.

This trident is made of unidentified material (some says it’s made of eight metals), rendering it impervious to weathering. A pond lies adjacent to the temple known as Rati Kund. It is said that Kamdev's wife Rati resides in this pond in fish form, whose water is used for Shivling ablution.