Kartik Swami Temple Rudraprayag - The Only One Temple of Lord Kartikeya in Uttarakhand.

 

Kartik Swami Temple is located a mild 3k trek from Kanakchauri village on Rudraprayag - Pokhari route in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Kartik Swami Temple is dedicated to lord Kartikeya, the elder son of Lord Shiva. It is perhaps the only temple of Kartikeya in Uttarakhand. The temple is situated on a ridge at the top of Kronch Parvat. Sandhya Aarti or evening prayers, enchantment of mantras and Maha-bhandara or grand feast organised at the temple occasionally is a special attraction for devotees and tourists. One such ritual popular here is if you carry a bell to the temple and make a wish, it will eventually come true. As an outcome of this, you can see the temple complex full of bells in different shapes and sizes, which is quite engrossing.

 

 

As per the Hindu mythology, it is believed that the Lord Shiva once asked both of his sons, Kartikeya and Ganesha to take seven round of the universe and the one who finishes it first will get the privilege of getting worshipped first. While Lord Kartikeya started his journey, Ganesha took the circle around Lord Shiva saying He is the universe to him. Impressed with his intelligence, Lord Ganesha was blessed to be worshipped first of all. Angered by this, Kartikeya offered his flesh and bones to Lord Shiva as reverence. In this temple, the bones of Lord Kartikeya are worshipped.

 

 

Kartik Swami Temple offers excellent conditions for camping with friends and family to spend some quality time in the lap of nature. Breathtaking views of magnificent Himalayan peaks like Chaukhamba Peak, Dronagiri and Neelkanth can be seen from the vantage of the temple. The most gorgeous sight you can ever get to savour here are views of the sunrise. So, it is advisable to visit this nature retreat in the Himalayas in the morning so you can relish the best of it. Kartik Swami Temple is a birdwatcher's paradise as there are more than 150 species of birds including the golden eagle, the steppe eagle, the black eagle, the bearded vulture, the Himalayan snowcock and the Himalayan monal pheasant.

 

 

Since the temple remains open throughout the year, one can visit it in any season. Despite this fact, summer and winter are considered the ideal time to visit the temple as the monsoon rain disrupts the trek and damage the roads as well. The best way to reach Kartik Swami Temple is to board a bus from Haridwar/Rishikesh to Rudraprayag. Kartik Swami temple is only 40 kms from Rudraprayag on Rudraprayag - Pokhari route. You can hire a taxi from Rudraprayag or take a shared one. It is a 3 kms easy trek start from Kanakchauri Village located in Rudraprayag. Kartik Swami Mandir is well connected with the motorable roads. You can easily reach by using a taxi, bus or hire a cab.