Gaurīkuṇḍa
By Swami Harshananda
Pilgrimage to the Himālayan shrines at Kedāra and Badarī[1] has been sought after by many devotees from the very early times.
Gaurikuṇḍa in Kedārnāth[edit]
It is situated 13 kms. (8 miles) below the Kedārnāth temple. It is one of the places that the pilgrims do not miss. Gaurī or Pārvatī is believed to have been born here. Here there is a beautiful temple dedicated to her. There are two kuṇḍas or ponds of water here. One contains hot water and the other contains cold water. The cold water tank is called ‘Amṛtakuṇḍa’. Pārvatī is said to have bathed here. There is also a Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple. The climb to Kedārnāth temple from here, is quite steep.
Gaurikuṇḍa in Tibet[edit]
There is another Gaurīkuṇḍa in Tibet, to the east of the Mount Kailāsa. It is situated at a height of 5520 meters (18,400 ft.). It is an elliptical lake 1.2 kms. (0.75 mile) long and 0.8 km. (0.5 mile) wide. It is believed to be 25 meters (84 ft.) deep. It is always covered by ice blocks. Pilgrims take bath here while proceeding towards the Mānasarovara and the Mount Kailāsa.
References[edit]
- ↑ Badarī is situated at Garhwal district of Uttaranchal.
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore