Tungnath Temple is the second of the famous Panchkedar temples of Uttarakhand. Tungnath Temple, which falls in the hilly district of Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, is the highest-placed shrine of Lord Shiva. One of the major tourist places in Uttarakhand, Chopta leads on a foot trek to Tungnath Temple. The Tungnath temple area is heavily snow-covered since it is located at an altitude of about 3600 meters. Thousands of lakhs of tourists visit Kedarnath temple every year during Char Dham Yatra, out of which many tourists also reach Tungnath temple. Chopta to Tungnath Temple Trek is a medium-class trek of about 3.5 km which can be done easily. But during heavy snowfall, this trek becomes very difficult and a local guide is needed at this time. Travelers reaching Kedarnath also reach the Tungnath trek from Kedarnath. Hotels in Chopta
History of Tungnath Temple
The history of Tungnath place is also associated with Lord Rama. It is believed that Lord Shri Ram spent some moments of his life here in solitude. The history of the Tungnath temple dates back to the Mahabharata period. After the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas were very upset because they had to kill their loved ones in the war. Taking this trouble and distraction, the Pandavas approached Maharishi Vyas who told the Pandavas that by killing their brothers and gurus, they had committed the sin of killing Brahma. Maharishi Vyas told the Pandavas that only Mahadev Shiva can save them from this sin.
After this, the Pandavas reached the Himalayas to meet Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was angry with the Pandavas since the Mahabharata war, Lord Shiva took the form of a buffalo. When the Pandavas understood, Bhima followed the herd of buffaloes. In the middle of a hill, Bhima tried to stop the herd by putting both feet on both sides. All the buffaloes came out from under Bhima’s feet but Lord Shiva’s buffalo did not come out from under Bhima and got absorbed in the earth there. It is believed that the body parts of Lord Shiva in the form of buffalo were left in five places. These five places are called Kedardham, that is, Panch Kedar. The famous Kedarnath Dham has a buffalo hump.
The heart and arms of Lord Shiva are worshiped in the Tungnath temple. The worship in the temple is done only by the local Brahmins of Makkamath village. The Tungnath temple was built by the Pandavas. Tungnath is the highest among the Panch Kedar temples. Chandrashila Peak is situated near Tungnath where Lord Rama was sitting in meditation. After killing Ravana in the war, Lord Rama came here to meet Shiva to be freed from the sin of killing Brahma. The distance between Chandrashila from Tungnath is about 1.5 kilometers. Chandrashila is 14000 feet high peak where trekking is also done.
Chopta to Tungnath Trek Distance
The distance from Chopta to Tungnath trek is about 3.5 km. In winter, when there is heavy snowfall in Tungnath, before that the Shivling is brought to Chopta. During this, all the villagers chop the Shivling with full loud noise with the drum damau. During summer the Shivling is taken back to the Tungnath temple. Situated at an altitude of about 2600 meters, Chopta is a plateau area mostly covered with snow. The beauty of Chopta is very popular among tourists. A large number of tourists keep reaching Chopta throughout the year.
Chopta is situated on the road from Kedarnath to Badrinath road. Chopta is also known as Mini Switzerland. Nestled in the midst of natural beauty, this small hill station is no less than heaven.
How to reach Tungnath from Chopta?
Chopta to Tungnath trek can be done in just one day. Chopta to Tungnath is a 3.5-kilometer trek that can be completed in a maximum of 3 hours. Trekkers start the trek in the morning and can reach Chopta back in the evening. Living facilities are less near Tungnath, so most of the people come back to Chopta.
Chopta temperature
The temperature in Chopta remains pleasant every month of the year. The temperature of Chopta remains between -10 degrees to 25 degrees in different seasons. Here travelers should carry clothes to avoid the cold in every season.
Tungnath temperature
Tungnath is situated at a great height among the Himalayan peaks. The temperature here remains around -20 degrees to 15 degrees.
Best time to trek from Chopta to Tungnath
Chopta to Tungnath trek can be done at any time of the year but due to heavy snowfall during winters, the doors of Tungnath temple remain closed from November to April. For this reason, October is considered to be the best time to trek from Chopta to Tungnath. It becomes a bit difficult to complete the trek during snowfall as the snow is so heavy that even the Tungnath temple is covered with about 6-8 feet of snow.
Places to visit around Chopta-Tungnath Trek:
1: Deoria Tal
2: Ukhimath
After the closure of Kedarnath Kapat in the temple of Ukhimath, the winter stay of Baba Kedar’s Doli takes place.
3: Kedarnath Temple
4: Triyuginarayan Temple
5: Chandrashila Trek
