A Secret Guide to Kalpeshwar Mahadev Mandir in Uttarakhand

The Kalpeshwar Mahadev Mandir stands about 30 kilometers from Helang in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. The temple lies in the Urgam Valley at an altitude of 2,134 meters above sea level. It is the only temple among the Panch Kedar that remains open throughout the year.

According to mythology, Lord Shiva gave water from the sacred kund here for the Samudra Manthan, which created fourteen divine treasures.

In history, Rishi Durvasa meditated under the Kalpavriksha tree here, and the site was named Kalpeshwar. The temple is also known as Kalpnath. Devotees celebrate a special fair on Maha Shivaratri every year.

The temple worships Lord Shiva in the form of matted hair (Jata). A small cave under a massive rock houses the sanctum sanctorum. Photography inside is prohibited, but devotees feel the divine aura and grandeur with their own eyes.

Inside the temple, a rudraksha garland surrounds the jata form of Shiva and seems to chant his name. A silver umbrella appears to shade the jata. On one side, Lord Ganesha sits, and on the other, a serpent coils around the jata as if guarding Lord Shiva. In the temple courtyard, devotees worship Nandi, Trishul, Damru, Bhasma, and Shivling.

Two small shrines also stand in the courtyard. One shrine worships Shiva-Parvati seated on Mount Kailash with Lord Ganesha beside them. The other shrine worships Lord Hanuman. Thousands of devotees visit the Kalpeshwar Temple during the holy month of Sawan.

Overview: Uragam Valley

Looking at the ample possibilities of pilgrimage, winter, and adventure tourism in the Urgam region, the District Magistrate gave instructions to prepare a detailed action plan in collaboration with the Track the Himalaya organization for the improvement of the mythological treks from Urgam to Phoolnarayan, Vanshinayaran, Nandikund, Pandavsera, Madmaheshwar, Rudranath, Bhanoi, etc

History: Kalpeshwar Mahadev Mandir

The Kalpeshwar Mahadev Temple holds special importance in Indian history. People found the locks of Lord Shiva’s hair near the Urgam Valley, so devotees built the temple at this place. The Pandavas constructed the Kalpeshwar temple to worship the jata (matted hair) of Shiva.

Legends of Kalpeshwar Mahadev Mandir

After killing their cousins in the Mahabharata war, the Pandavas searched for Lord Shiva. Shiva felt grief and anger at the violence caused by their own blood. The Pandavas went to Varanasi to find him but failed. Lord Shiva escaped to the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and took the form of a bull (Nandi).

The second Pandava, Bhima, recognized Shiva and tried to catch him. Shiva disappeared instantly and later reappeared in parts at different places. These sacred places became known as the Panch Kedar.

Role of Kalpeshwar in Panch Kedar

Legends say that the hump of Shiva appeared at Kedarnath, the face at Rudranath, the arms at Tungnath, the stomach and navel at Madhyamaheshwar, and the hair (jata) at Kalpeshwar Mahadev.

That is why devotees worship Kalpeshwar as the place of Shiva’s hair.

How to Reach Kalpeshwar Mahadev Mandir

Devotees can book a trekker from Helang to reach Kalpeshwar Mahadev Mandir. It is the only Panch Kedar temple accessible by a motor road. A huge waterfall greets devotees near the temple. From a distance, the waterfall looks like a Shivling being bathed in milky water. The Kalpganga River, also called Hirnavati, flows in front of the temple. A hanging bridge across the river serves as the entrance.

The peaceful Urgam Valley offers the music of the waterfall and the flowing Kalpganga River, asking devotees to keep silence and listen only to nature’s sound.

The road from Helang to Urgam village is one-way and rough. Frequent landslides break the road in many places. During the rainy season in Sawan, the road becomes even more damaged. Driving on steep slopes is difficult. Travelers must bring a powerful vehicle that can climb the steep mountain roads safely.

Urgam Valley (Uttarakhand):

Urgam Valley (Uttarakhand): “As beautiful as Urgam Valley is, life here is equally difficult.” The words of Hari, who runs a homestay in Urgam, seemed to pierce into the ears. We had heard quite a lot about this valley, stretched from Helang on the Badrinath Highway in Chamoli district up to the origin of the Kalp Ganga.

Therefore, we decided to spend the last few days of December here. When you return towards Chamoli from Joshimath, after ten–twelve kilometers comes a place called Helang, from this very junction Urgam Valley lies 12 kilometers away. Its height from sea level is 2080 meters.

After getting down from the car, your eyes begin to struggle to adjust to the infinite beauty of the nature scattered all around. In this beautiful valley, houses, pathways, and trees all look like toys.

As if everything has sprouted right in the middle of huge mountains. In this valley, settled with rivers, flowers, mountains, and straightforward hill folk, six thousand people reside and there are many villages.

While walking on the pathways of this valley, with its population of 6,000 and dozens of villages, you think that in other comparatively less beautiful regions of Uttarakhand, tourism has opened the way of employment and people’s lives have become somewhat better than before.

But after coming to Urgam, it feels like you have reached such a place that is completely cut off from the world, where neither tourism exists nor any other occupation. Why is it so after all? On talking to the local people, it is revealed that the answers to all these questions are connected with the dilapidated road here.

Local resident and journalist Raghuvir Singh Negi says, “Here the biggest issue is the road. The road coming to Urgam from the side of Helang works as a lifeline for about a dozen villages of this valley, but it always remains broken every now and then, therefore, even the people who come here for religious tourism are not seen.

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