Rudraprayag district was established on 16th September 1997. It lies at the confluence of two rivers Alkananda and Mandakini. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayags or five confluences of Alaknanda River. Rudraprayag is blessed with nature’s bounty, the climate of which depends upon the height of the region.The district was carved out from the following areas of three adjoining districts.
- Whole of Augustmuni & Ukhimath block and part of Pokhri & Karnprayag block from Chamoli District.
- Part of Jakholi and Kirtinagar block from Tehri District.
- Part of Khirsu block from Pauri District.
latitude: 30° North
longitude:78° degree East
Internationally Known Shri Kedarnath Temple is at North, Madmaheshwar at East, Nagrasu at Southern East and Shrinagar at extreme South. The holy Mandakini originated from Kedarnath is the main river of the district.
Historical Back Ground-
The Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva built by Pandavas and revived by Adi Sankaracharya and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Shiva. Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath.
It is on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritriya) to November (Kartik Purnima – the autumn full moon). During the winters, the vigrahas (deities) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months.