Basukedar Temple holds special significance in Hinduism, especially for the devotees of the Lord. Basukedar Temple is a particularly prestigious temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The name of this temple comes in the famous temples of Lord Shiva. Basukedaran Temple is located in Basukedar village of Rudraprayag district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. This temple is situated at a distance of about 180 kilometers from Rishikesh.
Basukedar Temple is situated on the highway of Kedarnath and Badrinath, the divine abode of Uttarakhand. It is situated on the way leading to Two Dham.
This temple of Basukedar spreads spiritual energy along with natural beauty. The Basukedar temple was built by the Pandavas which is 1000 years old. Therefore, the Basukedar temple is also known as the temple of the period of Pandavas. The area around this temple is a spiritual paradise for yoga practitioners, travelers and spiritual seekers. The temple complex consists of the main Basukedar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and about 25 other smaller temples of various deities.
In the war of Mahabharata, Pandavas had killed many of their relatives in the war. The Pandavas had to get the blessings of Lord Shiva to get rid of their sins. Hence, the Pandavas set out in search of Lord Shiva, this is the place where the Pandavas saw Lord Shiva in his buffalo form. Lord Shiva was angry with Pandavas, so did not give darshan to Pandavas and disappeared and went to Kedarnath.
Basukedar village is an ancient route to reach Kedarnath Temple. Pilgrims and devotees use this village as their waypoint to reach Kedarnath Temple.
According to other legends, Lord Shiva, while returning to Kedarnath, halts at this place for the night's rest. Thus this place is known as Basukedar.