History of Uttarakhand : From Borderland to Sacred Place

History of Uttarakhand: From Borderland to Sacred Place

The Artefacts found in the Himalayan foothills are datable to the period extending from 300 BCE and 600 CE including an Ashokan rock edict (at Kalsi), brick altars for conducting Ashvamedha yagnas, coin hoards, and sculptures.
These developments fostered the growth of Haridwar and Kalsi as cosmopolitan towns and as “gateways” into the Himalayas.
The earliest shrines in this tradition were built at Palethi and Lakhamandal, just upstream from Haridwar and Kalsi, by visiting sovereigns.
The Palethi and Lakhamandal with royal patronage never became major tirthas. Instead, Jageshwar, situated well east of Lakhamandal and Palethi attained this stature.
Between the 7^th and 10^th centuries, builders at Jageshwar modified local geography to encourage comparisons between it and Devadarunavana, Shiva’s legendary deodar forest.
The Char Dham Yatra of a pilgrimage to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.
The Badrinath and Kedarnath have long been associated with gods and sages, like the Mahabharata, Badrinath is described as the site of Narayana’s discourse to Nara.
The Kedarnath is mentioned in the Skanda Purana.
Both Badrinath and Kedarnath are associated with Adi Shankara who is said to have visited them in the eighth century. Possibly his followers played a role in constructing temples at Pandukeshwar (Dravida and Nagara style).

Source: TH

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