The bull that would not be caught
The war at Kurukshetra is over, and the Pandavas have won it at the cost of their own kin. Krishna advises them to seek the blessings of Shiva and atone for the sins committed in the battle. They go to Kashi to find him.
Shiva does not want to be found. He is angered by the bloodshed, and he avoids the brothers: he takes the form of a bull — Nandi — and goes north into the Himalayas.
The Pandavas follow him there, and they recognise him in the bull. As they close in, the bull dives into the ground. Bhima catches hold of its tail and hind legs, but the bull vanishes all the same.
It does not come back whole. The body surfaces in parts across the Garhwal hills: the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madhyamaheshwar, and the locks and head at Kalpeshwar. These five sites are the Panch Kedar, and a pilgrim who walks the circuit visits the god one part at a time.
Kalpeshwar is the place of the locks and head, and the end of the circuit as the state tourism itinerary walks it. Inside the shrine a natural rock formation is venerated as Shiva's jata, his matted locks — the form to which the temple is dedicated, and the reason the deity here is called Jatadhar or Jateshwar.
Where this account comes from
- Government: Shri Kedarnath Charitable Trust (Government of Uttarakhand), Places to Visit: Panch Kedar shrikedarnathcharitabletrust.uk.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
- Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (Incredible India), Kalpeshwar Temple incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
- Press: Free Press Journal, "When To Visit Kalpeshwar? Here's To Know Everything About Fifth And Final Temple Of Panch Kedar", 6 May 2026 freepressjournal.in · seen 2026-10-09