Tungnath

तुंगनाथ

Shiva

Tungnath, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand · Shaiva tradition

The temple committee calls it the highest temple of Shiva, at 3,680 m on the Chandranath parbat.

The story begins: “After the war at Kurukshetra, the Pandavas want Shiva's forgiveness.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Walking and access
No road reaches the temple: it is a 3 km trek uphill from Chopta, at an altitude of about 3,680 m. No official information on pony or doli services on this route has been found yet.
Getting there
Train: RishikeshAir: Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

Told in: The temple committee's own account (Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee)

Where Shiva's arms appeared

Tungnath's story begins at Kedarnath. After the war at Kurukshetra, the Pandavas want Shiva's forgiveness. Shiva avoids them and takes the form of a bull. When the brothers catch up with him, he sinks into the ground.

His hump stays at Kedarnath. The rest of the body appears at four other places in the hills: the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madmaheshwar, the head and locks at Kalpeshwar — and the arms here, at Tungnath. These five shrines are the Panch Kedar.

According to belief reported in the press, the Pandavas built the temple at Tungnath to appease Shiva, who had been displeased with them after the war.

The Shiva Purana tells a related episode at Kedarnath with a buffalo rather than a bull and does not name the other four sites; that version is told on the Kedarnath page.

Where this account comes from

  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Kedarnath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The Week (PTI), "Ex-BKTC chairman meets CM Dhami seeking conservation of Tungnath temple", 28 July 2025 theweek.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Tungnath matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. The temple committee calls it the highest temple of Shiva, at 3,680 m on the Chandranath parbat.

    2 sources for: The temple committee calls it the highest temple of Shiva, at 3,680 m on the Cha
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples (Tungnath, Omkareshwar, Mata Murti, Brahma Kapal, Yog Badri, Narsingh) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Week (PTI), "Ex-BKTC chairman meets CM Dhami seeking conservation of Tungnath temple", 28 July 2025 theweek.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. It is one of the Panch Kedar, the shrine where the tradition places Shiva's arms.

    2 sources for: It is one of the Panch Kedar, the shrine where the tradition places Shiva's arms
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Kedarnath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples (Tungnath, Omkareshwar, Mata Murti, Brahma Kapal, Yog Badri, Narsingh) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. It is reached by a 3 km trek from Chopta.

    Source for: It is reached by a 3 km trek from Chopta.
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples (Tungnath, Omkareshwar, Mata Murti, Brahma Kapal, Yog Badri, Narsingh) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Its winter puja is performed at the Markateshwar temple in Makkumath, where the movable idol is carried when the shrine closes.

    2 sources for: Its winter puja is performed at the Markateshwar temple in Makkumath, where the
    • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples (Tungnath, Omkareshwar, Mata Murti, Brahma Kapal, Yog Badri, Narsingh) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: ETV Bharat, "Portals Of Tungnath Temple Closed For Winter Season", 6 November 2025 etvbharat.com · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

No published source assigning it a style has been found yet. A 2025 press report says micro-subsidence has affected the structure and that cracks between the stones let rainwater into the sanctum in the monsoon.

We have not yet sourced a description of the building — what to look for and where to stand. Until we can cite one, this stays empty rather than guessed.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • The temple is open only in summer; the opening and closing dates are announced each year. In 2025 the portals closed on 6 November.

Walking, steps and access

No road reaches the temple: it is a 3 km trek uphill from Chopta, at an altitude of about 3,680 m. No official information on pony or doli services on this route has been found yet.

Crowds: Over 1.5 lakh pilgrims visited in the 2025 season, per the temple committee president as reported by ETV Bharat.

Getting there

  • By road: Chopta · about 212 kmBy the Kund–Gopeshwar road; 212 km is the distance from Rishikesh given by the temple committee.
  • On foot: Chopta · about 3 kmShort trek from Chopta to the temple.
  • By train: RishikeshNearest railhead, per the temple committee.
  • By air: Jolly Grant Airport, DehradunNearest airport, per the temple committee.

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Kapat closing and doli to Makkumath

    October–November

    After a bhog yagna and havan the portals close and the movable idol is carried by way of Chopta and Bhankun to the Markateshwar temple at Makkumath for the winter.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Temple attributed to the Pandavas

    Belief, as reported by PTI, holds that the Pandavas built the temple to appease Shiva after the Mahabharata war.

    Source for: Temple attributed to the Pandavas
    • Press: The Week (PTI), "Ex-BKTC chairman meets CM Dhami seeking conservation of Tungnath temple", 28 July 2025 theweek.in · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. 2025

    Conservation appeal to the Chief Minister

    On 28 July 2025 the former chairman met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and handed him a letter asking for the temple's conservation, citing micro-subsidence and water seeping into the sanctum.

    Source for: Conservation appeal to the Chief Minister
    • Press: The Week (PTI), "Ex-BKTC chairman meets CM Dhami seeking conservation of Tungnath temple", 28 July 2025 theweek.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 2025

    2025 season closes

    The portals closed at about 11:30 a.m. on 6 November 2025. The doli went by way of Chopta and Bhankun to the Markateshwar temple at Makkumath. Over 1.5 lakh pilgrims were reported for the season.

    Source for: 2025 season closes
    • Press: ETV Bharat, "Portals Of Tungnath Temple Closed For Winter Season", 6 November 2025 etvbharat.com · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Structural study by ASI, GSI and CBRI

    During Ajendra Ajay's tenure as chairman of the temple committee, the Archaeological Survey of India, the Geological Survey of India and the Central Building Research Institute studied the temple complex and endorsed conserving it. The report does not give the year of the study.

    Source for: Structural study by ASI, GSI and CBRI
    • Press: The Week (PTI), "Ex-BKTC chairman meets CM Dhami seeking conservation of Tungnath temple", 28 July 2025 theweek.in · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Place

    Chopta

    Road head for the 3 km trek to the temple.

  • Temple

    Markateshwar Temple, Makkumath

    Winter seat of Tungnath's worship, about 45 km from Ukhimath.

  • Temple

    Kedarnath

    First of the Panch Kedar, where the tradition places Shiva's hump.

Also in Rudraprayag district

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, Other Temples (Tungnath, Omkareshwar, Mata Murti, Brahma Kapal, Yog Badri, Narsingh) badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The Week (PTI), "Ex-BKTC chairman meets CM Dhami seeking conservation of Tungnath temple", 28 July 2025 theweek.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Shri Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committee, About Us — Shri Kedarnath badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: ETV Bharat, "Portals Of Tungnath Temple Closed For Winter Season", 6 November 2025 etvbharat.com · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Tungnath”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/tungnath (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence