Lord Shiva Temple At Kedarnath in Himalayas –A Hindu Pilgrimage

All the worshippers of Lord Shiva have a hearty desire to visit lord Shiva temple at Kedarnath in the Himalaya Mountains. Kedarnath is one of the places of pilgrimage among the famous four dham pilgrimage. Kedarnath is one of the twelve swayambhoo Jyotirlingams of lord Shiva. The pilgrimage to Kedarnath is the most difficult out of the 4 dham pilgrimage. It is also situated at the highest level of 11600 feet from the mean sea level, considering all the four dhams in Himalayas. The pilgrimage to Kedarnath remains open only in summer months of May to October.

There are around 100 stone steps to climb prior to entering inside the temple. There are statues of Lord Shree Krishna, Pandavas, and Ganesh. This temple is thousands of years old and Pandavas had gone to Himalayas via this temple. The story goes as Pandavas could not find lord Shiva in the Kedarnath in spite of many efforts. Finally, they found lord Shiva in the form of one buffalo among the crowd of buffalos. Bheema, strongest of Pandavas, got hold of this particular buffalo after lot of fight. During this fight, the back of the buffalo remained here at Kedarnath and the head went to Katmandu in Nepal. This is the reason the shape of the lingam of Shiva here at Kedarnath is not in standard elliptical shape but is in shape of the back of buffalo and is dark red in color. This temple was built by the King Janmejay, son of the King Pareekshit, before around 5000 years from solid rocks. The appearance of the temple also indicates that the temple is really very old. You can go up to the Shiva Lingam and can perform puja very close to the Shiva Lingam. The morning puja time is 4.30 am. It is really challenging to take bath in the River Mandakini at this hour prior to performing the puja. There is generally a night halt given here by all the travel companies in order to enjoy the real hilly beauty of Himalayan Mountains around Kedarnath. 

Thus Kedarnath is the most important Lord Shiva temple in the entire world is a real beauty among the Hindu pilgrimage places.

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Wagah Retreat Ceremony Held at Sunset-Must Watch By Every Indian

When the sun decides to say goodbye to a peaceful day it’s time For the reunion, which transcends the boundaries, that man has laid. From Amritsar 35 Km on the road to Lahore(Pakistan), is India-Pakistan border, which is also known as "Attari(India)-"Wagah" (Pakistan) border. The flag-lowering ceremony is an interesting experience, especially at sun-set, when the retreat ceremony takes place with the Border Security Force (B.S.F.) on the Indian side and The Sutlej Rangers on the Pakistan side putting up a well co-ordinate and spectacular display.
A 30 Minutes flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah crossing between India and Pakistan begins with the march fast ,then they perform warrior-like stamping and gesturing, along with the ritual of “beating the retreat” (the lowering the colours) on their respective sides of the Border and closing the gates for the night.
After lowering the flag, the way they holds the flag with respect will surely induce a patriotic feeling among the watching people.
Thus two Border guards entertain the visitors each evening

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