Kedareshwor Mahadev Pokhara: A Substitute to Kedarnath Jyotirlinga

It was 23rd June 2026 and it had been raining the whole day in Pokhara. Around 4 pm the clouds finally cleared, giving me a chance to go for a walk. I started walking aimlessly from my homestay located on Fewa Marg. Crossing a beautiful park with the lake on my left and then a long shaking bridge, I heard the sound of people praying and saw lights ahead. I stepped forward and reached the gate. Inside the premises there is one main temple and several smaller temples.

One thing that surprised me was seeing a large number of very young children, dressed in proper Hindu Vedic attire, praying together along with senior saints. They were all students of the ashram. We rarely see so many young priests in ordinary Hindu temples, except in places like Kashi (Varanasi) or certain ashrams. But this was different. A child as young as twelve was deeply engaged in spiritual practices – something that felt truly remarkable and touched the heart.

The ashram has been working in the field of education by establishing a free residential Gurukul since 2016-17 to prepare hard-working, honest, and patriotic citizens. Both cultural and modern subjects are taught here from grades 6 to 10. In today’s modern society, our children need to learn moral and spiritual values even more than they need to learn mathematics.

After crossing the main corridor, I reached the other side of the temple. The scene left me speechless for a moment. There were 108 Shivalingas arranged in two rows with a pathway running between them, right on the bank of Fewa Lake. In the soft evening twilight, the Shivalingas were glowing beautifully.

Kedareshwor Mahadev Temple in Pokhara was established between 1893 and 1903 by Swami Shankaranandaji, a special disciple of Swargadwari Mahaprabhu. It is believed that around 125 years ago, Swami Shankaranandaji established a representation of Kedarnath Mahadev at this location. The journey to the original Kedarnath temple in India was extremely difficult and dangerous in those days. Therefore, he created this local representation so that devotees who could not reach Kedarnath could still offer their prayers. This is how Kedareshwor Temple came into being, and it derives its name from the famous Kedarnath temple of India.

The temple is built in the traditional pagoda style and has taken a magnificent form with the support of many organisations. It follows the Panchayatana layout, in which the main temple of Kedareshwor is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines dedicated to Ganesh, Durga, Vishnu, and Surya. The complex also features a courtyard, a statue of Nandi (Shiva’s bull), an enclosed statue of Shiva, several smaller shrines, and an older concrete temple of Ganesh at the back. A Sadhu or priest is often present.

If you are planning to visit Pokhara, Nepal, or are already there, Kedareshwor Mahadev is a must-visit. Spending even an hour in the evening within the temple premises filled me with peace. The shaking bridge nearby adds a unique charm to the entire experience.