About Uttarakhand's Tungnath, the abode of Lord Shiva

In Hinduism, everything comes from nothing, and goes back into nothing, in retrospect, everything comes from Shiva, and goes back to Shiva. It is believed that the deity is easily happy with very little.
While India has numerous temples dedicated to the divine Lord Shiva, there are some that hold a special place. Tungnath is one such temple, which is one of the highest Shiva temples in the world. It is said to have been discovered by Adi Sankacharya.

If you ever embark on the Panch Kedar journey, you will find that Tungnath falls as the third destination of the divine journey. The trek to Tungnath is a 3.5 km trek, starting in Chopta in Uttarakhand and is considered to be about 1000 years old. The trek to Tungnath Temple is the shortest among all the Five Kedars, but it is a steep climb.
Chopta is a popular tourist destination, picturesque to say the least, and is popularly known as the Mini Switzerland of Uttarakhand. Replete with pines, deodars, and rhododendrons, it is truly a blissful destination. It also serves as the starting point, or the base camp for your journey to the holy Tungnath Temple.

Interestingly, the temple is open for visitors only for a few months. It is usually around the summertime that pilgrims make their way to the temple, as it shuts down by the end of October. Lord Shiva is then moved to Makkumath Temple during the winter months. The Tungnath shrine gets covered with snow during this time of the year.

Tungnath forms an important part of the Panch Kedar journey, and is easily accessible during the summer months.