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.Shiva.
(ii) Thirdly Shiva's belly is worshipped at Madhyamaheshwar,
which is 30 km. east of Kedarnath and 50 km. north of Okhi-
jnath. The Rajputs of Okhimath used to dedicate their first born
daughter as the "Rani of Madhyamaheshwar". The temple has
some of the best remnants of ancient sculptures.
(iii) The head and ears are worshipped at Kalpeshwar, near
Joshimath in Urgam Valley.
(iv) Fifthly, Rudranath is situated just above Baitarini river at a
•distance of 31 km. from Gopeshwar. The climb to this place is
very difficult but the views are stunning.
The Madhyamaheshwar
On return from Kedarnath, one can always stop at Guptakashi
and from here can undertake a journey upto Madhyamaheshwar
via Kalimath. Kalimath has inherited some rich and rare sculp-
tures from the ancient heritage.
From Kalimath one walks and walks upto a suitable place for
night halt and makes it at some convenient time. From that
place Madhyamaheshwar peak is only 10 km. ahead but the
journey to this place is very difficult which makes it memorable.
The views are fantastic. The sculptural pieces are extremely
beautiful. One only needs to see them in person, in order to pro-
perly appreciate them.
Okhimath and the Rawals
On return journey, I made a day's halt at Okhimath and visited
the local temples which are managed by Jangam Rawals. The
Rawal of Kedarnath resides at Okhimath during winters. The
dwelling of Rawal is inside the Okhimath temple. It is a large
-square building with galleries surrounding a central court, and a
"dewal'* or a temple. Both he and his associates are always from
Southern India, and belong to the sect of Nambudiris in
Malayalam. Sankracharya brought them here from Kerala for the
worship of Lord Kedarnath.
Dioorital
Any description of Kedarnath valley will be incomplete with-
out a mention of Dioorital which is situated at a height of 8000