Shankaracharya, Adi Shankara It was erected by Adi Shankaracharya and is one of India's 12 jyotirlingas. The famed Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand includes a visit to the Kedarnath shrine. Kedarnath Temple is one of the most revered Hindu temples in India and is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the four major Shiva temples in Uttarakhand. Its importance is further enhanced by being one of the few temples where you can find all nine forms of Shiva worshipped by Hindus - Mahadev, Bhairav, Ugra, Anantashiva, Kalagnirudha, Pratyangira, Nataraja, and Dakshinamurthi. The temple sits on a hillock at an altitude of 2134 meters above sea level and is surrounded by thick forests full of deer. Kedarnath Temple is also known as Shiva's Pancha Ratna (five-jeweled) temple because it houses five sacred objects used in religious ceremonies: a potrait of Shiva, a bell, a drum, an axe, and a flute. The original structure was built by Shalivahan in 1528 but it was later destroyed by a fire.