Credit: Naveen Tripathi
Omkareshwar temple is a beautiful shrine situated at 1,311 meters in Ukhimath, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand. Omkareshwar temple is the winter seat of Kedarnath and Madhamashwar temples. During winter, snowfall covers those places with a foot of snow. It becomes inaccessible for visitors to access the god. Idols from the temples of Kedarnath and Madhmaheshwar are shifted to the Omkareshwar temple during Utsav idols. Idols are kept for a duration of six months with the priest of Kedarnath coming down. Kedarnath priest hails from the Lingayat or Veershaiva Brahmin community of Karnataka.
According to Hindu mythology, Banasur’s daughter Usha lived here, giving her the name Ushamath, which was later changed to Ukhimath. At Ukhimath, Usha married Anirudh (the grandson of Lord Krishna) , King Mandhata invoked Shiva here.
Being an important religious place, Ukhimath is dotted with several temples, like Anirrudh, Mandhata, Usha, Shiva, and one similar to Kedarnath.
There are several important tourist places near Ukhimath that you should consider visiting. Deoria Tal, Tungnath temple, and Madhmaheshwar temple are names of the few.