Madhyamaheshwar

Madhyamaheshwar or Madmaheshwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located near the Mansoona village of Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India. Situated at an elevation of 3,497 meters, it is the fourth temple to be visited in the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuit. The other temples in the circuit include Kedarnath, Tungnath and Rudranath to be visited before Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar to be visited after Madhyamaheshwar. The middle (Madhya) or belly part or navel (nabhi) of the bull, considered a divine form of Shiva, is worshipped at this temple, believed to be built by the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

Blessed with serene and picturesque surroundings, this temple is considered the most scenic among the Panch Kedar.

A navel-shaped Shiva-lingam, made of black stone, is enshrined in the sanctum of the temple. There are two other smaller shrines, one for Shiva’s consort Parvati and the other dedicated to the Ardhanarishwara, a half-Shiva half-Parvati image.

Like all other pilgrim sites, Madhyamaheshwar also has a fabulous but interesting legend of its own.Bhīma, the second Pandava brother, is believed to have built this temple and worshipped Shiva here. To the right of the main temple there is another small temple where the image of Sarasvati, the Hindu goddess of learning, made of marble is installed in the sanctum.