The Old Shiva
After winning the Mahabharata war,Pandavas went to Krishna and prayed to atone, for the sin of killing their own brothers,the Kauravas ,in the war.Krishna directed them to Shiva for help in this matter.In search of lord Shiva,the Pandavas wandered through the Himalayas for years.In this land of Uttarakhand,even today many stories relating to the Pandavas and their search for Shiva are found.One among them is the place known as Budha Kedar situated at the confluednce of the river Bal Ganga and Dharma Ganga .
Wandering in search of Lord Shiva the five brothers met a sage staying in forest. He directed them to the confluence of the two rivers.The determined Pandavas reached the place and found an old man meditating there. Seeing the Pandavas approaching,the old man disappeared and instead a Shivling appeared there,it was lord Shiva himself in that form,unwilling to give a darshan.
Buda Kedar, besides being famous for its temple is also proves to be a bird watcher’s paradise. Huge variety of colorful mountain birds can be sighted here in their natural environment. Trekking through the wooded hills is also a hit amongst the adventurous lot of tourists.