Kalpeshwar is situated at
Kalpeshwar in the beautiful
Urgam Valley. Nestled at an altitude of 2,134 m, the temple is dedicated to
Lord Shiva. This is one of the Pancha or Five Kedar shrines. Kalpeshwar can be reached by a 10 km trek from Rudranath to Helong.
According to a popular legend, the
Pandavas sought the blessings of Lord Shiva to atone their sins after the battle of
Kurukshetra. Lord Shiva eluded them repeatedly and hid himself at
Guptakashi. When Pandavas spotted him at Gupatakashi, Shiva tried fleeing and took the form of a bull at
Kedarnath. On being followed by the Pandava brothers, he dived into the ground and disappeared; only his hump could be seen. Bhim, the second Pandava brother, jumped on this hump and tried to catch hold of the bull by his hump. It is believed that just as bull's hump appeared in Kedarnath, his belly appeared in
Madmaheshwar Temple, his limbs at
Tungnath Temple, his head and hair at Kalpeshwar, and his face at
Rudranath Temple. All these five temples are together known as Panchakedar and a pilgrimage of all these five shrines is considered holy by the Hindus. At Kalpeshwar, Shiva is worshipped in the form of matted hair.
