Kalpeshwar Temple Guide: Solo Ride to the Fifth Panch Kedar

01 · Auli was already on my mind

Once I had rested enough after Rudranath, I said goodbye to the homestay people and packed up again. I started towards the Badrinath side, with Kalpeshwar still to visit. The final part of the journey was coming.

But I had this strange, happy pull towards Auli. I had never been there. Even in 2022, when I had planned to reach Joshimath, I could not make it. Now Auli was in my mind again, carrying a romantic feeling before I had even arrived.

The song “Aazhiyile Mukkuthila Azhage” kept running through my head. I felt so happy. After all those difficult journeys, I thought I was finally moving towards a gentler ending.

My plan became simple: Auli first, some rest, then Kalpeshwar and Badrinath.

02 · A room I did not want to rush away from

I found a random budget homestay for ₹1,000, including breakfast. The room was big, the view was just what I wanted, and the whole place felt cosy. I really loved it. I even guessed that a room like this might cost ₹3,000 in winter—but that was only my guess, not a rate I had checked.

Again, there was no proper network. This time, the room and the view gave me somewhere I wanted to rest. I took another day for myself before going to Kalpeshwar.

I left my luggage in Auli so I could make the temple visit without carrying everything. In the vlog, I explain that I wanted to go and come back more freely. There was no need to move my whole life onto the bike that day.

03 · “Every temple has its own challenge”

The beginning of the road seemed okay. Then came the turn away from the main road and the stretch inside. A few kilometres were manageable; after that, it became a different ride.

I remember around five kilometres of continuous rough road: difficult turns, roadwork along the way and a small crossing to get through. In my head, it was happening again: oh God, every temple has its own challenge.

In the vlog, I talk about the loose stones and the fear of slipping. I was tired enough that I chose to concentrate on riding and record the explanation as a voice-over later. At one point, I even wondered why I had come. The relief of finishing the long treks had not prepared me for this last road.

The Himalayas are not only about beauty. The beauty has danger too.

Across the journey, there had been landslides here and there. Somehow, I had been through before one happened or arrived after it. I felt fortunate about the timing, but that did not make the mountains predictable.

04 · Urgam Valley made me want a different kind of trip

And then there was Urgam Valley.

If someone asks me where I felt the calmer side of the Himalayas, this valley and the villages around Kalpeshwar come to mind. The road had challenged me, but the place itself made me want to stay. I felt that its beauty could mesmerise anyone.

I wish I could return and spend days there with my person. Not only come for a temple visit and leave, but have time together in the valley. Auli gives me that same feeling.

Looking back in the vlog, I say I regretted not staying longer around Kalpeshwar. At the time, one part of me was excited to finish the pilgrimage; another part simply wanted to get back to somewhere comfortable and rest. Both feelings were there.

05 · Water at the entrance, stillness at the shrine

I remember the waterfall near the entrance. After the difficult road, it was one of the beautiful parts of arriving.

At the temple, the priest let devotees perform the puja. That experience mattered much more to me than simply reaching another place on a route.

There was one thing I found confusing. I was not allowed to use the camera during my visit, although I had seen photographs online. Something similar had happened at Rudranath, where I had not been allowed to take a photo near the temple, yet other visitors’ pictures were available. I did not understand the difference, and it frustrated me. I still do not know why the instructions differed.

Photography instructions can depend on the place and the occasion. Ask the priest or temple staff during your own visit; a photograph online is not permission to take one.

06 · The smile came from my heart

When the puja was complete, I felt complete too.

I told the priest that I had finished Panch Kedar. The smile on my face came from my heart. I remembered the journey that had brought me there—all the walking, riding, difficulty and unexpected help.

Had Lord Shiva done some magic? That was how it felt to me. I could not look back on the whole journey as just a series of places I had managed to reach.

Near the end of the vlog, I say that I had not even dreamed I would complete all this. I felt deeply blessed. While editing, each trip and each clip had become a lifelong memory. Kalpeshwar was the last Panch Kedar temple on my journey, but the feeling was much bigger than finishing a list.

07 · Back to Auli, with nowhere else I needed to go

Afterwards, I went straight back to my room in Auli to rest. I did not feel like going anywhere else.

My mind had kept pulling me towards the places it wanted to go. Now, after Kalpeshwar, it wanted the room, the rest and nothing more for a while.

The Panch Kedar journey was complete. I did not need to turn that moment into another plan.