Vishvnath Temple, Guptkashi
The Vishwanath Temple is located in the town of Gupatakashi in Rudraprayag district and is visited by many devotees all-round the year. The whole district of Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand is named because of the presence of the numerous temples of Lord Shiva or Lord Rudra there and among these the Gupatakashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the prominent ones. The Vishwanath Temple in Guptakashi has a stark visual similarity with the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of the holy city of Varanasi. This may be the reason for the similarity between the names of the two temples. Aside this, the Vishwanath Temple is also part of the Rudra temple conglomerate of Rudraprayag that conjures up the temple chain of Panch Kedars and the Chota Kedarnath.
The mythological significance of the Vishwanath Temple is quite high as according to the mythical legends, this is the place where Lord Shiva proposed Lady Parvati for marriage. The Vishwanath Temple is one of the architectural marvel of the region. The high towered Vishwanath Temple is situated in the interior of Guptkashi . The main sanctum of the Vishwanath Temple houses the androgynous form of Lord Shiva, the Ardhanarishwara and his consort Lady Parvati. The idols if Kaal Bhairava and Nandi is also present in the temple.
In Vishwanath Temple complex a small pond called the Manikarnika Kund, in front of the temple gate, a Shiva-linga is bathed by two springs, representing the rivers Ganges and Yamuna. The Yamuna spring water go out from a goumukh (nose in the shape of a cow’s mouth) and the Ganga spring flows through trunk of an elephant strategically placed above the linga.