Tungnath Temple is situated at Chopata, on the road between Badrinath and Kedarnath and a 3-hour trek from Chopata in Uttarakhand. This shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva. As per the Hindu religious scholars and pundits, “Shiva tells Parvati that whoever has darshan and seeks the blessings at Tungnath attains spiritual salvation irrespective of where he dies”.
Other deities installed in this shrine are a sphatiklinga, Kal Bhairav, Panch Pandavas, Vishnu, Bhootnath, Bhairavnath, Narasimha Avatar, Parvati, Adi Shankaracharya, Ganesh and Lakshmi.
As per the Hindu religious scholars and pundits; Shiva appeared at Tungnath in the form of legs of the bull. The Swayambhu Bhuja of Shiva is worshipped in this shrine. This shrine is situated at an altitude of 12,000 ft. and is the second shrine, in the Panch Kedar Pilgrimage. It is the easiest to trek among the Panch Kedar shrines.
It is to be remembered that during the harsh winter period, the shrine reprimarys covered in heavy snow. During the winter period, the shrine remains closed and the idol is shifted to Makkumath for worship. On the day of Shivarathri , special pujas and rituals are conducted for the ardent followers plus admirers who drop in from different parts of the world according to ancient Hindu tradition and culture in this shrine.
As per the Hindu religious scholars and pundits, this shrine was built by the Pandavas. It is to be remembered that in the Skanda Purana is largely cited the glory and religious importance of the Tungnath shrine. It is also strongly believed that Lord Vishnu obtained his Sudarshan Chakra after deeply meditating at this spot.