Named after Lord Shiva’s Rudra avatar (incarnation), Rudraprayag is an ancient holy town situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers, in the Garhwal region of the state of Uttarakhand, India. A translation of the word Rudra means ‘ the roarer ’. Depending upon the context, Rudra can mean ‘ the most severe roarer / howler ‘ ( could be a hurricane or a tempest ) or ‘ the most frightening one ‘.
Hindu mythology says that to master the intricacies of music, sage Narad did severe penance to appease Lord Shiva, who appeared in his Rudra form to bless the sage. The Pandava Dance, a form based on the dance and music of the Kauravas and Pandavas as described in the epic Mahabharata, is very popular among locals in the district.
The presence of two separate routes from Rudraprayag, one to Badrinath
(about 150 kms away) and the other to Kedarnath (around 50 kms away), make it an important destination for religious tourism. The region is blessed with natural beauty and the town is surrounded by lakes and glaciers. The nearest railway station to Rudraprayag is Rishikesh, 140 kms away. Taxis and buses are easily available from Rishikesh to Rudraprayag.
