The reason the town exists. The Kedarnath temple is one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites and one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva — the most sacred Shiva shrines in Hinduism. The squat stone structure, built without mortar from large grey slabs, is attributed by tradition to Adi Shankaracharya in the eighth century, though the foundations may be older.
The inner sanctum holds a conical rock that is believed to be a self-manifested form of Shiva. Non-Hindus may enter for darshan. Queues can be long in peak pilgrimage months — May to early June especially — but move steadily. The temple is closed each year from Diwali to late April, when the deity is taken to Ukhimath in the lower valleys.