Khair Mundos and His Source of Funding free essay sample

PROFILE OF KHAIR MUNDOS [pic] PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Name : Khair Mohammad Noor Mundos Alias : Abu Ayman Nationality : Filipino Tribe : Samal bangingi Age : 45 up Height : 5’4 Weight : 160 lbs. Hair : baldy Built : medium/ athletic Complexion : fair Status : married Address : Kaum Purnah, Isabela, Basilan Province Affiliation : Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) Other Relevant Informaton: Khair Mohammad Noor Mundos is a high ranking leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group form Kaum Purnah, Isabela, Basilan but the family originally came from Lukbuton in the island of Malamawi. He is known in the organization as Abo Ayman, an alias given to him by ASG Founder Abdurajak Janjalani. Mundos started to become islamically radicalized in the 80s when he studied Arabic at Mahad Basilan Al-Arabie Al-Islamie, the first and oldest Arabic institution in Basilan established by the Egyptian missionaries from the Al-Azhar University in Cairo assigned to preach Islam in Southern Philippines. He was one of the organizers of the Tableegh group which as organized by Janjalani in the 80s in support of the MNLF struggle for an independent state in Mindanao. It was the Tableegh group that initiated the religious programs within the Moro National Liberaton Front (MNLF). Some of the officers of the Tableegh group joined the armed forces of the MNLF and rose to power in the organization such as Ustadz Basiri Jailani who later became the NASCOM chief and then Deputy Chief of Staff. With the advice from ASG Founder Abdurajak Janjalani, Mundos went to Saudi Arabia to work at the same time to help organize a support base in the kingdom for the Abu Sayyaf Group. Mundos assisted Hadji Hasan Jalmaani, a senior member of the group whom Janjalani entrusted the collection of financial support for the Abu Sayyaf in the Middle East with focus on Saudi Arabia. His stay in Saudi Arabia made him work closer with other jihadists which included Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, Abu Abdulla Qassamollah, and Mohammad Saleh Shugair. He collected annual zakat from the Muslim Filipino workers abroad and monthly contributions and other donations to finance the struggle of the Abu Sayyaf Group. INVOLVEMENT IN TERRORISTIC ACTIVITIES OF THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP Mundos played a vital role in the financing of the Abu Sayyaf Group since its beginning when ASG founding leader Ustadz Abdurajak Janjalani started to organize his followers in Basilan, Zamboanga and Sulu in the early 90s until the leadership of Khadaffy and up to the present. The presence of Mundos in Saudi Arabia until 2004 when he was arrested brought millions of money to the funds of the Abu Sayyaf Group. Like Hadji Hasan Jalmaani, the ASG acknowledges his active involvement in the financing of the group, establishing connections with institutions in Saudi Arabia and with wealthy individuals who were supportive of jihad. Mundos was responsible in transferring huge amount of money to his younger brother Borhan, who was then the director of Safinatun Najah Inc. (Ship of Salvation). The younger brother masterminded the series of bombings in Mindanao beginning 2001 that included the bombing of Constar Lodge in General Santos City in July 2001, the bombing of Fitmart Mall in April 2002 and other major bombings that resulted in the deaths of several hundreds of innocent civilians. It was Khair Mundos who coordinated with the arab financiers in Saudi Arabia for the funding of ASG operations in the Philippines while the younger Mundos supervises the bombers in the actual conduct and execution of the bombings. Khair Mundos also played a major role in the propaganda of the organization, convincing arab brothers in the Middle East to send their support t their mujahideen brothers in the Philipines. For several times, Mundos travelled to the Philippines to accompany arab jihadists who desired to see the ASG founding leader Abdurajak Janjalani in person. Among those whom he escorted to Basilan was a certain â€Å"Qassamollah† who came to the country to personally meet Janjalani and vowed to send financial assistance to the latter’s group. During the said trip, Qassamollah brought along him other companions, one of them was allegedly a son of a wealthy general of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Before his arrest in Manila in 2004, Mundos was believed to have established good networking with his arab brothers in Saudi Arabia. His arrest by Philippine authorties in the Philippines for his involvement in financing various bombing operations of the Abu Sayyaf Group, was a big blow to the organization in terms of financing. However, his escape from the Provincial jail of Kidapawan in 2007 made a big difference and boosted the morale of his comrades who welcomed his return. He was immediately recognized as one of the highly-respected leaders of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan. As the new leader of the Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf, he led several attacks on government troops, recruited more members, and brought more money to the group through the several kidnappings they conducted in Zamboanga and Basilan. A number of public school teachers were kidnapped by Mundos’ group in Zamboanga and Basilan, mostly released after payment of illions of money by the relatives and politicians. His present leadership gave hope to the hearts of the ASG inmates detained in the different detention facilities in the country, particularly in Metro Manila and Basilan. He had committed himself to helping his detained comrades financially and legally. He also vowed to rescue ASG members detained in the provincial jail of Basilan, particularly his close friend Ashraf Kunting, also known as Abo Ramadhan, a top ranking senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf. Abo Ramadhan is a vey important person to the Abu Sayyaf for his active role in sending in millions of money to the group of Khadaffy Janjalani and establishing contacts with financiers in Malaysia. Said person almost succeed in putting up an office for Alharakatul Islamiyyah in Malaysia through the help of government people particularly Senator Sairin. It was also Abo Ramadhan who almost succeeded in transporting large quantity of high powered firearms from Thailand and Malaysia. However, the pressure on the Malaysian government from the American government resulted in the arrest of Abo Ramadhan in Malaysia in 2001 and his deportation to the Philippines to face criminal charges in the country. Both Kunting and Mundos were held together for a long time in one detention facility in Camp Crame. Presently, Kunting is detained in the provincial jail of Basilan where he faces charges for his involvement in the Dos Palmas hostage taking. Aside from Abo Ramadhan, other detained senior leaders of the Abu Sayyaf are hopeful that Mundos will continue to

Prostetic Limbs Essays - Neuroprosthetics, Biological Engineering

Prostetic Limbs In 1985 the movie going community was enthralled with its newest hit movie titled Short Circuit. The movie portrayed a robot that due to accidental electrocution believed that it was alive. In the final scenes the robot know as Johnny five was seen removing one of its damaged robotic arms and replacing it with a new and identical arm. This idea of replacing one limb with another of equal function was unfortunately only movie fiction. This fiction however is quickly becoming a reality for countless thousands of people living with prosthetic limbs. In the October 1998 issue of Scientific American the story of Melissa Del Pozzo a thirteen year old girl living with a prosthetic limb gives an example of the hope many are living with. Her only dream is that she could one day tickle the ivories of her piano again. Her hope could soon be rewarded. With continued research, prosthesiss are making advancements that were once only dreams. These advancements are seeing the most change in the area s of dexterous movement, feeling, and comfort. The first area that we see monumental change is in the ability for dexterous movement. The greatest development in this area is found in the Free-hand system developed by the Neuro-Control Corp. The January 1998 issue of FDA consumer outlines the workings of this system. First, the external Shoulder Position Sensor translates shoulder movements into electronic signals. The signals then travel to the External Controller for processing, and then to the external Transmitting Coil for relay to the Implanted Stimulator, which sends electrical stimulation along implanted Electrode Leads to implanted Electrodes in prosthetic hand, making them contract. With the use of this system amputees are again able to perform tasks were once impossible. The only problem with this system as pointed out in the September 13th issue of people magazine is that each unit costs about $50,000 an amount which most insurance companies are unwilling to fork out. The hand is also becoming more advanced with a system discussed in the January 1998 issue of Tech Directions. This system, know as Sabolich's Sense of Feel System, uses a cuff attached to the remaining portion of the limb. Over time a user is able to recognize exactly how much pressure they are using. This system differs form earlier ones in which judgement was based simply on sight, which is not very accurate. By using this system, amputees are able to hold their childs hand or pick up an egg without the fear of crushing them. Both the Free-Hand system and Sabloichs sense of feel system are helping amputees feel their way towards a better quality of life. Using these systems, they are moving away from the dreaded metal hook and into the technological world they live in. Although some feeling is addressed in the first point, we must next examine the advancement in sensory receptors which aide to the feelings experienced by amputees. The prosthetic limb has seen great advancement in feel and function but one of the greatest advancements is a system developed by John Sabolich, NovaCare's national prosthetic director. The myo-electric prosthesis with hot and cold sensory receptors described in the April 3, 1998 issue of Philadelphia Business Journal provides one of the unique advancements of the last decade. The system involves temperature sensors, placed in a prosthetic foot or hand that send signals to a computerized advanced circuitry system. Those signals are sent to electrodes on the skin in a person's residual limb. The natural skin receptors send information to the brain, where the sensation is registered. One patient said that he could again feel the warmth of his grandsons hand and could feel the warmth of his wifes face. In a recent article titled, How computers help artificial limbs get smarter found in the August 14th edition of the Wall Street Journal eastern edition, Sabolichs use of pressure sensors in artificial feet is explored. To create an awareness of pressure, Sabolich places pressure transducers in the toes and heels of artificial feet. The greater the surface pressure against them, the larger the signal sent on to electrodes that touch the existing portion of a person's leg. Signals from the front and back of the

Essay Sample on New Religious Movements with Perspectives on Religious Deviance

Essay Sample on New Religious Movements with Perspectives on Religious Deviance New Religious Movements: Theoretical Perspectives on Religious Deviance The subject of deviance, taken from any context be it political, religious or cultural has fueled many heated debates over the decades.   Although the topic has accumulated a rather large body of knowledge, experts, theorists, critics and academicians are no closer to reaching an agreement about anything.   According to Clinard (2004), deviance takes many forms, but the agreement remains elusive about which specific behaviours and conditions constitute deviance. This ambiguity becomes especially evident when some people praise the same behaviour that others condemn. To understand deviance, one must first understand this contradiction:   No consensus reliably identifies behaviour, people, or conditions that are deviant, although most people would say that they know deviance when they see it. (p.2) Despite all the theoretical landmines in this subject arena, Adler and Adler (1994) offer a rather straightforward definition of deviance as violations of social norms.(p.7) For the purposes of this discussion about deviance, particularly the religious deviance of groups known as cults, we will employ such a definition.   Norms are behavioural codes, or prescriptions, that guide people into actions and self-presentations that conform to social acceptability.   Norms need not be agreed on by every member of the group doing the defining, but a clear or vocal majority must agree. (Adler Adler). People may be viewed as deviant due to their behaviour, beliefs, or condition. Among these three, it appears that the judging of behaviour is what most are familiar with.   The behavioural patterns considered as manifestations of a deviant nature may either be intentional or inadvertent. People can, and often are, labelled deviant for alternative attitudes or belief systems that depart from what society considers prescribed norms.   These alternative belief systems may be, but not limited to, a religious or political category, wherein the people who ascribe to such values are considered to hold strange and unorthodox perspectives (e.g. cult members, extreme political leftists, Satanists). (Adler Adler) In the words of Howard Becker (as cited in Adler Adler, 1994), a deviant is an outsider, one who is outside the consensus of what constitutes proper conduct. (p.17) The problem with this dangerously simplistic viewpoint is the rather inescapable fact that everyone is someone else for everyone. Thus, discussions on deviance quickly turn into one of norms and the vain and tiresome quest of searching for universal truths, applicable anywhere and to everyone. Historically speaking, many prescribed behavioural modes or norms of were originally enforced by the powerful arm of the church through the concept of sin. Certain virtues were praised to be mediums to eternal salvation while the transgressions of these rules would lead to the fires of hell.   The use of secular law to regulate to regulate them is a relic of the time when the authority of the state was used to enforce the rules of an established church.   That era is past, but we can see our cultural heritage most clearly perhaps in the laws we inherited from the Puritan theocracy in New England.   We have (or have had in the recent past) laws against blasphemy, obscenity, contraception, Sabbath breaking, extra-marital sexual relations, lewdness, homosexuality, gambling and drunkenness.(Clinard, 2004, p.24) This behavioural inheritance echoes the remnants of a culture in which religion once was dominant.   As times have progressed, our culture has evolved, our economic and technological systems have gotten more and more sophisticated, scientific breakthroughs have occurred and baffled the world, communication and the role of mass media have been emphasized, virtually as the world got smaller in terms of frontiers to be crossed, the role religion as a social glue has waned in importance. If we remove the religious component, the criterion for whether the conduct in question should be forbidden should rest on whether there is any demonstrable, objectively measurable social harm resulting from it.   To determine this, we must separately consider and evaluate each mode of conduct.   In a totally rational world we would expect to find a correlation between the prohibition of conduct and its objective harmfulness.   But this is not a rational world and the correlation does not exist. (Clinard, 2004,p15) Taking note of these contemporary times, nothing is more evident, than the global religious diversity.   And yet, this diversity does not automatically translate to tolerance or even acceptance, as many current events regarding Christianity and Islam may point out.   Often, as many have said though few have believed, it is the inadequacy of these well-established religions to reach some of their followers at a more spiritual level beyond rote recitations of faith that lead others to form counter-religions or counter-cultures offering a new religious path. The period from the late1960s through the middle 1970s was the time when the concept of counterculture of flamboyant political and vigorous protest among the ranks of educated youth in America.   Sociologists such as Robert Bellah and Charles Glock (as cited by Robbins, 1998) â€Å"have interpreted the cultural tumult as essentially a religious crisis or cultural crisis of meaning in which dominant value complexes such as utilitarian individualism were being challenged.(p.1) Sociology, as a scientific discipline, commits itself to the search for general, explanatory theories that shed light, albeit in an abstract way, to the probable causes of empirical change in any given societal situation.   In the sub-area of religion, however, it is extremely difficult to encapsulate the diverse cultural, social and spiritual processes in one neat idea.   Therefore,   the sociological task is to embrace, in analytical formulations of wide application, diverse cultural contents and the unstated but implicit, assumption of sociologists is that their concepts should, like those of natural scientists, be of universal application.   It has been commonplace of modern sociological theory that social systems depend for their integration on value consensus, and that such consensus attains its ultimate expression in religion.(Barker,1982,p.16) The concept of new religious movements, particularly that of the cultic phenomena is extremely problematic for sociologists.   New movements have been a recurring in the different contexts of Christian cultures in the West.   Most of these movements are often ridiculed, persecuted, or suppressed until they cease to be new and eventually cease to be. The term cult is derived from 15th century Latin word for tend, care or cultivate.   Through the years, however, with its increased usage in relation to those religious groups that have been judged as an extreme departure from the average, prescribed norm, the term has lost its original etymological connotation of good. In popular usage this term refers, in an often pejorative way, to those religious movements which have succeeded in recruiting thousands of young members in many countries in the past decades. (Barker, 1982,p.29) The term cult is frequently applied to a wide range of groups political, therapeutic, magical and even scientific.   Those who use the term generally imply that the group is irrational in its beliefs and dogmatically led by a charismatic, possibly unscrupulous leader. Classically, the term cult has applied to various eccentric forms of religious worship and the groups that practice them.   During the past years, however, the word has taken on a pejorative meaning and generally implies that the group is suspect.   Critics use the term to describe groups they regard as false, dishonourable, and predatory and apply it to nonreligious groups that are seen as doctrinaire and extreme.   It can be said that one person’s religion is another person’s cult. (Committee on Psychiatry Religion, 1992) Sociology, in response to the call for explanations for general deviant behaviour offers many theories.   Each may of course be used to explain why certain individuals join these cults and exactly what they are in actual search of.   Popular culture views these cultic members as either crazy, fraudulent or a mixture of both, brainwashing and manipulating impressionable souls out their religious heritage and money.   Sociology prefers to analyze the behaviour and not judge the doer.   Therefore, with suspended judgement, this body of knowledge offers the following theories; chosen from a wide range due present the most-balance approach to explain the religious behaviour of these so-called deviant cults. Differential association theory is a classic, formal sociological statement of an idea familiar to everyone:   people are influenced by their friends.   In religious terms, people will tend to convert to a new religion if the majority of their friends already belong. Edwin H. Sutherlands theory of differential association, which centers on how people learn to be deviant, has become one of the most widely known theories in sociology since it first appeared in his Principles of Criminology in 1947. Sutherlands theory accounts for the cause of an individual’s deviant act, and the epidemiology, or distribution of deviant behaviour as reflected in various rates.   Sutherland argued that deviant group behaviour resulted from normative conflict.   Conflict among norms affects deviance through differential social organization determined by neighbourhood structures, peer group relationships, and family organization.   An individuals normative conflict results in criminal behaviour through differential association in which the deviant learns criminal definitions of behaviour from personal associates. (Adler Adler, 1994)

How to Write an Analytical Essay on Lyric Poetry of Paul Celan

How to Write an Analytical Essay on Lyric Poetry of Paul Celan If you are tasked with writing an analytical essay on the lyric poetry of Paul Celan, it is important to first understand the purpose of the analysis you are to completing, after which it is incumbent upon you to find a sufficient topic and write all of the key elements. If you are not good at making up topics, we have done it for you: 20 topics on lyric poetry of Paul Celan are waiting to be applied in your writing. A literary analysis is a careful examination and, in some cases, an evaluation of a work of literature or one aspect of that work. In order to craft such an analysis you must break down the subject or topic you have selected into its components and examine each element in order to better appreciate and understand the entirety of the work. You can also use here facts on lyric poetry of Paul Celan that explain the basis of his work. Analyzing a poem might focus on the different images used in the poem or the relationship which has formed between the form of the poem and the content therein. So what must be contained in this work? Thesis Statement The thesis statement is what you use to tell your reader what they can expect out of your writing. This particular piece of writing must be precisely worded so as to make the point clear and concise in as few words as possible. Introduction The introduction is where you capture the interest of your reader by bringing your subject into focus immediately. The reader does not want to guess what it is you are trying to explore. They want to know, and they want to know quickly. So, open with a provocative question, a startling fact, a quotation, or a brief anecdote which better explains the position you are going to take. It is also here that you must introduce the author or poet and the title of the work you are going to analyze. Topic Sentences The body of your work is where you develop or flesh out your central idea. It is here that you provide paragraphs in support of your thesis statement. You want to offer your idea and evidence you have in the form of direct quotes, specific facts or details, or paraphrasing from the source. Each of your paragraphs require a topic sentence which is the first sentence of the paragraph. Here you state the way in which the details of this paragraph relate back to your thesis statement. Developmental Paragraphs The body of your text is better referred to as the development paragraphs of your writing. It is here that you offer explanations, summaries, quotes, and specific details to your reader in order to support the general statements you have made in your topic sentences. You want to write strong paragraphs that relate the content back to your thesis statement. Conclusion The concluding paragraph is what provides a sense of completion to your essay, the area which signals to your reader that the end of your paper is near. The concluding paragraph may include a restatement of your thesis, and a summary of your main points, but it should do so from a different perspective. Never introduce a new topic at this point.

Strategic leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic leadership - Essay Example In the process of delivery of services, all stakeholders should be involved actively in carrying out each role without causing delays or failures in the whole system of operation in the company (Baisya, 2010, p.4-7). These plans are the strategies and a company implements them so that it can ensure orderliness in operation as well as proper delegation of duties to different employees at specific times. The process of performance of duties involves different people in the company and ought to contribute to their wellbeing by focusing their effort to fulfil common goals as set out in the company strategies. The goals in a company mark the milestones that all employees should attain to ensure that it can thrive in its environment and compete favourably with its rivals. Companies implement strategies in areas that have potential of boosting the productivity and others areas which need enhancement to contribute positively to high profitability. The company leaders lay down strategies and supervise them to ensure that every employee has a duty, which they can be accountable of, even when other activities take place within or away from the organisational supervisors. In the process of implementation of services, a company may reform some of their strategies to conform to the market need of the prevailing time so as to remain relevant and productive. The leaders in such a company implement such steps so that they can ensure that it remains adaptive to the different environment and ensure it has a competitive advantage over its rivals in similar business competing over similar customers (Unhelkar, Ghanbary and Younessi, 2010, p.57). News Corporation is a media company, which operates in different parts of the world by supplying videos, producing and selling newspapers and other ways of communicating to the public. The company has always adopted different strategies that have enabled it to remain relevant in the market and have served to advance its position in the news industry. The leadership of News Corporation has always drove and enhanced strategies of the company by leading the process of decision making, which lead to taking of various courses of action that ensured its success in all of its activities. News Corporation, through its various stakeholders engaged its leaders, employees and shareholders in making decisions that have had a transforming impact to the company. Through the progress it noted when it implemented changes in its strategies; it recorded differences, noted even in the current time (Watson and Hickman, 2012, p.7). In some occasion in the past, some strategic issues that took place in News Corporation include: adoption of new organisational structures, change of leadership of the company, change of its marketing strategies among other strategies moves it used to ensure that it was productive even when the recessions and other rivalry issues threatened the its economic productivity (Lank, 2006, p.97). In the past News Corpo ration operated as one great company that was determined to establish itself in different issues and that coordinated its activities from one point. In the progress, the company through its owner and the CEO found it necessary to split the company into two integral parts, which would engage themselves in different activities. Following the agreement, between the leaders and the company shareholders, the company split into two independent companies, News Corporation and Fox Group. These companies adopted differen

Management Innovation and new technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Innovation and new technology - Essay Example The concept of innovation is as old as the history of earth as men have always tried to improve things in their surroundings for the comfort and ease. However, from the history of world businesses, we can see that in the run towards an â€Å"innovated product† companies often lead towards customer frustration and dissatisfaction resulting in lower sales and loss of customer trust. There are various examples in the past where companies define the ultimate objective to launch an innovative product and did not give much thought to the process and need of it. This lack of understanding of product innovation becomes one of the major reasons of product sales downfall (Light Minds Ltd, 2005). Many economists believe that with the increasing business competition, managers and executives often overestimate the need of their consumers. A new and innovative product is often more complex to use and more expensive (Gottfredson & Aspinall, 2005). Advancement in a product line needs better m achineries and plentiful of company’s resources which eventually the consumer has to bear. Often the advancement made by companies is just to give the feeling of ‘new’ and is not as per the need of the customer (Rosenthal, 2099). The recent example of Facebook Timeline is relevant to highlight in this regard. It was introduced to give a new and fresh look to the users so to increase the time they spend on Facebook. Result shows that the objective was merely achieved as it increases the complexity of the product (Choney, 2011). Therefore, keeping the perspective of consumers is a key element in the success of product innovation process (Light Minds Ltd, 2005). Case Study of 3M The case of 3M’s Post-it Notes can be analyzed to justify that product innovation is not just a one-off event, but a complex organization process. The idea of adhesive notepad seemed great initially, but it turned out to be a below average invention, which the consumer kept daunting f or years. The notepad went through several stages of innovation; each time the company offering something new in the product but failing to generate a massive sale every time (Nayak & Ketteringha, 1994). The issue was not meeting with the customer’s need and innovating, what might be better but not the requirement. This explains the core concept behind product innovation. Another lacking in the product was in its limited usage. People did not feel the need of having an adhesive bulletin board rather than a simple board. This brought the executives of 3M to the conclusion that this product has no future in the market (Nayak & Ketteringha, 1994). It was at this crucial time that one of the executives of the company, Spencer Silver, thought that the sticky pad can be given another try to make it more viable for people’s use. As product innovation is a summed product of the facts of previous sales and consumers’ demand, he carried a decent research to find the ways to optimize the use of the adhesive notepad. He explored the marvelous concept that an innovation does not always need to be complicated; it can come through simple means too. He used the same ingredients that were used in the notepads, but with different proportions and combinations, out of which one gave a new result. The learned people around and scientists were all conservative with their approach. Their thinking phenomenon was restricted by their knowledge of chemical properties and reactions of ingredients. However,

Kedarnath Temple in Himalayas Essay Example for Free

Kedarnath Temple in Himalayas Essay One of the holiest pilgrimages for the Hindus, Kedarnath Temple Jyotirlinga is located in the picturesque surroundings of Rudra Himalaya Range at a height of 12000 feet on a mountain named Kedar. Near Kedarnath is the source of the river Mandakini that joins Alakananda at Rudraprayag. This place is approximately 150 miles away from Hardwar and 132 miles north of Hrishikesh and is accessible by foot. The temple at Kedarnath enshrining the Jyotirlingam of Shiva opens only 6 months a year (April-November) when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries and it is closed when the sun enters Scorpio. The priests then go to Ukhimath, where the worship of Kedareshwara is continued during the winter season. Tradition has it that when undertaking Kedarnath Yatra pilgrims first visit Yamunotri and Gangotri and bring with them the holy waters from the sources of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga and offer abhishekams to Kedareshwara. The traditional pilgrim route is Haridwar Rishikesh Devaprayag Tehri Dharasu Yamunotri Uttar Kashi Gangotri Triyugnarayan Gowrikund and Kedarnath. The alternative route to Kedar from Rishikesh is via Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Ukhimath. Legend Behind Kedarnath Temple Legend goes that Nara and Narayana two incarnations of Vishnu performed severe penance in Badrikashraya of Bharat Khand, in front of a Shivalingam fashioned out of earth. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva appeared in front of them and said that they may ask for a boon. Nar and Narayan requested Shiva to take up a permanent abode as a Jyotirlingam at Kedarnath so that all people who worship Shiva shall be freed from their miseries. According to yet another popular legend related to Kedar Temple, Goddess Parvati worshipped Kedareshwar to unite with Shiva as Ardhanareeswarar. Besides, the Pandavas are believed to have visited this area several times. Arjuna is believed to have come here to pray to Shiva to obtain the coveted Pasupataastra. The other Pandavas are believed to have come here in search of him, where Draupadi came across the heavenly lotus Kalyana Saugandikam, and requested Bhima to bring here some more of the same. It was during his venturing out to seek these flowers that Bhima met Hanumaan. Significance of Kedarnath Temple Located in the lofty Himalayas, Kedarnath Temple is one of the best known Shivasthalams in India and is considered to be one of the most sacred pilgrimage centers of the country. It is believed that by praying to Kedareshwar, one can get all his desires fulfilled. Importance of the shrine can be further understood from the beliefs that Upamanyu prayed to Lord Shiva in this place in Satayuga while in Dwapar, the Pandavas worshipped Lord Shiva here. Even the spiritual leader Adi Sankaracharya is closely associated with Kedarnath. Structure of Kedarnath Temple Kedarnath Shrine is scenically placed amidst the lofty, snow covered mountains and grassy meadows covering the valleys. Immediately behind the temple is the high Keadardome peak, which can be sighted from great distances. It is believed that the temple of Kedarnath was constructed by the Pandavas. At the entrance of the temple is the statue of Nandi, the divine bull of Shiva. Walls inside the temple are exquisitely carved with images. The revered Shiva Lingam housed in the temple is in the unusual pyramidal form. Kedarnath Kedarnath is on the bank of the Mandakini River between Gangotri and Badrinath. As the crow flies Kedarnath is only 42km from Badrinath. Over 100,000 pilgrims come here each year. It is believed that Sankaracharya passed away here about 820 AD. Kedareswar Siva is the presiding deity. Behind the Kedarnath temple is an impressive mountain range, with the beautiful Kedarnath Mountain (6,970m). Kedarnath Temple This Lord Siva temple at Kedarnath is said to have been built by the Pandavas to atone for their sins procured during the Kurukshetra war. It is believed that this temple was originally constructed by the Pandavas, and the present temple was reconstructed by Sankaracharya in the 8th century. One of the 12 Siva-Jyotirlingas is in this temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Sada Siva and is considered to be one of the major Siva temples in India. Inside the temple there is an irregular, three-faced linga, representing the hump of Lord Siva when he took the form of a bull. It is about 3m (9 ft) long, 1m (3 ft) wide, and 1.3m (4 ft) high. Pilgrims are allowed to touch the linga, perform worship, abhishek (bathe), and massage the linga with ghee. There are deities of goddess Parvati and Ganesh in front of the main altar door. Outside the second door are Lord Krishna, the five Pandavas, their wife, Draupadi, and their mother, Kunti. In the temple is a Lakshmi-Narayana Deity, which was installed by Adi Sankaracharya. The temple faces south, which is a unique feature, as most temples face east. This temple is very solidly built. The temple opens the first week of May and closes either the last week of October or the first week of November. May/June is the busiest time of the year. Worship of Sri Kedarnath is continued in the village of Okhimath in the winter by the priest from the Kedarnath Temple. The waiting time to enter the temple in the afternoon is about 15 minutes, otherwise if you go at 7 am the waiting time may be two hours or more.