sacrificial fire called Dhananjaya who would be the witness to the marriage. They offered their respects to the Agni i.e. Sri Gargacharya along with the Saptarishis made arrangements for the necessary items required to perform the marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva. Lord Brahma began the auspicious wedding ceremonies with Lord Vishnu being the witness. The entire entourage was welcomed heartily at the palace of King Himavan and thereafter accommodated as per the stature of each personality. The Jupiter planet headed by Brihaspati, the Guru of the Devatas and other planets were aligned together in an auspicious manner. The bridegroom entourage which included prominent personalities headed by Lord Vishnu arrived in King Himavan’s palace on the Monday of the Margashirsha month when the Moon was in the ascendant and the nakshatra i.e. The celestial architect Sri Vishwakarma who had built Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva left no stone unturned in making sure the city could accommodate all those attending the wedding ceremony as well as give the feeling of Vaikuntha. He had given charge of many of the important wedding arrangements to the rishis, devatas, gandharvas and brahmanas. King Himavan was eagerly involved in making the arrangements for his daughter’s wedding. At the same time, Parvati Devi was brought back to the palace of King Himavan from the place where she was engaged in penances. The King sent the Saptarishis back to Lord Shiva with the proposed marriage time and date.
King Himavan after receiving the Saptarishis well, gladly accepted the proposal and consulted Sri Gargacharya to find the suitable time and date to conduct Lord Shiva’s and Parvati Devi’s marriage. Finally, being Impressed with Parvati Devi, Lord Shiva sent the Saptarishis to the palace of King Himavan with His proposal to marry Parvati Devi. Lord Shiva had tested her determination many times and each time she would come out victorious. As per the Shiva Purana, Parvati Devi had done severe penances for 70,000 years which pleased even the devatas. One fine day, Parvati Devi decided to do severe penances to please Lord Shiva and hence, taking the permission of her father and mother left for the forest. In the due course of time as Parvati Devi grew, she started worshiping Lord Shiva through penances and japa. Hence, the princess should only meditate on the holy names of Lord Shiva. The lines on her hand were all pointing towards the same. Narada Muni after looking at the hands of baby Parvati Devi said that Lord Shiva would be her husband. Narada Muni was well received by the King and the Queen who asked him to predict Parvati Devi’s future through the medium of astrology and palmistry. After the birth of Parvati Devi, Narada Muni was eager to have her darshan and hence, put on the attire of a brahmana and went to the court of King Himavan. Later, Sati Devi was reborn as the daughter of the King of Mountains, King Himavan and Queen Mena in today’s Triyuginarayan village. Before she entered into the fire, being unable to bear the insult on Lord Shiva by her father Maharaja Daksha, Parvati Devi had asked Lord Vishnu for a boon that she would remain Lord Shiva’s consort in her next life as well as eternally. Parvati Devi was Sati Devi in her previous life who had been Lord Shiva’s consort. The Kedar Khanda of Skanda Purana vividly describes the sacred spot where the Triyugi Narayan Temple is located, as follows: Punya bhumi mathraam namami vishnukaa purim Paapa sangham nashini paratha paraam purathini The sacred Saraswati Kunda which originated from the navel of Lord Vishnu is also present here. Pilgrims offer wood into this fire when they visit the temple and collect the ashes as prasadam. Hence the temple is also called Akhand Dhuni Temple. The marriage fire lit during the marriage ceremony is still burning in the temple and called as Akhand Dhuni i.e. The temple is equally popular for being the sacred marriage site of Lord Shiva and Parvati Devi which was witnessed by Lord Vishnu as Parvati Devi’s brother and conducted by Lord Brahma. This glorious temple is the site of the birthplace of Lord Vamana, one of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations.
Overseeing the beautiful Kedar Valley and the Chaukhamba peaks, the Triyugi Narayan temple is situated in the most picturesque surroundings. The Triyugi Narayan Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and located in the Triyuginarayan village, Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand state in India.