Kedarnath Temple holds significance in Hindu mythology. According to the Shiva Purana (a sacred Hindu text), the Pandava princes sought out Shiva to atone for their sins after the Kurukshetra war and, as tradition holds, built the shrine to honor him. The temple is also associated with Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th-century ce Advaita Vedanta philosopher, who is credited in local accounts with restoring it and integrating it into a Shaiva pilgrimage network.