Madhyamaheshwar (Sanskrit: मध्यमहेश्वर) or Madmaheshwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in Gaundar,[1] a village in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India.

Situated at an elevation of 3,497 m (11,473.1 ft), it is one of the Panch Kedar pilgrimage circuits, comprising five Shiva temples in the Garhwal region.

[2] Several folk legends exist surrounding the Garhwal region, Shiva and the creation of the Panch Kedar temples.

They wished to atone for the sins of committing fratricide (gotra hatya) and Brāhmanahatya (killing of Brahmins — the priest class) during the war.

But Shiva wanted to avoid them as he was deeply incensed by the death and dishonesty at the Kurukshetra war and therefore, disregarded Pandavas' prayers.

Consequently, the bull was torn asunder into five parts and appeared at five locations in the Kedar Khand of Garhwal region of the Himalayas.

The older, so-called 'Vriddh-Madmaheshwar', temple is a tiny blackened shrine on the ridge, which looks straight up at the Chaukhamba Mountain peaks.

During the winter period, the symbolic idol of the god is shifted with religious formalities to Ukhimath for continued worship.

This doctrine has been determined on the basis of sectarian association, fairs and festivals, offerings to the deity, sacred declarations made by devotees and specific blessings sought from the god through prayers at different temples.

One has to trek 2 kilometers up the steep ways through large moors and valleys and then would reach in a small lake, where a full Panoramic range of Himalayas consisting of the peaks, Chaukhamba, Kedarnath, Neelkanth, Trishul, Kamet, Panchulli, etc.

Total trek length to cover all the five temples of Panch Kedar is about 170 km (105.6 mi) (including road travel up to Gaurikund), involving 16 days of effort.

The trek starts from Gauri Kund, from which there are views of the Himalayan range of hills and the broader Garhwal region, comparable to the Alps.

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant at a distance of 18 km (11.2 mi) from Rishikesh, closer to Dehradun, which connects to other destinations in India.