Kedar itself means a natural rock formation or glacial moraine. The most famous legend of the Panch Kedar relates to the Pandavas, heroes of the Mahabharata, who wished to atone for the sins of killing their cousins the Kauravas and Brahmins during the Kurukshetra war.
Seeking Shiva's blessing, the Pandavas set out to find him - but Shiva, deeply hurt by the war, took the form of a bull and hid in the Garhwal region to avoid them. Spotting the bull near Guptakashi, Bhima recognised it as Shiva and caught hold of its tail and hind legs, but the bull disappeared into the ground, reappearing in five different parts: the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tunganath, the navel and stomach at Madhyamaheshwar, the face at Rudranath, and the hair and head at Kalpeshwar.
Pleased that Shiva had reappeared in these five forms, the Pandavas built temples at each site to worship him, freeing themselves from their sins. It is also believed the fore portions of Shiva appeared at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu. After completing the Panch Kedar temples, the Pandavas meditated at Kedarnath, performed a yagna, and attained salvation via the heavenly path known as the Mahapanth.