The Amarnath caves are one of the most famous shrines in Hinduism,
dedicated to the god Shiva, located in the State of Jammu and
Kashmir. The shrine is claimed to be over 5,000 years old and
forms an important part of ancient Hindu mythology.
Inside the main Amarnath cave lies an ice stalagmite resembling
the Shiva Linga, which waxes during May to August and gradually
wanes thereafter. This lingam is said to grow and shrink with
the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer
festival. According to Hindu mythology, this is the cave where
Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine
consort Parvati. There are two other ice formations representing
Parvati and Shiva's son, Ganesha.
The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,760 ft),
about 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and
Kashmir. Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder
Valley, Amarnath Shrine is 46 Km from Pahalgam and 14 Kms from
Baltal. Though the original pilgrimages subscribes that the
yatra be undertaken from Srinagar, the more common practice
is to begin journey from Pahalgam, and cover the distance to
Amarnathji and back in five days. Pahalgam is 96 Kms from Srinagar.
Amarnathji is considered to be one of the major Hindu Dhams.
The holy cave is the abode of Lord Shiva. The guardian of the
absolute, Lord Shiva, the destroyer, is enshrined in the form
of an ice-lingam in this cave. This lingam is formed naturally,
which is believed to wax and wane with the moon.
Discovery of Holy Cave
Although the existence of the Holy Cave has been mentioned
in the Puranas, the popular story narrated by people about the
re-discovery of this Holy Cave is of a shepherd Buta Malik.
Story goes like this: a saint gave Buta Malik a bag full of
Coal. On reaching his home when he opened the bag, to his utter
surprise the bag was full of gold coins. This overwhelmed him
with joy. He ran to thank the Saint. But the Saint had disappeared.
Instead, he found The Holy Cave and the Ice Shiv Lingam there
in. He announced the discovery of this to the Villagers. Then
onwards this became a sacred place of Pilgrimage
History
Aryaraja (34 BCE-17CE) used to spend “the most delightful Kashmir
summer” in worshiping a lingam formed of snow/ice “in the regions
above the forests”. This too appears to be a reference to the
ice lingam at Amarnath. There is yet another reference to Amareshwara
or Amarnath in the Rajatarangini (Book VII v.183). According
to Kalhana, Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063),
“granted under her husband’s name agraharas at Amareshwara,
and arranged for the consecration of trishulas, banalingas and
other [sacred emblems]”.
In his Chronicle of Kashmir, a sequel to Kalhana’s Rajatarangini,
Jonaraja relates that that Sultan Zainu’l-abidin (1420-1470)
paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing
a canal on the left bank of the river Lidder (vv.1232-1234 ).The
canal is now known as Shah Kol.
In the Fourth Chronicle named Rajavalipataka, which was begun
by Prjayabhatta and completed by Shuka, there is a clear and
detailed reference to the pilgrimage to the sacred site (v.841,vv.
847-849). According to it, in a reply to Akbar’s query about
Kashmir Yusuf Khan, the Mughal governor of Kashmir at that time,
described among other things the Amarnath Yatra in full detail.
Pilgrimage
Ice Shiva Lingam in the Holy Cave It is a popular pilgrimage
destination for Hindus ,around the festival of Shravani Mela
in July-August, coinciding with the Hindu holy month of Shravan.
Devotees generally take the 42 km (26 mi) pilgrimage on foot
from the town of Pahalgam, about 96 km (60 mi) from Srinagar,
and cover the journey in four to five days. There are two alternate
routes to the temple: the longer and more traditional path from
Srinagar via Pahalgam, and the shorter route from Baltal, in
northeastern Kashmir.
Out of all Hindu deities, Lord Shiva is extremely popular not
only amongst Indians but also amongst the people of other nationalities.
To get closer to their favourite god, who appears on this earth
in the unique form of an Ice Lingam, millions of devotees pay
their visit to Shri Amarnathji Shrine in South Kashmir. The
Shrine is managed by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), that
was constituted by an Act of the State Legislature in 2000 with
His Excellency the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir as its ex-officio
Chairman. The Amarnathji Shrine Board is responsible for smooth
and trouble free pilgrimage to the Holy Shrine. Assisted by
a Chief Executive officer who is a senior IAS officer and eight
distinguished Board Members, the board is constantly working
towards making this journey the most cherished one.
