The cave is accessible only during a brief period during the
months of July and August. The yatris encounter a charming
environment of thick green forests, crystal clear waters of
mountain streams and an exhilarating air.
The spell that
nature casts on the yatri's mind brings peace and creates
within him a new rhythm, a new spirit. The enchanting route is
traversed on foot or horse. The yatris feel a tremendous sense
of fulfilment and all fatigue is forgotten. Even when the
temperature touches zero degrees Celsius, the yatris are
driven by their faith to take a dip in the almost freezing
rivulet of Amravati.
At the time of the yatra, inside the cave, a pure white
ice-lingam comes into being. Water trickles, somewhat
mysteriously, in slow rhythm, from the top of the cave and
freezes into ice. It first forms a solid base and then on it a
lingam begins to rise, almost imperceptibly, and acquires full
form on Purnima. It is believed that on that day, Lord Shiva
revealed the secrets of life to his consort Parvati, the
beautiful daughter of the Himalayas. It is a mystery how the
ice-lingam is formed on the ice-base, how it attains its full
form and height on the night of the full moon, and how a pair
of pigeons appears on the scene. Even the most sceptic mind is
persuaded to believe that all these occurrences could not be a
mere coincidence.
In a state of heightened sublimity, the yatri experiences the
impact of an invisible yet all-pervading, incomprehensible but
all-conveying force. Lord Shiva, sitting calmly beneath an
imperishable canopy, provided by the "mount of immortality"
seems to convey in hushed silence the message of
inseparability of the processes of creation and destruction.
Swami Vivekananda's experience at the holy cave was so
spiritual and saturating that for days after he could speak of
nothing else but Shiva all in all; the eternal one, the great
monk, rapt in meditation and aloof from the world. Such is the
impression that the Amarnath Yatra leaves on the minds of most
of the yatris.
But the significance of the yatra does not end at the personal
level. It extends to the much larger issue of cultural unity
and vision of India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from
Kathiawar to Kamrup. Its great and historic importance as an
underlying integrating force needs to be recognized.
Legend
Legend says that Shiva was married to the same soul in
different bodies. First he married Sati. She burned herself in
the holy fire or 'Yagna', which was being performed by her
father, because she could not take the insult to her husband,
Lord Shiva. Sati was reborn as Parvati, daughter of the
Himalayas. But her soul was married to Shiva so she meditated
on him. And finally Shiva married Parvati.
On Parvati's insistence, Shiva agreed to reveal the secret of
creation to her. Shiva found a secluded cave in the Himalayan
range where he decided to impart the secret of creation. While
he was revealing the absolute truth of immortality and eternal
truth, Parvati dozed off. The cave in which Shiva had divulged
the secret is now called Amarnath, meaning the Immortal God.
It is believed that while Lord Shiva was speaking to Parvati,
a pair of pigeons appeared and overheard the discourse. It is
believed that every year, these doves come to Amarnath at the
time of the yatra as an incarnation of Shiva and Parvati. Many
pilgrims claim to spot these doves though there is no presence
of any other birds in the area.
During the period when the saint, Kashyap is believed to have
drained the Kashmir valley, another saint travelling in the
Himalayas discovered this cave and the lingams. When people
heard about the discovery they came and called the cave
Amarnath or the abode of Shiva. Later, a folk tale was
attached to the legends, which claims that a Muslim shepherd,
Buta Malik was given a sack of coal by a saint while he was in
the mountains. When he returned home, Malik found that the
coal had turned into gold. Malik rushed back to thank the
saint but instead he found a cave and the lingams. This became
a place of pilgrimage and till date, Muslim shepherds show the
way to pilgrims. Part of the donations received in the cave is
given to the descendants of Malik while the rest is directed
towards the trust managing the shrine.
Trek to Amarnath
Amarnath cave is located in a narrow gorge on the farther end
of Lidder valley at 3,888 m above sea level. The cave is 45 km
from Pahalgam and 141 km from Srinagar. The trek begins in
July-August. Despite being an extremely difficult trek,
millions of devotees come to pay homage to Shiva in one of his
Himalayan abodes.
The yatra, in its present religious form, commences with the
ceremony of "Chari Mubarak," at the Dashnami temple, Akhara,
Srinagar. After the prayers, the yatri acquires a sort of
walking stick. It has both physical and religious
significance: physically, it helps the yatri in steadying
himself on a snow covered slippery path; spiritually it
reminds him of his resolve at the temple at times when his
faith begins to waver in the face of a long and arduous
journey. Nowadays people travel to Pahalgam first and then
undertake the onward journey of 45 km on foot, in batches.
Overnight halts are in encampments that are set up at fixed
distances and give the appearance of a military site. The
return trek has to be covered in five days with night halts at
Chandanwari, Wawjan and Panchtarni.
The distance of 12.8 km from Pahalgam to Chandanwari is
completed in five to six hours with the first night halt at
Chandanwari. The trail is along thick and green woodlands of
breathtaking beauty. The playful stream of Lidder meanders and
dances alongside, showing its sparkling white foam with the
pride and purity of a maiden descending directly from the lap
of the perennial Himalayas. One main attraction of this trail
is the bridge on the river Lidder, which is covered with snow
even when the surroundings are bereft of snow.
From Chandanwari, there begins a steep ascent to Pishu Ghati
(3,171 meters), reminding the yatris that the path to
salvation involves superhuman struggle and stamina. A feeling
of having reached an ethereal destination overwhelms yatris
when they reach Seshnag (3,570 meters) so striking is the
beauty, the ambience and the very colour of this great lake.
Seshnag symbolizes the cosmic ocean in which Lord Vishnu, the
preserver of this universe, moves, reclining on a seven-headed
mythical snake. The second night halt is at Wawjan overlooking
the deep waters of Sheshnag Lake and the glaciers beyond it.
The third and the last camp en route to the cave is at
Panchtarni. This 13 km trek gains height at 4,600 m and then
descends to the green meadows of Panchtarni. The cave is 6 km
from here. There are long queues waiting to enter the cave for
a darshan before returning to Panchtarni. The return journey
takes two more days.
There are few precautions which have to be taken on this
yatra. Children below 12 years and infirms are not allowed. It
is imperative that one is adequately equipped against the cold
in the high altitude. It is important to be aware of high
altitude sickness and take basic precautions to prevent it.
There are ponies available to carry provisions and personal
belongings.
Managing this yatra is a mammoth task and requires planning
and coordination. The committee managing the shrine keeps
maintains the route, ensuring that it is free of boulders and
snow, in co-operation with military and civil authorities.
More recently, there have been incidents of terrorists having
tried to disrupt the yatra, and there is heavy armed
protection provided to the yatris. A yatra-officer is
appointed to conduct the pilgrimage.
General Information
Requests for reservation of accommodation and porters or pony
should be sent to the Assistant Director Tourism, Pahalgam.
The yatra organised by the Tourism Department, Jammu and
Kashmir commences on specific dates from Pahalgam. More
information can be obtained from the Tourist offices in
various cities.
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Compiled by Puneet Sachdeva
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Range, the holy cave shrine of Amarnath is dedicated to Lord
Shiva, whose presence is associated with the dawn of time. The
oldest and most sacred book of Hindus, the Rig Veda mentions
the presence of the ascetic Shiva, the god of destruction.
