And due to this belief, Every year hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees take part in the oldest organized pilgrimage of the world - The Amarnath yatra. Devotees travel to the cave to see lord shiva in the form of Baba Barfani. Pilgrims visit the shrine during the hindu month of Shravana which coincieds with the months of July and August.
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Amarnath : The story behind the temple
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| Mahagunas mountain |
It is believed that once Devi Parvati started wondering about why it is only her who has to die and be born again and not shiva. Devi Parvati then started insisting Lord Shiva share the secret of his immortality with her. At first, Shiva hesitated but upon her consistent demand agreed to share the secret.
But he put a condition that no other living being except Parvati should hear the secret. And that is why he chose the Amarnath cave to share the knowledge of his immortality or The Amar Katha.
At the cave, Lord Shiva shared the secret of immortality with Parvati while making sure that no living being except Devi Parvati listens to it. However, a pair of pigeons had the luck to gain the knowledge. To date, pilgrims still report seeing the pair of pigeons there.
Legends tell us that after shiva conveyed the knowledge to Parvati, the cave submerged into water for many years.
It was Bhrigu Muni who first discovered the Amarnath cave after rishi Kashyap drained all the water out of there by creating several rivers. Thereafter, when people heard of the story, it became the home of lord shiva for all devotees.
It is also believed that this cave was rediscovered by a Muslim shepherd named Buta Malik in the year 1850. He met a sufi saint here who gave him a bag which was full of coal. But when Buta Malik reached home, he was very surprised to see that the bag actually contained gold coins and not coal. He went back to thank the saint and found the Amarnath Shrine.
In fact, a percentage of the donations made by pilgrims are still given to the descendants of Buta Malik.
Significance of The Amarnath Temple
Kashmir is the abode of Shiva. There are 45 about Shiva Dham in Kashmir, but the Amarnath cave is the most important and the most visited of them all. The cave is said to be nearly 5000 years old.
The Cave of Amarnath
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| The cave of Amarnath |
The entrance of the cave is about forty yards horizontally and about 75 feet vertically.
Inside the cave is a self-forming shiv lingam completely made of ice. It is about five feet high.
The cave also has two more ice lingams symbolizing Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati.
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| Three lingams in the cave |
These ice formations are formed during, the summer days. It is believed that the shiva lingam raises and descends according to the moon cycle. The shiva lingam will raise to a height of about 5 feet on a full moon day. It gradually starts melting and will completely vanish on a new moon day.
The Amarnath temple is situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder valley, The Shrine stands at an altitude of 3,888 m(12,756 ft) and is 45 km from Pahalgam and 141 km from Srinagar.
Amarnath temple route: What to look for nearby
There are two routes through which we can reach the Amarnath shrine that is via Pahalgam and Sonmarg-Baltal. Pahalgam is about 92 km from Srinagar and about 93 km from Baltal. According to our Puranas, Lord Shiva took the Pahalgam route to reach the cave. During the journey, he left all his belongings including his son, Ganesha in different locations along the way. This symbolizes the sacrifice of all earthly belongings.
The route is as follows:
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| Betab valley, Pahalgam |
Pahalgam - 92 km from Srinagar
This is where the yatra starts. It is said that when Lord Shiva started the journey to reach the Amarnath cave from this place, he left his bull Nandi here. From that moment, this place was called Bailgaon(village of the bull), now Pahalgam.
Apart from being famous as the strating point of Amarnath Yatra, this place some wonders of its own.
Betab Valley, Malmal lake, Lidder View park and Tulian lake are some of the most visited tourist places near Pahalgam.
Chandanbadi - 16 km from Pahalgam
The next place after Pahalgam is Chandanbadi. According to beliefs, Lord Shiva sacrificed the moon on his head in this place hence the name of the place - Chandanbadi(home of the moon).
This place is also known as Chandramoli.
Chandanwari village is famous for the small cafes and resturants.
Pissu Ghati - 16.5 km from Chandanbadi
After Chandanbadi comes the Pissu ghati. According to
legends, Gods and asuras being equally dear to lord shiva indulge in a
war to visit the Amarnath cave. Gods won the war and used the dead
bodies of the asuras to build mountains.
Sheshnag - 12 km away from Pissu Ghati
The next place to visit after the Pissu ghati is Sheshnag. it is believed that Lord Shiva released the shesha nag from his neck in the sheshanag lake.
The lake is famous for its clear blue water and the seven peaks surrounding it.
Mahagunas Mountain-- About 4 kilometers from Sheshnag
Mahagunas mountain is situated at an altitude of 14,000 feet. It is believed that on the way to the Amarnath cave, Lord Shiva left his son Ganesha here and that is why this place is also called mahaganesh parvat.
It is considered the highest point of Amarnath yatra.
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| The Mahagunas mountain |
Panchatrani - 6 km from Mahagunas Mountain
Situated at a height of 12,500 feet, this is the place where Lord shiva sacrificed all of his earthly belongings i.e. the five Panchabhutas - earth, water, air, fire, and sky.
Who organizes the yatra?
The Yatra is organized by the government in collaboration with the "Shree Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB)". Various agencies provide necessary facilities all along the route during the Yatra period, which includes the provision of ponies, supply of power, telecommunication facilities, firewood, and setting up of fair price shops.
Shri Amarnath Yatra is organised in the month of Shravan(July-August) and commences from Pahalgam & Baltal on specified dates.
You need to register in advance for the yatra. Here is a list of step by step registration process for the Amarnath yarta.
You can also visit the official website of shri amarnathji shrine board for more information.
How to Reach:
By Air
The nearest airport is Srinagar airport which is 72 km from Amarnath Cave Temple
By Train
The nearest Railway station is Jammu Tawi which is 176 km from Amarnath Cave Temple
By helicopter
Helicopter sercvices are available from -
pahalgam to panjtarni and
neelgrath-baltal to panjtarni
for the booking of helicopter services, you need to visit the website of following helicopter operators:
Global Vectra Helicorp Limited
Himalaya Heli Services Pvt. Ltd.
UTair India Pvt. Ltd.
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| Helicopter services at Amarnath dham |
By Road
The State Transport and the Private Operators provide bus services from Jammu to Pahalgam and Baltlal. These are the two places from where you start the Amarnath Yatra.
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