Amarnath

Amarnath is regarded as one of the revered shrines of Hindu followers which is located at the remote end of the valley of Lidder in Jammu & Kashmir. Although the site of Amarnath comes under the purview of Srinagar yet the pilgrims have to take the steep trekking route which begun from Chandanwari.

The origin of Amarnath cave which is the epicenter of pilgrim tour in the site dates back to the mythical era. According to one religious record, Lord Shiva, the ultimate divine power, once narrated the mystery behind the creation of life on earth to his spouse Parvati. While they were engrossed in their conversation a pair of doves listened to this secret and it is believed that ever since these doves are taking birth repeatedly just to glorify the bliss of Lord Shiva. In fact some of the devotees claim that they have even seen the doves so many times inside the cave of Amarnath.

Another enticing tale behind the appearance of Amarnath cave tells the fact that Bregeish Rishi was once touring the valley of Kashmir when he found the Shiva Lingam in the Amarnath cave. There is another historic saga that depicts the origin of Amarnath. It is said that once Buta Malik, a shepherd of the valley was offered a sack full of coal by a local saint. Later, on opening the sack Buta found gold in place of coal. He returned to the place where the saint gave him the sack but instead he found the holy cave of Amarnath. Till date a portion of the monetary assistance obtained from the tourists who visit Amarnath each year is offered to the descendants of Buta Malik since it is believed that he was the one who discovered the cave.

The uniqueness of Amarnath lies in the natural Shiva Linga which starts forming from the droplets of ice water in the lunar month and finishes on the day when a full moon appears. Beside the Lingam there are three other ice idols of Parvati, Bhairava and Ganesha in the cave of Amarnath.

Pilgrims going for the Amarnath tour are advised to go through a thorough health check-up along with many other precautions. Reaching Amarnath is like a thrilling sojourn as the path to the pious cave involves several trekking routes the first of which literally starts from Srinagar.

There is no doubt that Amarnath is an enchanting Jammu & Kashmir pilgrim tourism site which has an individual aura of divinity.

Last Updated on 8/29/2011