Amarnath caves situate in the midst of Himalayas is one of the most holy shrine in the Hindu religion. The Amarnath caves is considered as the home for Lord Shiva and every year thousands of pilgrims visit the caves to worship the holy Linga or the deity which is formed naturally every year in the cave. This paying the visit to the cave is known as the famous Amarnath Yatra. It is considered as one of the toughest journey in the world for a pilgrimage as the route to the cave is pretty long.
History & Discovery of Amarnath Cave
The cave has references in many historical books. One of the believed references is that the legendary king Aryaraja used to worship the lingam of Lord Shiva in Kashmir. The speciality of this Lingam was that made up off ice. There is another book named Rajatarangini which refers Amarnath as Amareshwara. It is stated in the book that a Queen named Suryamathi donated Trishuls, Banalingas and other things to this temple. Other than this there are several ancient books those refer to the temple.
It is believed that this temple was somewhat forgotten during the Middle Ages. The temple lost its name in the Hindu religion but it was a shepherd who found the cave back in the 15th century. There is another story believing that at times the beautiful valley of Kashmir was submerged under water. The whole water was drained out by Bhrigu Muni with the help of rivers. It is believed that once the whole water was drained it was Bhrigu Muni who got the darshan of Lingam for the first time and thus from that period several people visited that temple to worship the lingam of Lord Bholenath every year.
It is also believed that the cave which is considered as the holy cave was the home of Lord Shiva. It is believed that it was the place where Lord Shiva explained the secret of life.
The Lingam of Amarnath
The lingam of Amarnath is famous as it is a naturally created lingam which is made up of water. Every year drops of water from top of the roof freezes into ice and takes a shape of lingam that is considered as the lingam of Lord Shiva. It is believed that the whole cave is made during the period of May-August when the snow melts and gets collected in the cave. It is also believed that the lingam grows in size with the movement of moon. Though this does not have any scientific prove but it is a belief of the pilgrims. It is believed that the other two snow formations are Lord Shiva’s wife Parvati and Son Lord Ganesha.
Amarnath Yatra Timing & Dates
Every year lakhs of people undergo this pilgrimage. The Yatra is organised every year in the month of July-August during the month of Shravan according to Hindu calendar. This is the month when the Yatra is organised and people from all over the country pays a visit to the cave. The Shrine board of Amarnath every year makes special arrangements for the yatra and people visiting the place can avail taxis from Jammu to Srinagar or Pahalgam. The Amarnath yatra starts off from these two points and takes at least 5 days for completing the journey.
Special Facilities arranged for the journey
There are several arrangements that are made for the pilgrims that are going for the pilgrimage. Several non-profitable food stalls arranged on course of the yatra. There are several camps that are arranged in the trip where one can go and hire the camp for a night stay during your journey. Security has always been a factor in the famous pilgrimage and every year the Indian government makes special arrangement as police officers are present in the course in thousands so that the yatra is safe for all the people.