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Amarnath Cave, Amarnath Overview
The Hindu Shrine, Armanath Cave, is located in Jammu and Kashmir and it receives lakhs of people yearly for visitation. With an altitude of 3,888m, the Cave is one of the most famous Hindu Shrines and Lakhs or thousands of devotees/believers make pilgrimage to the cave during summer. The pilgrims cross challenging mountain terrains to reach the ice stalagmite that has formed in the cave while t is open.
The almost 5000 years old shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It holds an important place in Hindu Mythology. In the cave is an ice stalagmite which has a semblance to Lord Shiva and waxes from May to August. The water seeps into the rocks and soon wanes after that. Many believe that to be the place where Lord Shiva explained to his consort Goddess Parvati about the secrets of life and eternity.
Also, it is believed that there are two other ice formed representing the Goddess Parvati and the Lord Ganesh, Son of Lord Shiva The Shravani Mela, a 45 days season in July – August, have a lot of visits which takes the devotees five days to reach the destination on feet from Srinagar or Pahalgam.
More on Amarnath Cave
The Linga
The Linga is 40 m high and is formed due to the freezing water which falls from the roof of the cave. It grows vertically from the floor right to the rooftop. A popular belief is that, during the summer festival, the growth or shrinking of the Linga is tied to the different phases of the moon to its heights.
How to Reach Amarnath Cave
Bus services are available for transport from Jammu to Pahalgam and Baltal (the two places whereby you can begin the Amarnath Yatra). The Bus services are provided by either State Transport or Private Operators