June to August is time for the annual Amarnath Yatra — one of the most sacred
and popular pilgrimages to the holy snow-clad cave shrine of
Lord
Shiva in the beautiful northern Indian state of
Jammu
& Kashmir. Of all Hindu pilgrimages,
Amarnath
— situated at an altitude of 3,880 meters in the southern Kashmir Himalayas
— is considered one of the holiest.
A visit or 'darshan' to the Holy Cave is generally open from mid June-early July (Ashad
Purnima) to early August (Sharvan Purnima). The pilgrimage starts in June-July and
draws thousands of pilgrims to the naturally-formed ice Shiva
Lingam at the holy cave shrine. The 'yatra' or pilgrimage
concludes in August, around the Raksha
Bandhan festival.
Ensuring A Smooth Yatra
No pilgrim is allowed to proceed for the
yatra without proper
registration.
A medical certification is a must before registering as a pilgrim. (
See
Details). While most of the Pahalgam
road is open to vehicular traffic, the last 24 km to the holy cave have
to be traveled on foot. Adequate measures are taken to make this tortuous trek
easier. Arrangements are made for proper supply of drinking water to the pilgrims
enroute the holy cave. Power development department authorities ensure uninterrupted
power supply from Sarbal to the holy cave, particularly during nights, and the
departments of health, food and supplies, and cooperatives keep adequate stock
of medicines, oxygen, food grains, firewood and other essentials for the convenience
of the pilgrims.
The Charm of the Himalayas
In the Hindu mythology, there is a strong connection between the sublime Himalayan
summits and
Lord
Shiva.
Kalidasa,
the greatest of the Sanskrit poets described the Himalayas as "the laughter
of Shiva." Lord Krishna said in the
Bhagavad
Gita, "Of the mountains, I am the Himalayas." And
Swami
Vivekananda wittily said that India has so many gods and goddesses
because it's so close to the Himalayas —
the
abode of the gods.
An Icy Idol
The cave shrine of Amarnath can be accessed only during these rainy months
of July and August, when inside the cave, a pure white ice-mound is formed,
and water trickles down in a slow mysterious rhythm from the top of the cave
on top of it. It piles up to take the shape of a 'lingam', the
phallus
symbol representing Lord Shiva, which begins to rise undiscernibly to acquire
a full shape on the full moon night. It is believed that water from the Ramkund
Lake situated above the cave, falls drop by drop on the holy Shiva Lingam.
Legend Has It
Legend has it that here on a Shravan day, Lord Shiva narrated
'Amar
Katha' — the secrets of the cosmos — to his consort Goddess Parvati,
the beautiful daughter of the Himalayas. As Parvati fell asleep during the discourse,
two pigeons heard Lord Shiva's story and attained immortality. Since then the
holy place came to be known as Amarnath, and every year on the full moon day
of Shravan, a pair of pigeons is seen inside the cave.
Truly a Pilgrim’s Paradise
The Amarnath Yatra, they say, leaves a profound impact of spiritual exaltation
on the minds of the pilgrims, who stride through an exceedingly enchanting and
enthralling route "upward" to meet the shining glory and greatness
of God. Swami Vivekananda recounting his Amarnath experience said, "I have
never been to anything so beautiful, so inspiring."
