Amarnath Yatra
About Amarnath
Amarnath is a cave shrine, situated in the Northern State of Jammu and
Kashmir. Pilgrimage is organised to this holy shrine coinciding with
Sravana Pournima. The Shivalingam at Amarnath is formed of ice and it is
popularly known as ICELINGAM. It is the firm belief and trust of Hindus
that those who are able to visit this shrine will have no re-birth. One
of the holy trinity, Shiva is a living God. The most sacred and most
ancient book of India, the Rig-Veda evokes his presence in its hymns.
Vedic myths, ritual and even astronomy testify to his existence from the
dawn of time. But Shiva, the destroyer, the mendicant, is undefinable:
he is the great yogi, the guardian of the absolute. His actions are the
themes of the myths in which his nature unfolds.
Revered Destination
This is one of the revered pilgrimage sites of India tucked away in the
mighty Himalayas. Open only for a few months during the year, Amarnath
enshrines a natural Shivalingam of ice, and is reached after an arduous
trek through the mountains of Kashmir. Amarnath is an ancient pilgrimage
center. The Amarnath cave is located at a distance of 86 miles north
east of Srinagar, at a height of 13000 feet above sea level. Shiva is
worshipped here in the form of a Shivalinga shaped ice block, made by
drops of water oozing naturally in the cave.
The cave is accessible only during the period of July and August and at
that time a pure-white lingam comes into being, in the caves. It is a
mystic experience to see water droplets trickling slowly from the top of
the caves and freeze into ice when they fall. First a solid base is
formed and then the lingam begins to rise on it. On Purnima it slowly
acquires full form. According to the legends it is on that day, when
Lord Shiva revealed the secrets of life to the beautiful daughter of
Himalayas, Parvati.
Held Annually!
The Amarnath Yatra is organized every year by the Jammu & Kashmir
Government during the month of Sharavan (July & August); the dates
however vary every year looking at the weather conditions and according
to Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) in the month of Sharavan (Vikrama Samvat).
This year Yatra will be taken earlier and will be of 45 days duration.
Getting There
Air: The nearest Airport is away in Badgam Distt. This
Airport is connected with major cities of India.
Rail : The nearest Rail Head is at Jammu which is 300
Kms
Road : National Highway NH1A connects the Kashmir
valley with country. Every sort of transport to suit every budget from
Buses to Taxis ply on this Highway. It Takes around 10 to 12 hours to
cross this mountaineous road which crosses some beautiful spots andthe
famous Jawahar Tunnel linking Kashmir Valley with country.
