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The name Amarnath consists of two segments with ‘Amar’ meaning immortal and ‘Nath’ meaning the Lord. The name ensues from the mythological background that it was in this cave that the immortal Lord revealed the secrets of immortality and creation to Mother Parvati

It is one of the most famed pilgrim destinations for the Hindus located in Jammu and Kashmir. this cave of  lord shiva also known as “ THE ABODE OF IMMORTALITY.“

This Amarnath Yatra is a long and arduous journey to the Amarnath cave situated in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The shrine is situated at a height of 3,888 m in the Himalayas. Every year thousands of pilgrims scale the height to worship the Shiva linga made of ice.

With a very long history stretching back to times immemorial, the cave attracts millions year on year during the season stretching over just four months from May to August.Amarnath Cave is located at an altitude of 3,888 metres (12,756 ft) and the route to the cave from Srinagar extends over 141 kms through the town of Pahalgam.

LOCATION OF TEMPLE

Amarnath temple is located in Kashmir, 145 km east of Srinagar and the trek begins on the panchami day of the bright half of the month at Srinagar. The first halt of the trek is at Pampur which is nine miles away from Srinagar in the South East direction. The next stop is at Brijbihara, Avantipur and Martand which is famous for its great ancient temple dedicated to God Sun. Other subsequent halts in the way are Aishmukam and Pahalgam. Pahalgam is reached on the day of Dasami and is the confluence of rivers Liddar and Seshnag. The next halt is Chandanwadi and Pishu Ghati. Pishu Ghati is believed to be the place where demons were killed by Gods. Moving further up, at a height of 12000 feet, there is Seshanag lake from where Seshanag River flows. After that, at a height of 14000 feet there is Mahagunus paas, which slopes down leading to Panchatarni. And finally on the full Moon day the Amarnath cave is reached.

SIGNIFICANCE OF AMARNATH CAVE

   

Though, he is called by people and some great sages by many names, there is only one being as per the Rigvedic verses. The scriptures have a famous verse, “Ekam Sat”, which means there is only one truth. The Parmeshwar has believed to have taken up the affairs of the world in three forms which is called as Holy Trinity. According to the Rigveda, Shiva is considered as the deity who is the purifier of Good and destroyer of evil. Lord Shiva is believed to be a living God, whose presence has been testified from the astronomy, Vedic myths and even some rituals. Findings from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro verify that, Lords Shiva was a much revered deity of ancient India.

The Amarnath cave has a special significance associated with Lord Shiva. It is said that, Shiva narrated the story of the creation of the universe and the secret of immortality to his companion Parvati, here in this cave.

The History OF Discovery

According to folklore, the cave was discovered by a shepherd named Buta Malik about approx 150 years ago who was a Muslim, in 1850. As he had been grazing his cattle in the mountain when a Sufi saint gave him a bag of coal, which turned out to be gold later. He went back to thank the saint but found the cave and the Shiva Linga. After that, people started considering it a sacred place of pilgrimage.And even today his family receives some part of the alms offered by pilgrims.

Another story revels that Once the region was exposed, the cave of Amarnath became conspicuous. Bhrigu Rishi was on his way to the Himalayas through this terrain when he spotted the Amarnath Cave with the sacred lingam. Since then, Amarnath started inviting multitudes of pilgrims to its portals.

STORY BEHIND THE SCENE

Scriptures say that, once upon a time, Maa Parvati curiously asked Lord Shiva, the reason that made him to wear Mund Mala or beads of head, upon which he replied that, beloved every time you are born, I wear a new head and add it to my Mund mala. This perplexed Parvati and she asked Lord Shiva, why it is that he is all immortal and she die every time, and her body gets destroyed? Lord Shiva then replied to Parvati, this happens because of the Amar Katha. Upon continuous demand from Maa parvati, he chose a secluded place (so that no one else would be able to listen to the story), to narrate to her the secret of the story of the creation of the world and the most suitable place he found was Amarnath cave.

For the same, he left his bull Nandi at Pahalgam, on which he made his rides, at Chandanwari he left Moon taking it out of his hair, at the bank of Sheshnag he left his snake. He also left his son Ganesha at the Mahagunas Parvat and at Panjtarni he left behind all the five elements that is air, water, earth, sky and fire which are believed to be the building blocks of human beings. Lord Shiva and Parvati also performed Tandav dance as a symbol of sacrificing the earth and reached to the Almarnath cave to carry on their narrative. Lord Shiva then sat on Samadhi on to the skin of the deer and went into concentrating. In order to make sure that no living being could listen to the story he created Rudra whom he names Kalagni. Shiva asked Rudra to fire up the cave so as to eliminate every trace of a living being. He then started off with narrating the story of the world to Parvati. Inadvertently, an egg which was lying beneath the skin of the deer, got protected and it is believed that the pair of pigeons which were born out of this egg became immortal having listened to the story of the Amar Katha. At various occasions’ people, while trekking the arduous route have seen the pair of pigeons.

ANOTHER PART OF STORY states that  –

As Lord shiva danced around with the burnt corpse of Mata Sati and Lord Vishnu used his Sudarshan Chakra on the body, Devi Adi Shakti’s throat is said to have fallen atop Amarnath Cave, located in Jammu and Kashmir. A shrine was erected to preserve and worship this part of the Mother which later came to be known as the Amarnath Temple.

The form of Mata Parvati that is worshipped in Amarnath is that of Devi Mahamaya, and the form of Shiva that is said to protect the throat of his wife is Trisandhyeshwar. According to mythology, Lord shiva had appointed Trisandhyeshwar to safeguard Sati’s throat from evil forces and from the vagaries of nature. Today, Amarnath is one of the most famous Hindu religious sites in the world and also an important element of Kashmir Tourism. Among the beautiful valleys of Kashmir, lies a myth that can transform and is transformed by history into an inseparable part of spiritual devotion

VISIT TIME

The holy visit to the temple is made in the month from July to August in Sawan (as according to one of the hindi month in india). This is the time of the year when the devotees of Lord Shiva flock to this incredible pilgrimage to get a glimpse of the Shiva Lingam which is formed naturally from ice which gradually waxes. Alongside the Shiva Lingam are also two ice lingams of Parvati and Ganesha.

Amarnath Yatra Route

Devotees visit Amarnath Cave close to the festival of Shravani Mela that is held between July-August.

From Pahalgam – A traditional route
To reach Amarnath Cave, one has to reach Pahalgam either from Jammu (315 Km) or from Srinagar (96km). Take a bus or taxi from Jammu to reach Pahalgam or reach Srinagar by air and from there take a car, bus or taxi. From Pahalgam, devotees have to reach Chandanwari (16 km)and this distance can also be covered by using road transport. Pilgrims can either camp at Pahalgam or Chandanwari.

From Chandanwari, pilgrims climb the height to reach Pissu Top that is believed to be formed by the dead bodies of Rakshas who were killed by Lord Shiva.

To reach at Sheshnag, pilgrims follow a steep incline. The entire route has untouched wild scenery with cascading stream on one side. The place got its name from the Seven Peaks. The shape of the peaks resemble that of the head of the mythical snake.

From Sheshnag one has to cover the steep height of 4.6 km to reach Panchtarni. This is the last camp to the Holy Amarnath Cave. Cold winds might lead to cracks on skin. Also at such an altitude one feels short of oxygen.

From Panchtarni, the Amarnath Cave is located at a distance of just 6 km. As there is no place to stay, so pilgrims have to start their journey early in the morning so that you can come back to the base camp on time. The entire route is very beautiful.

From Baltal – A new route
There is another route to Amarnath cave from Baltal that is located at 14 km from the Amarnath caves. The distance of Baltal from Jammu is 400 km that can be covered by taxi or bus. From there, pilgrims can either take ponies or travel by foot to cover the route from Baltal to Amarnath. Though this route is much narrower and steeper than from Pahalgam, it can be completed in one day with Baltal as base camp. If you want to complete the journey in one day then you can hire a helicopter from Pahalgam to Panchtarni.

SOME USEFUL TIPS

It is highly likely that a person who is planning a trip to the pilgrimage should need to do some preparations beforehand. Since the trek involves a lot of physical exhortation, it is needed to improve the breathing and enhance the physical fitness. Before few days of the actual date of the yatra, accustom yourself to 4-5 Kms of morning walk. And take bath in Luke warm water only after having massage with mustard oil so as to avoid fatigue during the trek.

HELPFUL ADVICES

The journey is not at all easy and people with some physical disability or kids and even the elderly people are advised not to take on the journey. On the way to the Amaranath Yatra, for the convenience of the visitors the local people have organised tents which can be hired for taking rest. One should carry with themselves high calorie food and chocolates along, so as to be protected against cold and get adequate supply of energy.

It’s only the faith and the devotion towards God that makes this journey possible, else it’s neither comfortable nor easy!!

@manishanandan