The Amarnath of Kashmir

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The Amarnath Cave is famous for the natural formation of Shiva Linga from the snow. A large number of devotees visit the Holy Amarnath Cave from June to August every year. The Amarnath Yatra begins from ChandanWwadi, which is about sixteen kilometres from Pahalgam, via Sheshnag and Panchtarni, and concludes at The Amarnath Cave situated on the Amarnath mountain. Another route is via Baltal and Sonamarg. Amarnath Temple is   of Lord Shiva, and is at a height of 3888 m.

The Cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd of Batakot, Buta Malik, when he lost his flock in the mountains. Francois Bernier, a French physician, accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in 1663. In his book “Travels in Mughal Empire”, while giving an account of the places he visited in Kashmir, he made an important mention of the Amarnath Cave. The great Sikh Guru, Arjan Dev, is said to have granted land in Amritsar for the ceremonial departure of Chari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva which marks the beginning of the Yatra to the Holy Cave . The Amarnath Cave is deeply enshrined in the Kashmiri folklore.