Amarnath pilgrimages is the oldest organized travel
system, evolved over time by Hindu sages and embodying
the spirit of wander, adventure and spirituality. One of
the holy trinity, Shiva is a living god. The most
ancient and sacred 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.
Shiva is known to have made his home in the Himalayas.
He built no house nor shelter, not for himself or his
bride. He was an ascetic, and yet married; he could be
both for "he was the wild god sporting in the forest or
taking his ease on a cloud."
Legend has it that Shiva recounted to Parvati the secret
of creation in the Amarnathji cave. Unknown to them, a
pair of mating pigeons eavesdropped on this conversation
and having learned the secret, are reborn again and
again, and have made the cave their eternal abode. Many
pilgrims report seeing the pigeons-pair when they trek
the arduous route to pay obeisance before the ice-lingam
(the phallic symbol of Shiva).
Amarnath
Yatra Trekking from Pahalgam
Amarnath
Yatra -Trekking from Sonamarg
The trek to Amarnathji, in the month of Shravan (July -
August) has the devout flock to this incredible shrine,
where the image of Shiva, in the form of a lingam, is
formed naturally of an ice - stalagmite, and which waxes
and wanes with the moon. By its side are, fascinatingly,
two more ice - lingams, that of Parvati and of their
son, Ganesha.
According to an ancient tale, there
was once a Muslim
shepherd named Buta Malik who was given a sack of coal
by a sadhu. Upon reaching home he discovered that the
sack, in fact, contained gold. Overjoyed and overcome,
Buta Malik rushed back to look for the sadhu and thank
him, but on the spot of their meeting discovered a cave,
and eventually this became a place of pilgrimage for all
believers. To date, a percentage of the donations made
by pilgrims are given to the descendants of Malik, and
the remaining to the trust which manages the shrine.
Yet another legend has it that when Kashap Reshi drained
the Kashmir valley of water (it was believed to have
been a vast lake), the cave and the lingam were
discovered by Bregish Reshi who was travelling the
Himalayas. When people heard of the lingam, Amarnathji
for them became Shiva's abode and a centre of
pilgrimage.
Whatever the legends and the history of Amarnathji's
discovery, it is today a very important centre of
pilgrimage and though the route is as difficult to
negotiate as it is exciting, every year, thousands of
devotees come to pay homage before Shiva in one of his
famous Himalayan abodes.
Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder
valley, Amarnathji stands at 3,888 m and is 45 km from
Pahalgam and 141 km from Srinagar. Though the original
pilgrimage subscribes that the yatra be undertaken from
Srinagar, the more common practice is to begin the
journey from Pahalgam, and cover the distance to
Amarnathji and back in four or five days. Pahalgam is 96
km from Srinagar. |