Amarnath cave perched at an elevation of about 3888 meters above the sea level is one of the most sacred shrines of Lord Shiva in the country. Thousands of pilgrims make their journey to Amarnath each year braving the difficulties of the route and the roughness of weather. The cave is located in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir and amid the lofty snow-clad peaks of high Himalayas. This serene, secluded location however bustles with the huge crowd of pilgrims mustering around the cave during the Yatra season. During their journey to Amarnath, pilgrims keep chanting the holy name of Lord Shiva and the entire ambiance resounds to the holy chants thereby reflecting the undying devotion of the pilgrims for Shri Amarnath Ji. There are many unknown and interesting facts about the Amarnath shrine that any pious devotee would be curious to learn. Read below to know more on this-
Amarnath Cave Denotes ‘Immortality’
The cave of Amarnath is believed to have been the place where Lord Shiva had revealed to Goddess Parvati the ‘Amar Katha’ or the secret of his immortality. Thus Amarnath cave turned out to be a shining symbol of immortality that characterizes the supreme power of this universe.
Amaranth Cave Creation Secret
According to mythical tales this cave came into being when a fire ball emitted from lord Shiva’s third eye struck the hill slope to make a deep chasm into it. This chasm later became the famous Amarnath cave shrine in the high Himalayas.
Amarnath is the World’s Most Ancient Cave Shrine
The age of Amarnath cave is believed to date back to some 5000 years and that makes it the most ancient cave shrine in the world. Many ancient texts of the country like Bringish Samhita, Amarnatha Mahatmya, Nilamata Purana, Kalhana’s Rajtarangini bear references of the Amarnath cave which implies that the cave does have an ancient history.
A Muslim Shepherd Had Re-Discovered the Cave
The cave is said to have been re-discovered by Buta Malik, a Muslim shepherd from Batakot. The story says that while moving about with his herd of sheep, the shepherd lost track of his herd. He went searching around for his herd of sheep and while doing so, came across an old saint who handed over a bag full of charcoal to Buta Malik. After returning home with the bag of Charcoal Buta Malik found to his utter surprise that the charcoal had been transformed to gold. He quickly returned to the place where he had left the saint in order to thank him but in place of the saint he found a cave in that spot which later came to be known as the ‘Amarnath cave’.
Science Behind Amarnath Lingam
When water dripping from the roof of the cave reaches the floor, it freezes and with more accumulation of incessantly dripping water, the frozen form grows upward from the floor in the form an ice stalagmite which looks very much like a Shiva lingam. The cave roof has crevasses on it and through those crevasses water from Ramkund Lake located just above Amarnath cave continually seep in and keep trickling down to the floor thereby forming an ice lingam which takes up its full fledged shape on the Shravan poornima day. This is the scientific as well as geographical reason behind the formation of Amarnath ice lingam. This lingam belongs to the category of Swayambhu lingams as it is a self manifested one and grows on its own without any sort of human intervention.
Facts About the Pair of Pigeons Seen at Amarnath
Pilgrims have reported of having seen a pair of pigeons on the course of their Amarnath Yatra and this to some extent authenticates the myth of the mating pigeons who had eavesdropped when Lord Shiva was narrating to Goddess Parvati, the secret of immortality. As a result of overhearing the secret, these pigeons have become immortal and thus pilgrims can often spot them in the cave of Amarnath.
Significance of ‘Panchtarni’ in Vicinity to Amarnath
Panchtarni comes with a special spiritual significance as it is believed that at Panchtarni Lord Shiva had left behind the 5 potent elements of creation or ‘Panch-Tatwa’; i.e. air, water, earth, sky and fire, prior to entering the cave of Amarnath.
Two Routes to Amarnath
There are two routes to Amarnath cave; one via Pahalgam and another via Baltal. Pahalgam is the longer one where a trek of 43kms needs to be undertaken to reach Amarnath cave. From Baltal Amarnath cave is just 11kms as this is the shorter route but the steepness of the route makes journey quite difficult.
Hindu month of Shravan Marks the beginning of Amarnath Yatra
The Yatra season of Amarnath is a short one and is usually around the months of July and August. That period marks the Hindu month of Shravan and on the Shravan Poornima day one can catch sight of the fully grown ice lingam of Sri Amarnath Ji. Also, during this Yatra interestingly enough the weather around remains the most travel-friendly when compared to the rest of the year.
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