Shiva in Amarnath Cave in Himalayas

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6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of

Lidder Valley, Amarnath stands at 3,888 m. and is 46 Km. From Pahalgam and 141

Km. from Srinagar. Though the original pilgrimages s that the yatra be

undertaken from Srinagar, the more common practice is to begin journey at

Chandanwari, and cover the distance to Amarnath and back in five days. Pahalgam

is 96 Km. Srinagar. Amarnath is considered to be one of the major Hindu Dhams.

The holy cave is the abode of the holy trinity, Lord Shiva. The guardian of

the absolute, Lord Shiva, the destroyer, is enshrined in the form of an

ice-lingam in this cave located at farther end of the Lidder Valley. This lingam

is formed naturally of an ice stalagmite which wakes up and wanes with the moon.

THE YATRA The trek to Amarnath begins at Srinagar on the panchami day of the

bright half of the month. The next halt enroute is Pampur, 9 miles south east

of Srinagar. Subsequent halts are at Avantipur, Brijbihara and Martand. Martand

is known for its ancient temple dedicated to the Sun God - now in ruins. Enroute

to Martand are Anant Nag and Gautam Nag. Martand is known as the architectural

lion of Kashmir. It is a temple with a colonnade of 84 columns full of artistic

work. This temple dates back to

Lalitaditya of Kashmir of the 8th century. The next halt is at Aishmukam, and

the next is Pahalgam, which is reached on the day of Dasami, the tenth day of

the bright half of the month. At Pahalgam is the confluence of the rivers

Seshnag and Liddar. The next stop enroute is Chandanwadi, from where the

confluence of the rivers Asthan Marg and Seshnag. Further up is the Pishu

Ghati, believed to be the site where the demons were crushed by the Gods.

Further up is the Seshnag lake at a height of about 12000 feet above sea level.

The Seshnag river flows out of this lake. The next halt is at Wavjan before the

steep climb to the Mahagunus Pass at a height of 14000 feet, after which there

is a down slope leading to Panchatarni. From here, the Amarnath cave is reached

on the full moon day, and the pilgrimage is

complete. THE MYTH The Amarnath Cave was where Lord Shiva narrated the secret of

immortality, the Amar Katha to his wife Parvati. Shiva hesitated at first but

finally gave in. He wanted to reveal the secret in an isolated place far from

any living being and thus chose the Amarnath Cave. In preparation, Shiva left

his Nandi (the Bull), which he rode at Pahalgam. At Chandanwari, he released

the moon from his hair and on the banks of Lake Sheshnag, he released the

snakes. Son Ganesha was left at Mahagunas Parvat and at Panjtarni, Shiva left

the Five Elements behind - earth, water, air, fire and sky - that make life

possible. As a final precaution, Shiva created Rudra

named Kalagni and ordered him to set afire and eliminate every living thing in

and around the Holy Cave. Finally, Shiva and Parvati entered the Amarnath Cave

where he began meditating on a deerskin. He then narrated the Amar Katha to

Parvati. Unknown to them, a pair of mating doves eavesdropped on this

conversation and learned the secret. Reborn again and again, they have made the

cave their eternal abode. Today, pilgrims claim seeing the pair of doves when

they trek the arduous route to pay their obeisance at Shivalinga formed

naturally of an ice stalagmite. THE LEGEND The story narrated by people about

the discovery of this Holy Cave is of a Gujjar ( shepherd) Buta Malik . He is

given the credit of discovering this Holy Cave . Story goes like this , that a

saint gave Buta Malik a bag full of Coal. On reaching his home when he opened

the bag , to his utter surprise the bag was full of gold coins . This made him

overwhelmed with joy. He ran to thank the Saint . But, what he found was that

the Saint had disappeared . Instead , he found The Holy Cave and Shiv Lingam

there in . He announced the discovery of this to the Villagers. Then onwards

this has become the sacred place of Pilgrimage . The ancient epics narrate an

other story which goes like this. The valley of Kashmir was under water .It was

a big lake. Kashyap Rishi drained the water through number of rivers and

rivulets . In those days Bhrigu Rishi came

that way on a visit to The Himalyas. He was the first to have Darshans of this

Holy Cave . When people heard of the Lingam, Amarnath for them became Shiva's

abode and a Centre of pilgrimage . Since then Lacs of devotees perform the

pilgrimage through tough terrain and avail eternal happiness. The trek to

Amarnath, in the month of sharavan ( 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, which waxes and wanes with the Moon's cycle . By

its side are fascinating, two more Ice Lingams, that of Maa Parvati and of their

son, Ganesha . CLIMATEThe climatic conditions are very uncertain . Rain or

snowfall may take place at any time or place during

the Yatra . It is to be particularly noted that abrupt changes in temperature

might occur . Sunny weather may turn into rain / snow fall in a short time .

The temperature may fall up to -5 degree C. Amarnath Temple: The Shrine

Built By Nature

Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">To him the heavens had opened. He had touched the feet

of Shiva. He had to hold himself tight, he said afterwards, lest he should

swoon away ... 1 have enjoyed it so much!' he said half an hour afterwards. 1

never enjoyed any religious place so much!' He always said, that the grace of

Amarnath had been granted to him there, not to die rill he himself should give

consent. And to me he said, 'you do not understand. But you have made the

pilgrimage and it will go on working. Causes must bring their effects. You will

understand better afterwards. The effects will come." Do you know who was about

to swoon away inside the cave-temple of Amamath? It was Swami Vivekananda. The

above record is left by Sister Nivedita. Vivekananda felt the living presence

of Lord Shiva in Amarnath and he was also granted a boon. Others might not have

had as great a spiritual experience as Vivekananda, but such is the lure of

Amarnath that year after year, thousands of people pay homage there, despite

the difficulties they encounter on the way. Amarnath is situated in Kashmir, in

the hinterland of rocks and snow, at a height of about 4000 metres. For a

greater part of the year, the region remains shrouded in snow and mystery. From

September to June, nature denies all access to human beings. The mouth of the

cave opens only in August, which happens to be the rainy season in the region.

But pilgrims brave the rain and trek uphill from Pahalgam. The journey takes

them about a week. "Umbrellas are held up not so much to shelter their owners

as to prevent the fires being extinguished and the food being spoilt. Men in

saffron-coloured robes, drenched to the skin, move about or huddle together in

groups," describes a pilgrim. Along the route taken by the pilgrims, flows the

river Dudh Ganga, like a never-ending line of white birds flying and flapping

their wings. Its water is almost milk white. As one reaches Panjtarini, one is

charmed by the sight of five rivers flowing side by side. Mount Kailas and

Mount Vairo stand like sentinels over the serene silence of the region, their

towering presence adding to its majesty. Finally, one stands inside the

eight-metre-high cave temple, deeply moved by the peace that prevails there.

Many feel the presence of a divinity in the atmosphere. It is not a man-made

shrine. It is a cave, a dwelling on earth for the Divine, made by Nature. No

man-made idol is to be seen either. Icicles slowly grow to form the symbol of

Shiva. The symbol increases in size with the waxing of the moon and decreases

with the waning. Pilgrims consider this phenomenon a miracle. It is said that a

shepherded boy once entered this desolate area in search of his lost lamb and

rediscovered the cave that lay forgotten for a long time. He carried the news

to the king

of Kashmir, who hurried to have a look at the place himself, and soon it became

known to the people. It must have been a long, long time ago. We know from the

Rajataragini which is a record of events in Sanskrit verse written in the 12th

century, that pilgrims went to Amamath long before the book was written. But

why is Amamath a sacred place? 'Amarnath' literally means 'Lord of

Immortality'. Legend says that once Parvati asked Shiva, "You are the God of

gods. Can you not find a garland made of anything better then skulls? These

skulls are very precious to me, since they happen to be yours! You have taken

birth and have been my wife many times. Every time you die, your skull is

collected and added

to this garland," answered Shiva. Parvati was amazed. "Why do I die while you

remain immortal ?" she asked. "That is because I know the mysteries that make

one immortal," replied Shiva. "You must disclose those mysteries to me," said

Parvati, and she insisted on knowing them. Shiva looked for a place where no

living creature could be found, for he did not want his narration to be heard

by anyone. He finally selected a cave and sat inside it with Parvati by his

side. He asked his spirit-servants to drive away all the living creatures from

that area. The spirits carried out the order faithfully and with as much

alacrity as they could.

6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Shiva then started narrating the mysteries of

immortality to Parvati. From time to time Parvati said, "Hm." That was the

indication that she listened to him with great attention. Shiva went on for

many hours. When he finished, he realized that Parvati had fallen asleep while

he had been talking. Who then could have kept repeating "Hm"? Shiva suddenly

saw a tiny shuka, a parrot, come out from under the rock on which he sat and

fly away in the twinkle of an eye. Shiva's able servants had driven away all

creatures from the entire area, but it had not occurred to them to look under

the seat of their master. Inside lay an egg. The chick had come out of its

shell while Shiva spoke. It listened to the narration and responded when

Parvati fell asleep.

Now, as the bird flew away, Shiva pursued it. Far away was the hut of Vyasa, the

great sage. In the courtyard of the hut, his wife was sitting and combing her

hair. As she pulled the comb through her hair, her mouth was open for a moment.

The little parrot flew into her mouth. Shiva soon reached there, but could do

nothing. In the womb of Vyasa's wife, the bird was transformed into a human

child. He remained in the womb for 12 years. Finally he came out and was

acknowledged as a great seer. He was called Shukadeva. The cave in which Shiva

revealed the secret of immortality is the

cave of Amarnath, one of the holiest places.

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