Amarnath Temple

Amarnath Temple is a Hindu shrine located in the Pahalgam tehsil of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a cave situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), about 72 km from Anantnag, the district headquarters, 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, accessible via either Sonamarg or Pahalgam The cave, located in the Sind Valley, is surrounded by glaciers and snow-covered mountains and remains inaccesssible for most of the year, opening to pilgrims only for a brief period in summer. In 1989, pilgrims numbered between 12,000 and 30,000. In 2011, the number reached a peak of over 6.3 lakh (630,000). In 2018, it stood at 2.85 lakh (285,000). The annual pilgrimage season varies between 20 and 60 days. The Amarnath cave, abode of the Mahamaya Shakti Pitha, is one of the 51 Shakti Pithas, the temples of the Indian subcontinent that commemorate the supposed location of the fallen body parts of the Hindu deity Sati.

The lingam (an aniconic representation of Shiva) at the shrine is believed to be svayambhu (self-manifested). The lingam is a natural stalagmite formation inside a 40 m (130 ft) tall cave at an elevation of 3,888 m (12,756 ft) on the Amarnath Mountain, which has a peak of 5,186 metres (17,014 ft). The stalagmite is formed due to the freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave onto the floor, resulting in an upward growth of an ice formation. The stalagmite, regarded as a physical manifestation of Shiva, forms a solid dome shape. Two smaller stalagmites are thought to represent his consort Parvati and son Ganesha. The lingam waxes during May to August, as snow melts in the Himalayas above the cave, and water seeps into the rocks of the cave; thereafter, the lingam gradually wanes. Religious beliefs hold that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer festival. Hindus believe this is the place where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to Parvati. Lidder Valley, where the cave is located, has a number of glaciers. In 2009, glaciologist M. N. Koul, the former head of the geography department at the University of Jammu, said that while more scientific studies were needed, contributors to change in lingam size could include changes in the water's pathways to the lingam. The cave is made of limestone and gypsum. Heat generated by tourists affects the size of the stalagmite. Outside temperature changes also affect their size. To minimize artificially induced temperature changes, helicopter trips and helipad sites are regulated. There has been talk of artificially extending the life of the stalagmites; this was met with objections.

The cave temple and pilgrimage are mentioned in several ancient Sanskrit texts, including the c.6th–7th century Nilamata Purana and the 12th century chronicle Rajatarangini of Kalhana, which refer to them as Amareshvara and Amareshvara yatra. The Rajatarangini also mentions the Sheshnag Lake, which it describes as falling on the yatra route. It is believed that in the 11th century CE, Queen Suryamati gifted trishulas, banalingas and other sacred emblems to this temple.

The cave and the lingam find mention in Abu'l Fazl's 16th century work Ain-i-Akbari. According to him, the site attracted many pilgrims. He describes the waxing and waning of the lingam according to the seasons and the moon. Between Great Tibet [i.e. Ladakh] and the above-mentioned parganah [Dachchhinpārah, in the Lidder Valley] is a cave in which is an image in ice called Amar Nāt. ... They believe it to be the image of Mahādeva and regard it as a means (through supplication) of the fulment of their desires. ... The snows of this mountainous tract nowhere melt, and from the extreme cold, the straitness of the

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