AMARNATH YATRA Location : On A Height of 3888 mts Mythology : The Sacred 'Lingam' of Lord Shiva Destination : 46 km From Pahalgam And 117 From Srinagar The Route : Through Pahalgam, Through Baltal

Amarnath Yatra – The Walk To The Holy Abode

Srinagar

Pahalgam

Vaishno Devi

The reverence of Lord Shiva – the purifier of good and the destroyer of evil, has been evident since the time Rigveda was written. Shiva is a living God, who can be found mentioned in the verses of the holy books as well. The Amarnath Cave in Kashmir has a special significance. According to the legends, this cave was chosen by Shiva aka 'Bhole Shankar', who here, revealed to Maa Parvati, the secrets to immorality and the creation of the world. However, a pair of mating pigeons overheard their conversation, and they too became immortal. Thus, they are born again and again and many tourist claim to have seen them on their journey to the shrine.

The Discovery of The Sacred Cave

The mythology behind the discovery of this cave is very interesting. It was believed that a 'Sadhu' gave a Gujaar shepherd, Buta Mailk, a sack full of coal. When the shepherd went back and opened the sack, he found that it was filled with gold coins. He rushed back to thank the 'Sadhu', but instead found the holy cave and the sacred 'Lingam'. He propagated this incident among the villagers and since then, this cave as regarded as the holy shrine of Lord Shiva.

The Route To Amarnath

There are two ways that can lead you to to the holy cave. One is through Pahalgam and the other is through Baltal.

Pahalgam

Amarnath, situated at 3888 mts and 46 km away from Pahalgam and 117 km from Srinagar, is positioned in a narrow gorge, at the end of Lidder valley. Though the route for the pilgrimage originally was from Srinagar, but however, now people take a shorter route via Chandanwari. The only way to reach the top is through trekking, and the trek from Chandanwari to the cave is of venerable importance. The trek will pass striking areas of the God's country and on the way you will come across Sheshnag, a mountain that has seven peaks, resembling the head of the mythological snake. The glaciers and lakes overlooking this mountain is breathtakingly beautiful. The trek to Mahagunas Pass at 4600 mtr is a 12 km route which then pitch down to the grasslands of Panchtarni, which is the last camp en routing the cave.

Since there is a long braid of people aspiring to visit the cave, so it is important that you leave early. The distance from Panchtarni to Amarnath is 6 km, so an early start is recommended. It it possible to return to Panhtarni by lunch time, after the 'darshan', and by night can reach Sheshnag. This journey to the holy shrine is fruitful for those who have immense faith in their hearts.

Baltal

For all those who do not want to travel with the crowd, there is a comparatively desolate area which will take you to Amarnath through Sonamarg via Baltal. Baltal, lies 15 km futher from Sonamarg an is a very delectable village, lying in the foothills of Zojila Pass. One needs to be cautious while trekking on this route because the route from here is very steep. The scared shrine is just a day away from here and various tea stalls as well as Langars ( community kitchens) are available at Brarimarg and Sangam top and Domail. At sangam top the road meets Pahalgam route. The routes through Baltal are very steep and tends to become very slippery during the monsoons. You can even enjoy the journey on a pony and potters, available at the government approved rates.