Amarnath
Temple, Jammu and Kashmir
Amarnath Temple is a Hindu Cave
shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir, India. The cave is situated at an altitude of
3,888 m (12,756 ft) at about 141 Kms from Srinagar,
the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and reached through Pahalgam
town. The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism and
is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism. The cave is
surrounded by snowy mountains. The cave itself is covered with snow most of the
year except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims.
Hundreds of thousands of Hindu
devotees make an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave across challenging
mountainous terrain. The temple is only accessible for a short duration during
the year in the month of July to August, when the ice Lingam is formed.The
Amarnath temple is one of 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, or Grand Shakti
Peethas, highly revered temples throughout South
Asia that commemorate the location of fallen body parts of the Hindu
deity Sati.
Legends
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History
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The Lingam
Amarnath cave is located at an altitude
of 13,500 feet. The length of the Amarnath cave (inward depth) is 19 meters and
the width is 16 meters. This cave is spread over an area of
approximately 150 feet and is about 11 meters high. A stalagmite
is formed due to freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave on
to the floor and grows up vertically from the cave floor. It is considered
to be a Shiva
Linga by Hindus. The Lingam waxes during May to August, as snow
melts in the Himalayas above the cave and the resultant water seeps into the
rocks that form the cave and gradually wanes thereafter.
As per religious beliefs, it has
been claimed that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon
reaching its height during the summer festival, although there is no scientific
evidence for this belief. The cave also has two more ice lingams, each
one representing Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha. The lingam here is
called Swayambhu lingam as it is said to have appeared here on its own.
Amarnath Yatra
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