Amarnath Temple

Pahalgam, Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, India

God

Lord Shiva is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Here deity is in form of Ice Lingam. This lingam is made naturally of a stalagmite of ice which awakes and weakens with the moon.

Interesting Facts

This is the place where the throat of the Goddess fell and it is one among the 51 Shakti Peethas.
On the full moon day, the Lord Shiva linga is about 6 ft high.
The cave itself is covered with snow most of the year except for a short period of time in summer, it open for pilgrims from June to August.

Best Season To Visit

The best season to visit the temple is Summer season. The best months to visit are May to June and September to October.

Weather

Highest - April to June (21°C during day and 19°C during night)Average - May (24°C during the day and 20°C during night)Lowest - December to February (14°C during day and 8°C during night)Monsoon season - August to October

Dress Code

For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.

Do's & Dont's

Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.

Smoking and drinking is prohibited in this temple.
Chewing betel leaves, tobacco, gutka and spitting inside temple is strictly prohibited.

transport connections

Name	Distance	Contact Number
Amarnath Bus Station	1 KM	044-24795505
Jammu Railway Station	178 KM	139
Srinagar International Airport	94 KM	0194-2303311

Railway Station Name	Distance	Contact Number
Jammu Railway Station	178 KM	139

Airport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Srinagar International Airport	94 KM	0194-2303311

Architecture

Amarnath is located in a glacial valley at 4,175 m which is about 13,700 ft above mean sea-level and cave is about 150 feet high and 90 feet long. Inside the 40 m (130 ft) high Amarnath cave, 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. The Amarnath Cave has a special significance in the Hindu religion. As per legend, Lord Shiva had chosen this cave to describe the secrets of immortality and formation of the universe to Maa Parvati.

Discovery of Holy Cave - According to legend, Bhrigu Muni was the first to have discovered Amarnath. Long time ago it is believed that The Valley of Kashmir was submerged under water and Kashyap Muni drained it through a series of rivers and rivulets. Therefore, when the waters drained, Bhrigu Muni was the first to have Darshan of Lord Amarnath. Thereafter, when people heard of the Lingam, it became an abode of Lord Bholenath for all believers and a pilgrimage which is done by lakhs of people each year.[9] According to the researchers and as per the belief of locals gadaria community were the first to discover the Amaranth cave and saw the first glimpse of Baba Barfani. François Bernier, a French physician accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in 1663. In his book "Travels in Mughal Empire" he writes while giving an account the places he visited in Kashmir that he was "pursuing journey to a grotto full of wonderful congelations, two days journey from Sangsafed" when he "received intelligence that my Nawab felt very impatient and uneasy on account of my long absence". The "grotto" he refers to is obviously the Amarnath cave as the editor of the second edition of the English translation of the book, Vincient A. Smith makes clear in his introduction. He writes: "The grotto full of wonderful congelations is the Amarnath cave, where blocks of ice, stalagmites formed by dripping water from the roof are worshipped by many Hindus who resort here as images of Shiva".

Religious Significance

Once Maa Parvati asked Lord Shiva that when He started wearing the beads of heads. On this, Lord Shiva replied whenever you were born. Maa Parvati asked – why are you immortal and I keep on dying again and again? Lord Shiva said that this is due to the Amar Katha. Maa Parvati insisted to hear that Amar Katha and after convincing Lord for a long time, Lord Shiva decided to narrate that story to Maa Parvati. To narrate the story, Lord Shiva started looking for an absolutely lonely place so that no living being can hear that Amar Katha except for Maa Parvati. He finally found the Amarnath Cave. To reach there, He left all his belonging on the way like His bull Nandi at Pahalgam, His Moon at Chandanwari, His snakes at the banks of Lake Sheshnag, His son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat and at Panjtarni, He left his Five Elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Sky).

While going to it Lord Shiva left His Nandi (The Bull which He used to ride) at Pahalgam (Bail gaon). At Chandanwari the Lord released Moon from his hairs (Jataon) and at banks of Lake Sheshnag Lord Shiva released the snakes. Lord Shiva decided to leave his Son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat (Mahaganesh Hill). Then At Panjtarni, Lord Shivji left the Five Elements behind (Earth , Water, Air , Fire and Sky) which make living being. It has been believed that as a for sacrificing the earthly world, Shivaji and Maa Parvati did the Tandav Dance. After leaving behind all such things Bhole Shankar had entered the Holy Amarnath Cave along with Parvati Maa. Then Lord Shiva took his Samadhi on the Deer Skin and concentrated to ensure that no living being is able to hear the Immortal Tale. Shivji then created Rudra named Kalagni and ordered him to spread fire to eliminate every living thing in and around the Holy Cave. After all these preparations he started narrating the secret of immortality to Maa Parvati. But as the matter of chance one egg which was lying beneath the Deer skin remained protected. It is believed to be non living and more over it was protected by Shiva -Parvati Asan (Bed). The pair of pigeons which were born out of this egg became immortal having listened the secret of immortality (Amar Katha).

History

The 40 feet high Amarnath Cave Temple is said to have been built in the 11th century by the queen Suryamadhi. According to Hindu mythology, the temple of Amarnath is about 5000 years old.

Temple Timings

Day	Timings
All Days	06:00 AM - 07:00 PM

Tours

Airports

Airport Name	Distance
Shamshabad	40 KM
Lorem Ipsum	12 KM

Railway Stations

Railway Station Name	Distance
Secunderabad	10 KM
Nampally	12 KM
Begumpet	6 KM
Lingampally	20 KM

Bus Stations

Bus Station Name	Distance
MGBS	35 KM
CBS	28 KM
kukatpally	20 KM
Lingampally	30 KM
Uppal	35 KM

Private Transports

Transport Name	Distance	Contact Number
Private Transport	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757
Private Transport1	8 KM	9546858757