The month of sravan Purnima is auspicious for the people of North India because it is during this month that they undertake pilgrimage to various temples. Thousands of devotees make an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave temple on challenging mountainous terrain to see an ice stalagmite formed inside the cave.
In the southern Himalayas, where the Amarnath shrine (Lord Siva) is located, the pilgrimage takes place for a period of 43 days, from June end to August 10. This year the journey, Shri Amarnath Yatra 2015, will be for 59 days, commencing from July 2, on the day of Purshotam Purnima, and concludes on August 29, the day of Sravan Prunima.
There are various groups that are organising such piligrim trips to this place. We, a group of devotees from Chennai, visited the Amarnath shrine recently. The yatra, organised by Sri Gaudiya Math, Chennai, included a visit to Haridwar, Kurukshetra, Vaishnodevi, Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh and a few other temples.
Baltal, the base camp, is the shortest route to the Amarnath shrine, which is located at an altitude of over 13,250 ft. above sea level. There were nearly 20 bangars (food stalls) that provided food and shelter, free of cost. The Siva Seva Mandal, where we stayed, provided one of the finest services to the yatris.
The modes of transport to the shrine included the godas (horses) Phalki (palanquin) and the Helicopter. The horses were the main source of transport, while the other two were used occasionally. Those who were not able to afford the services trekked the entire distance of 32 km (up and down) by foot. The rates for the services have been fixed by the Government. Yet there was tough bargaining and haggling over the cost.
We began our journey on a sunny day and with much difficulty we had to navigate our routes that were too steep at certain places. Also, there were many hardships during the journey such as – the route wore a deserted look without any shelter from the uncertain weather conditions, lack of water facility but for a couple of tea stalls in the entire stretch nor are there boundaries to protect vehicles from mishaps at most of the sharp turns on the hills. The shrine, situated in a cave of about 15 ft. high, has an ice lingam, which is nearly 7 ft tall.
According to a legend, Goddess Parvati requested Lord Siva to show her the high altitude where one could meditate and pray for the liberation of the soul. In their pursuit to find the right place, Siva went inside a cave to do penance. Not finding Siva, the Goddess went in search of Him and ultimately found the Lord inside a cave in the form of an Ice lingam.
There are three caves, each of which houses an Ice-lingam. The first one is the ice lingam and the other two are believed to represent Parvati and Ganesha. A pair of doves, which happened to overhear the Lord’s sermon, remained thereand kept flying around the cave. This can be seen even today.
Notwithstanding the myths and misconception about the yatra the whole exercise is a highly spiritual one which can only be experienced.
Registration procedure
Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) manages the Amarnath cave shrine in the Himalayas. To visit this place, the registration has to be made well ahead of the yatra. Enrolments are on the first-come-first-served basis.
Every year, the sub-committee of SASB will guide the Board regarding the exact scheduling of the yatra taking into consideration the weather conditions and clearing the snow on the trek.
“The registration, for the annual Amarnath Yatra via the Baltal and Chandanwari routes, has commenced through 430 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank and Yes Bank all over the country,” Rakesh Kumar Gupta, chief executive officer of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, said.
This year’s 59-day yatra shall commence simultaneously on both the routes from July 2. The registration procedure is available on the Board’s website: www.shriamarnathjishrine.com .
The CEO said, “The pilgrims must furnish health certificate, the format for which is available on their website. Expectant mothers and those who are under 13 or above 75 years of age are not allowed.”
