Amarnath Tour & Travel Guide

Shiva’s Abode … Devotees Destination to Salvation

Abode of Lord Shiva, the Amarnath Cave is the most revered shrine for Shiv Bhakts. Located in Jammu and Kashmir, this cave temple is at a distance of 141 km from Srinagar and at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft.) above mean sea level. Surrounded by snowy mountains & glaciers the temple is a tough destination to reach. The cave itself is blanketed with snow almost the entire year except a couple of weeks in mid-summer when it is open for darshan. Thousands of Shiv bhakts trek to the Amarnath cave on challenging mountainous terrain for the most sought after darshan of the Shiv Lingam.

Inside the 130 foot high Amarnath ji cave, a stalagmite is formed as the freezing of water drops from the roof to the floor and this rises vertically from the cave floor forming the Amarnath Ji Shiv Lingam. Ancient Hindu texts and Puranas mentioned that Lingam represents Lord Shiva, thus follows the belief. Religious beliefs also claim that the lingam grows and also dwindles with the phases of the moon. It reaches its height during the summer and also the accumulated snow outside melt making the path to pay obeisance.

Hindus believe that this is the cave where Lord Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort, Parvati. Pilgrims & Shiv Devotees visit this toughest terrain temple in search of solace.

There are two routes for this holy Amarnath Yatra, one begins from Chandanwadi, around 16kms from Pahalgam and the route is via Pissu, Sheshnag and Panchtarni and concludes at the Amarnath Mountain. The other route from Jammu covers Udhampur, Patnitop, Kud, Ramban, Banihal, QaziGund, Anantnag, Srinagar, Baltal and the journey concludes at the holy cave. The terrains are rough, weather cold & chilling but the will power & enthusiasm of devotees are strong to overcome these. The nearest railway station is Jammu to reach Amarnath Cave. One can hire cabs to reach either Baltal or Pahalgam from Jammu. Start the yatra from Baltal and it will take 1-2 days by trek of 15 km to reach Amarnath. However, the Pahalgam route is longer, around 40+ km and takes around 3-5 days. Even helicopter services are available from Pahalgam and Baltal up to Panchtarni. The extreme and unpredictable weather condition is the prime challenge for devotees. Shortage of oxygen, chilling wind, untimely rains and tough terrains pose threats. Nevertheless, the ardent believe, strong will power and deep rooted wish to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva, makes every Shiv Bhakt cross these hurdles. There are provision of restrooms, tents, eateries / bhandaras, medical assistance and emergency assistance made possible by shrine committee, Indian Army and local vendors for pilgrim convenience.