Amar Nath Cave, Kashmir

Amar Nath Cave, Kashmir

The history of the Amarnath cave shrine is rooted in both ancient texts and local traditions. Its earliest mention is found in the Nilamata Purana, a text that describes the religious life of the people of Kashmir. Other references appear in texts such as the Bhrigu Samhita (“Compendium of Bhrigu”), an astrological treatise attributed to the sage Bhrigu, and the Amarnath Mahatmya. The 12th-century chronicle Rajatarangini (Sanskrit: “River of Kings”), by the historian Kalhana, records that Sandimati, a ruler of Kashmir (34–17 BCE), visited the ice lingam.

A reference to the Amarnath cave appears in the 17th-century travelogue Travels in the Mogul Empire by French physician François Bernier. Recounting his 1664 trip with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Bernier described a “grotto full of wonderful congelations”—referring to the ice formations—in the Kashmir mountains, now identified as the Amarnath cave.

Folklore from Kashmir recounts the cave’s discovery by a shepherd named Buta Malik. According to legend, a sage gave Malik a sack of coal, which turned into gold when the shepherd reached home. Malik went back to thank the sage but found only the sacred cave housing the naturally formed ice lingam. He shared his discovery with villagers, transforming the cave into a pilgrimage site.

…

"The same ice that witnessed kings of old
Now meets the gaze of pilgrims bold—
A thousand years may come and pass,
Yet still the lingam holds its glass:
Eternal mirror to man's quest,
Where past and present merge, then rest."

Amarnath Temple has a limestone cave entrance, measuring approximately 120 feet (36 meters) wide and 75 feet (23 meters) high, sloping down about 80 feet (24 meters) into the mountain. The lingam forms from water droplets that drip from the cave ceiling and then freeze. Because the lingam is made of ice, devotees refer to it as Baba Barfani (Hindi: “Lord of Ice”). Its size gradually increases from May to August and is traditionally believed to wax and wane with the lunar phases, reaching its peak on the full-moon day in the Hindu calendar month of Shravana (July–August). Two smaller ice formations represent Parvati and lord Ganesha.

The Amarnath yatra

Pilgrims make their way along a high-altitude Himalayan trail, devotees trek toward the Amarnath cave during the annual yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.

The most well-known origin story of the Amarnath pilgrimage is found in the Sanskrit text Bringesha Samhita. It recounts how sage Bringesha taught his disciples the significance of the Amarnath cave and guided them to visit the lingam. As the pilgrims faced threats from rakshasas (demons), Bringesha prayed to Shiva, who gifted him a silver mace for protection. This mace—later known as the Chhari Mubarak—has remained central to the yatra, which culminates annually during the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan, observed on the full moon of August. The event is marked by a ceremonial procession of the mace to the cave, led by its custodian and accompanied by sadhus (ascetics) and devotees chanting mantras to Shiva—who is often addressed as Bhole—such as “bam bam Bhole” (“Hail Bhole!”).

Pilgrims use two primary routes to the temple: a 28-mile (45-km) trek from Pahalgam or a 9-mile (14-km) route from Baltal. Though the terrain is challenging and the altitude demanding, improvements—such as drivable roads, medical facilities, and, in some years, helicopter services—have made the pilgrimage safer. Horses, ponies, mules, and palanquins are often used by pilgrims to reach the temple. To ensure safety and effective crowd management, all pilgrims have to register with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, adhere to safety guidelines, and carry radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags for tracking and security.