Satish Pandit
Amarnath Yatra is the most ancient and revered pilgrimage in Kashmir. Kashmir that is known for Shiv- Shakti worship has many religious shrines and places dedicated to Shiva and Shakti and Amarnath Cave is the most prominent amongst all. The cave has historical back ground as it finds mention in ancient historical and religious scriptures in Kashmir.
There is reference to the holy cave in Kalhana’s Rajtarangini, Valley of Kashmir,Bringesh Samhita, Nilmat Puran, Amrnath Mahatamya etc. The Cave is also referred by famous foreign travelers like Francois Bernier and Vigne in their travelogues. The global ambassador of Hinduism and inspiration of Indian youth, Swami Vivekananda also visited the cave. All such facts underscore divine glory, belief and significance of Amarnath.
There are two legends that make foundation of the significance of the holy cave. One is that Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Ice-Lingam to grant immortality to Devtas. The another is that on the insistence of His consort Mata Parvati, Shiva revealed Amarkatha (tale of immortality) to Her. The pair of pigeons that over heard the tale gained immortality and their vision at the cave is believed to be auspicious. The Ice-Lingam is believed to wax and wane corresponding to waxing and waning of moon. The Lingam is to be believed maximum on Poornmashi and minimum on Amavasya. Keeping in view of being snowbound and the significance of Shravan Poornmashi, people performed Yatra on Poornmashi, trekking long track and having halts on important places- Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni before reaching the holy cave. The holy Mace- Chari Mubarak- is also taken to Amarnath in a religious procession after performing traditional Pooja at different places. Same fact finds mention in “Valley of Kashmir” by Walter Lawrence, the Settlement Commissioner of Kashmir.
He writes “Puranmashi the full moon of Sawan is the day when pilgrims must reach the distant cave of Amarnath & worship the snow-lingam which gradually melts away after puranmashi.” It makes evident that in earlier times, the devotees reached the cave only on Sawan Poornamashi. With increase in rush, people started to perform pilgrimage on Ashard and Sawan Poornamashi and then towards last 3 or 4 days of bright fortnights of the two months but no one performed Darshan in the dark fortnight.
The threat to the Yatra by terrorists, media explosion and most importantly the establishment of Amarnath Shrine Board attracted more pilgrims to the cave from length and breadth of India and even from abroad. The Yatra which was a symbol of hope got the tinge of nationalism amidst threats as the pilgrims across the country started to visit the Cave to send a message that the Indian Citizens cannot allow the annexation of Kashmir that is the abode of Lord Shiva. They also wanted to send a message that no degree of threat can prevent them from undertaking pilgrimage there. Kudos to the Shrine Board for adding to the basic facilities enroute and managing the Yatra efficiently. But promoting tourism in the name of pilgrimage is unacceptable. It goes against the sanctity of the Yatra and hurts the feelings of the Shiv Bakhts. For last four- five years, it has been observed that there is heavy rush in initial days and even Yatra is discouraged in the concluding phase, particularly on the Shravan Poornamashi on one pretext or the other.
The Yatra schedule needs to be revisited. It needs to be restricted to a month with first darshan on Ashard Poornmashi and last on Sawan Poornmashi. If the Shrine Board takes such a decision, it will restore the sanctity of the pilgrimage and save the exchequer as well.
