Dr. Shiben Krishen Raina
India is a sacred land of pilgrimage sites. There may hardly be any region in this country where there are no pilgrimage sites. These pilgrimage sites have been the primary centers of faith and belief for the Indian people for a long time. The pilgrimage site named “Amarnath” in the state of Jammu and Kashmir holds special significance. In Kalhan’s “Rajatarangini,” this pilgrimage is referred to as “Amareshwar.” Apart from the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva located in various regions of India, Amarnath holds special importance. Among the prominent places of Lord Shiva, Amarnath is unique. Therefore, Amarnath is called the pilgrimage of pilgrimages.
The Amarnath pilgrimage site is situated at an altitude of 3,888 meters (12,756 feet) above sea level, approximately 141 kilometers North-East of the city of Srinagar in the Jammu and Kashmir state. The length of this cave (inner depth) is 19 meters, and the width is 16 meters. The cave spreads over an area of about 150 feet and is 11 meters high, accommodating a good number of devotees. Amarnath Cave, with its remarkable natural grandeur, is one of the major religious sites of Lord Shiva. According to a mythical tale, Lord Shiva chose this cave to reveal the secret of immortality (the secret of life and death) to Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva, who conquers death, is immortal, that is why He is also called “Amareshwar.” Shiv devotees also call Him as Baba Amarnath or Barfani Baba.
Amarnath is formed by combining two Hindi words: “Amar,” meaning “immortal” or “imperishable,” and “Nath,” meaning “Lord” or “God.” According to a mythological story, when Goddess Parvati asked Lord Shiva to reveal the secret of immortality, which he had kept hidden for a long time, Lord Shiva took her to this cave in the Himalayas so that no one could overhear the secret, and it was here that Lord Shiva revealed the secret of immortality to Goddess Parvati.
Due to the freezing of water droplets in the Amarnath Cave, a solid ice formation in the shape of a beautiful idol is created. Followers of the Hindu religion consider this icy formation as the Shiva Lingam.
Historians believe that the Amarnath Yatra has been going on for thousands of years, and its significance can be found in ancient scriptures like the Bringeh Samhita, N?lamata Pur??a, and Kalhana’s R?jatara?gi??. The N?lamata Pur??a mentions information about this pilgrimage even in the 6th-7th century. One of the great rulers of Kashmir was ‘Zainulabuddin’ (1420-1470), whom the Kashmiri people lovingly call ‘Badshah’. It is believed that he also undertook the Amarnath pilgrimage (as mentioned by historian Jonaraja). Abul Fazl, a historian of Akbar’s time (16th century), mentions in his book Ain-i-Akbari that Amarnath is a sacred pilgrimage site. It is said that Swami Vivekananda visited the Amarnath Cave in 1898 on August 8th and later emotionally stated that he truly felt that the ice Linga is Lord Shiva himself. He said he had never seen anything so beautiful and inspiring and had never experienced so much of joy at any other religious or holy place.
The Amarnath Yatra/Pilgimage starts from the Dashnami Akhara in Srinagar on the Panchami Tithi (Fifth day) of the month of Shravan and stops in Pahalgam. The return journey begins on the Dwadashi Tithi (Twelfth day). During the month of Shravan, thousands of people from different regions come here to seek the blessings of the holy ice Linga.
To reach the Amarnath Cave, there are generally two routes: the Pahalgam route and the Sonamarg-Baltal route. The Pahalgam route is relatively more convenient. Generally, pilgrims undertake the Amarnath Yatra through the Pahalgam route. The distance from Pahalgam to Amarnath is around 45 kilometers. Along this pilgrimage route, there are three major overnight stops: Chandanwari, Sheshnag, and Panchtarni. The first stop is Chandanwari, which is located 12.8 kilometers from Pahalgam. Pilgrims spend their first night here. The next day, the climb to Pissu Ghati begins. Sheshnag is the next stop, situated 13 kilometers from Chandanwari. This hike is extremely challenging, and it offers views of the Pissu Ghati. The entire path through the Pissu Ghati is very difficult. Pissu Ghati is located at an elevation of 11,120 feet above sea level. After that, the pilgrims reach Sheshnag. There is a beautiful lake spread over about one and a half kilometers. Pilgrims rest here overnight. On the third day, the journey resumes. This route includes crossing the Mahagunas Pass. The entire route from Mahagunas to Panchtarni is full of slopes. Due to the flow of several small rivers, this place became famous as Panchtarni. The holy cave of Amarnath is located 6 kilometers from Panchtarni. After reaching near the cave, the pilgrimage is considered complete, and religious rituals and worship are performed. After the darshan of the ice lingam of Lord Shiva, devotees become recipients of divine blessings. As mentioned earlier, Lord Shiva imparted the teachings of immortality to Parvati in this cave. At that time, a pair of doves (two pigeons) were also present around them, which heard the teachings. Devotees call them Amarapakshi, which means those who attained immortality by listening to the teachings of immortality given by Lord Shiva to Parvati. Even today, those devotees who can see these two doves are considered to have received the direct darshan of Shiva and Parvati.
It is believed that this pilgrimage, which takes place every year, brings many rewards for devotees.The scriptures state that the Amarnath Yatra provides liberation without the need for control because the pilgrimage makes the pilgrims aware of various worldly hardships and the mixed experiences of joy and sorrow at the destination, and their hearts become so disciplined by the darshan of the ice lingam of Lord Shiva that they attain liberation without sensory control. The scriptures also mention that the Darshan of Amarnath, also known as Amreshwar, eliminates all kinds of physical, spiritual, and divine sufferings of the devotees. One extremely important and practical fact related to the Amarnath Yatra is that it promotes mutual harmony. People coming to see Lord Shiva from different regions develop a sense of equality, engage in conversations in various languages, foster a feeling of brotherhood, and exchange geographical knowledge of different regions. Therefore, in addition to being a pilgrimage site, Amarnath can also be considered as a confluence of faith, knowledge, and harmony.
(The writer is former Fellow, IIAS, Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla).