Amarnath Temple
Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir
The Amarnath temple with rock-cut architecture, situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The shrine is regarded as one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism. The cave is surrounded by snowy mountains and is itself covered with snow for the most part of the year, except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims. The Amarnath temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas that commemorates the location of the fallen body parts of the Hindu deity Sati.
Timings
4 am to 11 pm (all days of the week)
Architecture
A mound is formed inside the 40 m (130 ft) high cave due to the freezing of the water droplets that fall from the roof of the cave onto the floor and grow vertically upward. We can find its mention in the ancient Hindu texts of Mahabharata and Puranas where this ice lingam is said to represent Bhagwan Shiva. As the snow melts in the Himalayas above the cave during the summer season, the lingam waxes between May to August and the resultant water seeps into the rocks that form the cave leading the lingam to wane gradually. Going by religious beliefs, it is said that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer season, although there is no scientific evidence for this belief. According to Hindu religious beliefs, this is the place where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort Mata Parvati.
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