Amarnath

One of the most important pilgrimage centres of India, Amarnath is 145 km. from Srinagar, Kashmir. This place is well known for a huge cave that extends upto 150 ft. high and 90 ft. broad in the vally of the Himalayas. A natural occurred shrine and Shivalinga of ice are the most remarkable features of this cave. The ice statue of Shivalinga melts during summer and solidifies during winter. The statue attains its full size of about 6 ft. on fullmoon days. The access to the cave at an altitude of 14,000 ft. from sea level is by foot. It takes for days trecking from Pahalgam to reach the top. There are several other ice statues and each of them resembles some other gods. It is believed that a bath in the Holy Amaravathi washes away all the sins. According to legends Amarnath cave is the place where God Shiva imparted the secret of mortality of Goddess Parvathi.