The holy cave of Amarnath is situated at a height of about 3,880 metres in Kashmir Himalayas and enshrines a naturally-formed ice Shivalingam. The Shivalingam waxes and waves with the Moon, reaching its maximum dimensions on the day of the pilgrimage, i.e., Shravana Purnima day which falls in the month of August. This is the place where Hindus believe that Lord Shiva explained the secret of salvation to his consort Parvati on a full-moon night.

The origin of the holy pilgrimage is lost in antiquity but there is evidence in Kalhan’s Rajtarangini that it was being undertaken as far back as 1,000 BC. Some written records, however, mention that Amarnath is a place of pilgrimage only from the 18th century. Every year thousands of pilgrims visit the cave.

The traditional route is via Pahalgam from where people trek to Chandanwari (2,895 metres), about 10 km from Pahalgam. It is a small valley girdled by high mountains with Sheshnag, the serpent lake, which remains covered with ice until June. The pilgrims halt for the night here. The trek from Sheshnag to Panchtarni, last stop before the cave, presents nature in its full glory. From here Amarnath cave is only six km away.

The holy cave of Amarnath is situated at a height of about 3,880 metres in Kashmir Himalayas and enshrines a naturally-formed ice Shivalingam. The Shivalingam waxes and waves with the Moon, reaching its maximum dimensions on the day of the pilgrimage, i.e., Shravana Purnima day which falls in the month of August. This is the place where Hindus believe that Lord Shiva explained the secret of salvation to his consort Parvati on a full-moon night.