Amarnath Yatra 2023

Devotees visit Lord Amarnath every year to see and see him during the 45-day festival. Most of the devotees come only in the months of July and August during the Shravani fair, at the same time also the holiest month of Shravan for Hindus also comes.

Let us tell you that this year Amarnath Yatra 2023 will start on 5th July 2023 and this yatra will end on the date of Rakshabandhan ( 30 August 2023 ) which falls in the month of August.

When the Amarnath Yatra begins, it is also called the first worship of Lord Shri Amarnathji.

In olden times the way to the cave used to pass through Rawalpindi (Pakistan) but now we can go directly to Jammu by train, Jammu is also called as Winter Capital of India.

The best time for this journey is during the time of Guru Purnima and Shravan Purnima. For the convenience of the devotees, the Jammu and Kashmir government has provided all the facilities along the way.

So that the devotees can easily complete their Amarnath Yatra. But sometimes the rain is a hindrance in the travel of the travelers.

Bus service from Jammu to Pahalgam (7500 ft) is also available. In Pahalgam, devotees sometimes keep porters for their salmon and clothes. There everyone is busy preparing for the journey.

Along with this, when the gleaming golden rays of the sun fall on the Pahalgam river, then a beautiful view is also visible to the travelers. Pahalgam in Kashmir means the land of religious leaders.

---

Amarnath temple

Due to the freezing of water droplets in the 40 m high Amarnath cave, an ascending deposit of stone is formed.

People of the Hindu religion consider this icy stone as Shivling. This cave is made of wax from May to August because at that time the snow of the Himalayas melts and starts freezing on this cave and we get to see a replica of Shivling.

In the middle of these months, the arrival of Shivling decreases day by day. It is said that the size of this linga also varies according to the time of rising and setting of the Sun and Moon. But there is no scientific evidence for this.

According to Hindu Mahatmas, this is the same cave where Lord Shiva explained the importance of life to Mother Parvati.

According to other beliefs, the stone made of ice represents Parvati and Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva.

The main annual pilgrimage center of this cave is the place of Shivling formed from ice.

---

The mythological history of the Amarnath cave

The Kashmir Valley was the residence of King Dasha and Rishi Kashyap and his sons. Mythological belief is that once the valley of Kashmir was submerged. It took the form of a big lake.

Then sage Kashyap drained this water through many rivers and small water bodies. At the same time, the sage Bhrigu passed through there during his journey to the holy Himalayan mountain. Then when the water level was low, Bhrigu Rishi first saw the holy cave of Amarnath and the ice Shivling in the Himalayan mountain ranges.

It is believed that since then this place became the main shrine of Shiva worship and travel because Lord Shiva did penance here.

The Amarnath cave is believed to be 5000 years old by the Archaeological Department, that is, this cave was in the Mahabharata period. But his assessment may be wrong, because the question arises that when there was a cave 5000 years ago, then what cave was not there before that?

The ancient mountains of the Himalayas are believed to be millions of years old. If any cave would have been made in them, then it must have been made during the ice age itself, that is, 12 to 13 thousand years ago from today.

According to the Puranas, there is a darshan of Shri Baba Amarnath, who gives ten times the darshan in Kashi, a hundred times than Prayag and a thousand times than Naimisharanya, and one who goes to Kailash gets salvation. When was the Puranas written? Some in the Mahabharata period and some in the Buddhist period. Then there is a mention of this pilgrimage in the Puranas.

By the way, the journey of Amarnath is being done since the time of Mahabharata. There is evidence of traveling on this route even in the Buddhist period. After this, in Kalhana’s Rajatarangini Tarang II, written in BC, it is mentioned that King Samdimat of Kashmir (34 BC-17 AD) was a devotee of Shiva and he used to worship the snow Shivalinga located in the forests of Pahalgam. This mention shows how old the practice of making this pilgrimage is.

Equal mention of the Amarnath shrine is found in Bringesh Samhita, Nilamat Purana, Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, etc.

The Bringesh Samhita mentions some essential places where pilgrims had to perform religious rituals on their way to the Amarnath cave.

They include Anantnaya (Anantnag), Mach Bhawan (Mattan), Ganeshbal (Ganeshpur), Mamleshwar (Mamal), Chandanwadi (2,811 m), Sushramnagar (Sheshnag, 3454 m), Panchtarangini (Panchtarni, 3,845 m) and Amravati.

An English writer Lawrence writes in his book ‘Valley of Kashmir’ that earlier the Kashmiri Brahmins of Mattan used to make pilgrimages to Amarnath. Later in Batkut the Maliks took over this responsibility, as it was their responsibility to maintain the route and act as guides.

They also knew about the weather. Even today, the fourth offering is given to the descendants of this Muslim shepherd. Pahalgam means village of shepherds.

When the invasion took place, the Amarnath Yatra was interrupted for a period of about 300 years from the middle of the 14th century.

One of the rulers of Kashmir was ‘Zainulbuddin’ (1420-70 AD), who visited the Amarnath cave.

Then it was reintroduced in the 18th century. During the year 1991 to 95, this visit was postponed due to the fear of terrorist attacks.

It has been widely misunderstood that this cave was first discovered by a Muslim in the 18th-19th century.

He was a shepherd of Gujjar society, who is called Buta Malik. Did the shepherd take his goats to graze at such a high altitude, where oxygen is scarce?

Local historians believe that the cave was rediscovered in the summer of 1869 and that the first formal pilgrimage to the holy cave was conducted 3 years later in 1872. Malik was also accompanying him on this pilgrimage.

Swami Vivekananda visited the Amarnath cave on 8 August 1898 and later he mentioned that I thought the ice linga was Shiva himself. I have never seen anything so beautiful, so inspiring, nor have I enjoyed any religious place so much.

The importance of this cave is not because the snow Shivling is formed here. The significance of this cave is also because in this cave Lord Shiva had recited the mantra of immortality to his wife Goddess Parvati and she did penance here for many years, so it is a major and holy place of Shiva.

There are 5 main places of Shiva-

1. Mount Kailash,
2. Amaranth,
3. Kedarnath,
4. Kashi and
5. Pashupatinath.

Actually, according to the scriptures, in this cave Lord Shiva had told the secret of immortality to Mother Parvati. Along with Mother Parvati, this mystery was also heard by Shuk (Parrot) and two pigeons.

This Shuka later became immortal as Shukadev Rishi, while in the cave even today many devotees see a pair of pigeons that are believed to be immortal birds.

When Lord Shiva was taking Parvati to narrate the immortal story, he released small infinity snakes into Anantnag, the sandalwood from the forehead into the Chandanwadi, the other fleas on the flea top, and the Sheshnag around the neck at a place called Sheshnag. All these places are still visible on the way during the Amarnath Yatra.

---

Amarnath Yatra Organizer

Officially, the yatra is organized by the state government in association with the Shri Amarnath Yatra Board. The government agency provides all the amenities required during the journey to the devotees, which includes all facilities like clothes, food, tents, and telecommunication.

Amarnath is formed by combining two Hindi words “Amar” meaning “indestructible” and “Nath” meaning “God”.

According to a legend, when Goddess Parvati asked Lord Shiva to reveal the secret of immortality which he had been hiding from her for a long time. Then, to tell this secret, Lord Shiva took Parvati to this cave in the Himalayas, so that no one could hear this secret of her, and this is what Lord Shiva told Goddess Parvati the secret of immortality.

On the way to the cave, many social organizations arrange tents or pandals for the devotees to eat and rest.

More than 100 pandals are set up along the way of the yatra, which we can also rent for overnight stays. A helicopter facility is also provided from the lower camp to Panjtarni (6 km from the cave).

Way to Amarnath Cave

There are 2 routes to go on Amarnath Yatra – one goes through Pahalgam and the other goes through Sonmarg Baltal. That is, one has to reach Pahalgam or Baltal before any area across the country. After this, the journey is done on foot.

State Transport Corporation and Private Transport Transport Operators provide daily travel services from Jammu to Pahalgam and Baltal. Along with this, we can also do private taxis from Jammu and Kashmir.

The northern route is about 16 kilometers long but it is very difficult to climb this route. This route starts from Baltal and reaches the cave through Domial, Barari, and Sangam.

On the northern way, we also get to see the Amarnath Valley and the Amaravathi River which is connected to the Amarnath Glacier.

It is said that Lord Shiva left Nandi and the bull at Pahalgam (bull village). In Chandanwadi, he released the moon with his hair. And he had left his snake on the bank of Sheshnag Sarovar.

He had left Lord Ganesha on the Mahagunas (Mahaganesh hill) mountain. At Panjtarni, he left the five elements – earth, water, air, fire, and sky. And thus sacrificing all the things of the world, Lord Shiva did the Tandava dance there. And finally, Lord came to the holy cave of Amarnath with Goddess Parvati.

---

Amarnath Yatra Package

---

---

---

FAQs