Every year in the months of June and July, many thousands of people make the pilgrimage to the Amarnath Temple. Located high in the Himalayas, this is a very tough journey and it is a test of mental and physical courage.
The Amarnath Yatra begins from a place called as Pahalgam, about 90 km for Srinagar, the Capital of J&K. From Pahalgam, the trail follows the lidder river and the distance to the Amarnath cave from Pahalgam is about 42 km.
Motorised transport in form of mini buses and jeeps are available for a distance of 10 km from Pahalgam to Chandanwadi. From chandanwadi onwards the entire distance is to be covered on foot or pony. From chandanwadi, at a distance of eight km is a place called as seshnag. This is believed to be the place where lord Shiva released the snake around his neck, before proceeding to the cave. This place is famous for a lake named seshnag. The coll green waters of the lake are a treat to the eyes of the weary traveller. One can also spot giant Himalayan trout in this lake. This lake is fed by a glacier called the seshnag glacier.
From seshnag, at a distance of 4 km is a feature called Mahagunas parbat. It is at 14,000 feet and it is the highest one can get during the Amarnath Yatra. From this peak one has to now get down to about 10000 feet, a place called panchtarani. The distance between Mahagunas parbat and Panchtarani is about 6 km.
From panchtarani one again ascends up a distance of six km to reach the cave. Most pilgrims will cover the entire distance of 42 km in two days with an overnight halt at seshnag.
The Amarnath Cave is special for the presence of an ice Shiva Lingam which is believed to represent Shiva. It is also believed that this lingam waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon.
Apart from the route mentioned above, the Amarnath Cave can also be accessed by another route. This route is shorter and hence pilgrims can usually return the same day after having Darshan. This northern route begins from a place called as Baltal and the distance to the cave of about 16 km is usually covered in about 4 hours.
Baltal is at a distance of 91 km and there are frequent busses from Srinagar to Baltal. Baltal is also close to the famous tourist place of Sonemarg, famous for pine forests and rapids.
The best time to visit National Park Ranthambore is from February to April. The weather is pleasant during the day and the animals can be seen in the forests even in the daytime.
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