Amarnath Cave

The Amarnath shrine is a natural cave at 3,888 metres in the Himalayas of Anantnag district, where an ice formation worshipped as Shiva's lingam takes shape without any human hand and is said to grow and shrink with the moon. Tradition holds that Shiva told Parvati the Amar Katha, the secret of immortality, here, shedding Nandi at Pahalgam, the moon at Chandanwari and his serpents at Sheshnag on the way.

Pilgrims reach it on foot. The usual route runs about 45 km from Pahalgam through Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni, over rough ground and through forest. A shorter approach from Baltal covers 14 km but climbs far more steeply.