Shiva is known to have made his adobe in the Himalayas. Legend has it that Shiva recounted to Goddess Parvati the secret of creation in the Shri Amarnathji cave. Unknown to them, a pair of pigeons eavesdropped on this conversation and having learned the secret, are liberated from rebirth, and have made the cave their eternal abode. Whatever the legends and the history of Shri Amarnathji's discovery, it is today a very important centre of pilgrimage and though the route is as difficult to negotiate as it is exciting, every year, thousands of devotees come to pay homage before Lord Shiva in one of his famous Himalayan abodes.
The trek to Shri Amarnathji, has the devout flock to this incredible shrine, where the image of Lord Shiva, in the form of a Lingam, is formed naturally of ice - stalagmite, and which waxes and wanes with the moon. By its side are, fascinatingly, two more ice - lingams, that of Goddess Parvati and of their son, Shri Ganesha.
Among the many shrines of Lord Shiva, the cave of Amarnath is a world-famous destination. The Shivalinga made of ice in the cave is the symbol of people’s faith and trust. The beginning of the journey till this cave has numerous stops in between that are extremely beautiful and increases ones faith in Lord Shiva even more.
The legendary importance of Amarnath’s cave is related to the secret of immortality told to Lord Shiva’s wife Parvati. When Lord Shiva was insisted by his wife to reveal the secret of immortality, he decided to proceed towards the cave. On his way to the cave he did a few things,which were great according to his devotees. Because of these few things, the entire way to the cave became blissful.
Actually, in order to reveal the secret of amarakatha, Lord Shiva left his son, vehicle, etc. in various isolated places, which is why all these places seem like tirtha sthalas.There are two ways for Amarnath journey – Pahalgam and Sonmarg Baltal. According to the legends, Lord Shiva took the Pahalgam route to reach the cave.
