A natural ice lingam forms each year in this high-altitude Himalayan cave, considered one of Hinduism's most sacred sites, with the annual pilgrimage organised by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.
Believed to be the cave where Shiva revealed the secret of immortality to Parvati, the naturally forming ice lingam is seen as a rare, self-manifested (swayambhu) form of the deity.
Nearest airport: Srinagar. Routes begin from Pahalgam or Baltal, both reached by road from Srinagar or Jammu; the yatra runs only for a few weeks each summer.
Shrine Board-run tented camps (langars) along both routes; hotels in Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Srinagar.
Official site: shriamarnathjishrine.com
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