18 feet tall ice Shiva lingam to be witnessed in the Amarnath caves in 2012
The Amarnath temple , situated amidst the great Himalayas is one of the very famous pilgrimage sites in India. People from all over India and abroad visit these caves each year. The ice shiva lingam in 2012 is predicted to gain the height of 20 feet or more which is a good news for the devotees who visit this temple every year just have a glimpse of it.
Amarnath is considered one of the very holy and sacred places of pilgrimage in India.
People from all over the world visit Amarnath to pay their respects and homage to the
lord Shiva . The journey to the doors of Bhole Nath Shiva Shankar is called 'Amarnath
yatra' . This yatra to the Amarnath caves is held every year and lakhs of followers travelall the way to the top of the Amarnath hill where the caves are situated. It is a very
tough terrain to cover , devotees have to make their way through snow covered hill sides and vast dry lands of frozen ice. It is because of their firm belief and devotion in lord Amarnath that the devotees reach the Amarnath caves. These caves are 130 feet high. These caves are situated at an altitude of about 12756 feet and are 140 Km. from Srinagar. It takes approximately 5 days to reach to the temple on foot.
Devotees of lord Shiva visit this temple to have a sight of the huge ice shiva lingam that symbolizes lord shiva. This year i.e. 2012 , an 18 feet tall ice shiva lingam has already been formed and it has been predicted that its height can future increase and reach upto 20 feet or more. This ice lingam is 2 feet taller than the lingam formed in the year 2011. Due to the bigger size of the lingam it will be visible for a longer period of time as it will take ample time for the ice to melt. This is the sign of relief for the devotees of lord Shiva who visit the temple each year just to have a sight at the huge ice lingam.
This information about the current size of the lingam was given by the camp director Mr. B.D. Mangi. In 2012 the 16 feet lingam had lasted for about a month . About 5 lakh devotees had visited the Amarnath temple in 2011. Supposedly more than 5 lakh people are expected to visit the caves in 2012. And the cave will be open for devotees for 30 to 39 days. The Panjtarni base camp director , Rajnish Sharma has informed that the path from the cave till the Sheshnaag is covered with 8 to 9 feet of snow and the track for the travelers is almost ready.
Many preparations have to be made by the authorities from the security and safety point of view before opening the track for the travelers. As this pilgrimage site has been threatened by the terrorists , special security forces are recruited at regular intervals on the track of the journey till the temple. After all this risk to the lives of the devotees they keep returning to the doors of Amarnath which reflects their love and faith towards lord Shiva.
