The Holy Cave... Amarnath.

A holy shrine, high up in the Himalayas ... the most difficult terrain I have come across, In a year the route is open for few days, before the monsoon's arrive.

 According a Hindu legend, this is the cave where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort Parvati. Two other ice formations represent Parvati and Shiva's son, Ganesha. The cave is situated near Sonamarg in J&K.

The shorter northern route is just about 16 km long, but has a very steep gradient and is quite difficult to climb. It starts from Baltal , the longer route is from Pehalgam side, it is 46k.m

Inside the 130 feet high Amarnath cave that faces south, is the Shiva Linga, which waxes during May to August and gradually wanes thereafter. This lingam is said to grow and shrink with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer festival.