Amarnath Cave

Subject: Geography

Section: Geographical Features

Context: The flash flood caused by the cloudburst took the death toll to 8 at the Amarnath Cave Shrine near Pahalgam in south Kashmir.

Concept:

Amarnath Cave Shrine

The annual Amarnath Yatra to the cave shrine of Lord Shiva high up in the Himalayas is among the country’s most revered pilgrimages.
It is situated 3,888 metres above sea level and is located in South Kashmir, J & K.

Shrine Formation:

Stalagmite and Stalactite

The Shiva Lingam is a Stalagmite
A stalagmite is a cave formation or speleothem that rises from the floor of a cave.
It is formed due to the freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave onto the floor resulting in an upward vertical growth of ice.
There are different types of stalagmites – Limestone, Lava, Ice, Concrete.
Here, the stalagmites considered as the lingam, a physical manifestation of Shiva, is the ice stalagmite(either seasonal or permanent in nature), commonly referred to as iciclesand form a solid-dome-shape.
Stalagmites are typically composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist of lava, mud, peat, pitch, sand, sinter, and amberat (crystallized urine of pack rats).
Most stalagmites have rounded or flattened tips.
The corresponding formation hanging down from the ceiling of a cave is a Stalactite. It is produced by precipitation of minerals from water dripping through the cave ceiling.
Most stalactites have pointed tips.