India is long known to be the land of magic and mysteries that have enthralled people with miraculous incidences since time immemorial. Amarnath is one such miracle which is believed to be the earthly abode of Lord Shiva. The sacred cave is located at an altitude of 3,888 m above sea level in Jammu and Kashmir. Srinagar, the summer capital of the state is the closest city. Every year millions of devotees undertake the pilgrimage to take blessings of Lord Shiva. The cave has a natural Shiva lingam of ice which is said to magically wax and wane with the Moon.
Folklore says Parvati asked Lord Shiva the reason behind his immortality. To which Shiva replied, to know it she will have to listen to the Amar Katha (story of immortal) but in a secluded place where no living being could listen. Then, he took Parvati to this cave leaving his vehicle, Nandi Bull at Pahalgam, Moon from his hair at Chandanwari, his snakes at Sheshnag, son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat and his five elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky) at Panjtarni. Shiva and his consort, Parvati then entered the cave and he took his Samadhi. But the story happened to be overheard by a pair of pigeons which then became immortal. They are said to be living inside the cave till date despite the extremely cold climate, which astounds many.
The cave lies on the mighty Himalayas surrounded by snowy mountains, approximately 46 km away from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal. It measures 40 m high, inside which the ice stalagmite forms rising from the floor from the dripping water of melting snow from the ceiling between May and August. This ice formation is idolized as the holy Shivalinga representing Lord Shiva. According to beliefs, Shivalinga waxes and wanes with respect to Moon. Two more ice lingams are present by its side, that of Parvati and their son, Ganesha.
Amarnath pilgrimage starts every year in the month of Shravan i.e. July and continues till August. This is the time when naturally formed ice stalagmite takes the form of complete Shivalinga. Devotees from far afield flock to Amarnath Cave for taking the blessing. The 43 km mountainous trek begins from the Nunwan and Chandanwari base camps at Pahalgam and reaches shrines after pit stops at Sheshnag Lake and Panchtarni camps. You can cover the route by either trekking or hiring pony ride or Palki ride. Even the treacherous route doesn't deter pilgrim’s spirit and continue to visit every year with full vigor.
By Air – The nearest aerodrome is Srinagar airport, situated in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. One can avail taxi or bus to reach the base camp (Pahalgam or Baltal) of the pilgrimage. Helicopter Service is also available that takes directly to the shrine. There are three helipads from where you can avail the ride - Baltal, Neel Grath and Panchtarani.
By Rail – The last railhead to reach Amarnath shrine is Jammu railway station. It lies in the winter capital of the state, Jammu city. From Jammu, you can take a bus to Pahalgam or Baltal base camp and embark on the trek to the shrine.
By Road – There are two routes to reach Amarnath shrine which you can cover by either trekking or hiring pony or Palki ride.
JAMMU - PAHALGAM - HOLY CAVE (40 to 50 km i.e. 3 to 5 days trek)
JAMMU - BALTAL - HOLY CAVE (16 km i.e. 1 to 2 days trek)
MarcoFrance1965
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE !
I just came back from a 12 days Rajasthan tour. It was just myself and my 14 year olde daughter. I found Caper surfing the web and had non suggestion from friends and had never read comments or reviews about it. Totally "blind-choice". I was very lucky. The organization was really excellent. The agent that followed us, Mr. Praveen Juyal did a great job. I decided our itinerary and he punctually gave me suggestions on the best management of my choices. The hotel choice was fine and confirmed expectations. We had tour guides in every site seeing location and they were all extremely professional, very punctual and really kind and polite.
But I must say that what made the trip even better was our driver; Mr. Deshraj.
One of those persons that you really wish you could meet once in your life. Not only an excellent driver but always helpful, respectful and friendly. He explained us many things about Indian life along the journey and sometimes stopped for short breaks in beautiful places on the road that were not even mentioned in the guide books. My only regret is that at the end of the trip I didn't have much money left and I left a tip probably not adeguate for the kind of service but I will definitely send him try to sort this maybe in a next trip. Thank you very much Caper and Deshraj.
Dreamer802943
A Memorable Trip
We recently concluded a 12 day driving tour of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan with Caper Travel. It was most enjoyable !! The logistics arrangements were excellent - from tour planning , hotel selection , vehicle condition to driver. Mr Alok handled the planning, and Mr Vikram was our Tempo driver throughout the journey. Mr Vikram was very helpful , accommodating and patient throughout the tour, despite long hours of driving on the roads ( not to mention India traffic}. We would not hesitate to recommend Caper to our fellow travellers who are thinking of visiting India. Thank You Caper !
goochie33, London, United Kingdom
Golden triangle goa and mumbia
Just come back from an amazing 2 week trip to India. First we done the golden triangle which we chose to do the train trip from Delhi to Agra a must you have to do if not just for the experience. All the cities were wonderful but be prepared to see lots of temple one seems to run into another but wow the taj was my highlight along with the Hindu temple in Delhi. The driving the cows the dogs are everywhere are all an experience. Goa was beautiful we stayed at the taj exotica. In mumbia we done a city tour and ended our trip in the taj for afternoon tea another must. It is a exhilarating trip but one I will never forget. From booking with Manika to all the drivers and guides they were always there to meet us from the airport and hotels on time. They really looked after us thank you all.
Aileen M
Wonderful trip
We have just returned from our first trip to India and we must say it was absolutely fascinating. The itinerary was first class and covered everything we could have wished for. On arrival we were met by a very nice rep and driver who took us to our hotel and sorted out the necessary paperwork with us. We had our driver Vishan for our time in the north and he was terrific, kept the vehicle spotless and kept us supplied with water. We then flew to the south of India and met up with our driver Suhdeer who again was very nice and very informative about things as we drove along. The guides we had on all our trips were excellent and again very informative.
The only down side to it all was that in our package we paid for the drivers accommodation, food and allowance only to find out that the drivers don’t receive this money and if they want accommodation they have to pay for it themselves. We ended up paying one of our drivers an amount for the nights that we had him for him to get somewhere to sleep and food as we were concerned that if he slept in his car he wouldn’t be rested enough to take on the next day driving for 4-5 hours.
All in all Caper Travel are excellent in their planning and can’t fault them for that.
Urquiola, New York City, New York
Caper travel
Recently traveled to India on a private guided tour with Caper Travel. Ms. Mumtaz Khan worked with me on arranging my itinerary.
She was always available to answer all my concerns immediately. On my arrival in Delhi I was welcome with warm smile at the airport by a young gentleman name Kapol Joshi . My experience with the company was amazing and I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to India.
I would also like to mention the personal attention I received at Amritsar by Aman Shara and his lovely wife who welcomed me and my son to their home
and soon to open their beautiful hotel.
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