Author:
Publication: Sify News
Date: August 3, 2002
URL: http://news.sify.com/cgi-bin/sifynews/news/content/news_fullstory_v2.jsp?article_oid=11779358&page_no=1
Unusually high temperatures in Kashmir
have melted an ice stalagmite considered the image of Lord Shiva, but this
makes little difference to thousands of pilgrims who have braved potential
rebel attacks to reach the Himalayan cave.
The annual pilgrimage to the 12,800-foot
high Amarnath shrine is one of the most high- security events in Kashmir,
with thousands of troops deployed. On Tuesday two pilgrims were killed
by suspected rebels as they returned from the shrine.
But after making the arduous and
potentially dangerous 46-kilometer trek through snow-capped mountains,
the pilgrims found that the image of Shiva -- believed to appear once a
year -- had melted away.
At the procession's start in early
July, the ice stalagmite was six to eight feet tall. But warm weather and
the thousands of pilgrims have taken their toll.
"When a large number of people gather
in the shrine the temperature rises," said Kaniya Lal, a scientist in Kashmir's
meteorological department. "Even if there is a rise of two degrees (Celsius)
inside the cave the lingam starts melting."
"Besides, there has been a gradual
rise in overall temperature and drought-like conditions are prevailing
in the state," he said.
Most pilgrims, however, believe
that even without the lingam the site is still holy. The cave is said to
have been used by Shiva to recount to his wife Parvati the secret of creation.
"The absence of the lingam does
not reduce the reverence of the place," said Mohan Lal, from Haryana.
"We consider ourselves lucky enough
if we have a glimpse of this holy cave," he said as he queued at the site
under police watch.
But others see a deeper meaning
in the melting of the image. "The lingam has disappeared as the world was
engrossed in sin," said Jag Lal, a 75-year-old sadhu from Punjab.
Like other holy men, Lal spent the
night at Amarnath amid freezing night temperatures. The pilgrims recite
prayers as they enter the cave, which is guarded round the clock by the
army, paramilitary units and police.
The cave, which was discovered in
the 16th century by a Muslim shepherd, is expected to draw more than 175,000
pilgrims this year, consistent with the figures in the past.
Some 80,410 have already visited,
said Jitender Pal Syal of the Border Security Force, who is in charge of
security at Amarnath.
Every pilgrim is frisked before
entering the cave. More than 15,000 troops have been deployed to ensure
security for the procession.
"They (the security forces) are
taking people as detainees to the cave shrine," Kalikji Maharaj, the Kashmir
chief of the Shiv Sena, complained as he returned from the cave.
Maharaj, performing the pilgrimage
in a saffron shirt and jeans, said anyone with "good sense" would not attack
the devotees.
This year no rebel group threatened
the pilgrims. Kashmir's leading militant group, the Hizbul Mujahideen,
said it welcomed the devotees.
Despite the massive security operation,
pilgrims said they came to Kashmir without worries. "I have faith in God
and no fear in my heart," said Jyanti Bhai, a 45-year-old pilgrim from
Gujarat.
Manohar Lal Gulati, 64, from New
Delhi, said he has journeyed to Amarnath five times in the past 10 years
and would come back in the future regardless of the insurgency.
"Bomb explosions and shoot-outs
occur in Delhi also," Gulati said. "That doesn't mean we will stop coming
out of our homes."
