According
to one tale, a Muslim shepherd, Buta Malik, was
given a sack of coal by a Sadhu. When he reached
home, the sack contained gold. He rushed to thank
the Sadhu, and discovered a cave at their meeting
place. This later become a place of pilgrimage.
Till date, the descendants of Buta Malik are given
a percentage of donations - the rest goes to the
trust managing the shrine.
According to another legend, it was in the
caves of Amarnath that Lord Shiva (the destroyer
in the Holy Trinity) narrated to Parvati, his
consort, the secret of immortality and creation.
Unknown to them, a pair of doves eavesdropped.
Having learnt the secrets, they are reborn again
and again, and have made this cave their eternal
abode.
Yet another legend avers that when Rishi Kashyap
drained Kashmir Valley, then a vast lake, of
water, the cave was found.
The Yatra : The yatra or trek
to the cave can begin either from Srinagar or
Pahalgam, 141 km or 45 km away, respectively.
From Pahalgam, the journey to Amarnath is 5
days. On the way, there are three rest sites
and many refreshment centres. The route winds
through Mahagunis Pass, about 13800 feet above
sea-level and snow-bound even in summer. After
having a bath in the Panchtarani, a meeting
point of 5 rivers and the last stop before the
caves, devotees move towards the Amarnath Caves,
just 6 km. ahead.
