AMARNATH YATRA AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE SNOW

1. Introduction. Amarnath cave, is a very famous shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir, dedicated to Shiva. The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m, about 141 km from Srinagar, and reached through the town of Pahalgam. The cave itself is covered with snow most time of the year except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims.. The Trek to Amarnath, in the month of sharavan (July-August) has the devout flock to this incredible shrine, where the image of Shiva, in the form of a Lingam, is formed naturally of an Ice Stalagmite, which is believed to wax and wane with the Moon's cycle. By its side are fascinating, two more Ice Stalagmites, that of Maa Parvati and of their son, Ganesha. 2. Mythology of the Shrine. Shivji was to narrate the detailed Amar Katha to Maa Parvati. He started for a lonely place where no living being could listen to the immortal secret and ultimately chose Amarnath Cave. In the hush-hush, he left his Nandi (the Bull which He used to ride) at Pahalgam. At Chandanwari, he released Moon (Chand) from his hair (Jataon). At the banks of Lake Sheshnag, he released the snakes. He decided to leave his Son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat. At Panjtarni, Shivji left the Five Elements behind (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky) which give birth to life and of which he is the Lord. After leaving behind all these, Bhole Shankar entered the Holy Amarnath Cave along with Parvati Maa and took his Samadhi. To ensure that no living being is able to hear the Immortal Tale, he created Kalagni and ordered him to spread fire to eliminate every living thing in and around the Holy Cave. After this he started narrating the secret of immortality to Maa Parvati. But as a matter of chance a pair of pigeons overhead the story and became immortal. 3. Discovery of Holy Cave. Although the existence of the Holy Cave has been mentioned in the Puranas, the popular story narrated by people about the rediscovery of this Holy Cave is of a shepherd Buta Malik. Story goes like this a saint gave Buta Malik a bag full of Coal. On reaching his home when he opened the bag, to his utter surprise the bag was full of gold coins. This overwhelmed him

with joy. He ran to thank the Saint. But the Saint had disappeared. Instead, he found The Holy Cave and the Ice Shiv Lingam there in. He announced this discovery to the Villagers. Then onwards this became a sacred place of Pilgrimage. 4. The Holy Yatra. The temple is a popular yatra destination for some Hindus. In 2011 it received about 634,000 persons, the highest recorded number for the site. The number was 622,000 in 2012. Pilgrims visit the holy site during the 45-day season around the festival of Shravani Mela in JulyAugust, coinciding with the Hindu holy month of Shraavana. The beginning of the annual pilgrimage, called Amarnath Yatra is marked by 'pratham pujan' to invoke the blessings of Shri Amarnathji. 5. Terrorist attacks. The pilgrimage was banned from 1991 to 1995 due to threats from militants. In 1996 the militants had assured that they would not interfere allowing a resumed yatra with far greater numbers than in previous years. However, unseasonal blizzards in late August of that year caught up to a lakh pilgrims by surprise in a tragedy that claimed the lives of 242 yatris, killed by exhaustion and exposure. Four years later, the pilgrimage suffered another setback with the massacre in Pahalgam of 30 people by the militants. Most were yatris on their way to Amarnath or porters and horsemen who would have ferried the pilgrims to the site. 6. Role of Army. The Yatra every year commences once the route becomes accessible and is fully secured by the Army and comes to an end on the traditionally auspicious day of Shravan Purnima. Heavy snow poses intense difficulties to the Army to open the route in the early part of June. It is the Army which leads the induction on both the (Northern and Southern) routes as no other stake holder is willing to move ahead. Troops of the Army endured adverse terrain and weather conditions to put up an exhaustive security umbrella for the yatra. Apart from providing impregnable security arrangements on the routes, the Army also extended its role in providing various types of humanitarian assistance to the yatris. 7. Relentless Domination. Anticipating the huge rush for the yatra, and the terrorist threat both the routes were continuously dominated by picquets of Army on the higher reaches. Rigorous area domination patrols were sent in hostile

terrain in unfavourable weather conditions to plug the passes and routes which can be taken by terrorists to carryout subversive activities on the Yatris 8. Assistance to Yatris. The Yatris face enormous problems owing to the slushy track, high altitude and tiring trek during the Pilgrimage. The Army has come to the aid of the Yatris always and every time. Army has conducted humanitarian operations for rescue of Yatris till late midnights almost everyday in the past few years. The gambit of support extended to the Yatris by Army ranged from physical support to moral awakening of keeping the environment clean by stressing that No Garbage in/near the Camp. Apart from providing help to old age people in movement, Army has provided food, refreshment and shelter to yatris. Whether it is recovering ponies who fall into the gorges or motivating the yatris to keep moving on the treacherous trek, accolades about the Army have been sung. 9. Medical Assistance. Owing to the environmental hazards of the Yatra, a number of Medical Aid Posts are established by the Army. These medical aid posts are open to civilians 24 x 7. These medical detachments were well equipped with the best medical equipment to handle life threatening emergencies and have been instrumental in stabilizing cardiac events saving precious lives of the Yatris in the past. 10. Disaster Management. The army has shown foresightedness in planning and catering for any unforeseen events. Army caters for food, accommodation, bedding and cold clothing in case of any disaster along both the routes. Apart from that certain rations and clothing were kept at centrally located helipads to move by helicopters in case of emergency. 11. Recovery of Vehicles. Not to be left behind on this issue, the Army deployes a number of recovery vehicles on both the routes to recover vehicles meeting with the accidents and thus saving a number of lives and not letting the routes to be blocked. Written by Maj NS Khera, 3RR