The Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Mediaeval India c5.s1.39

c5.s1.39

Amaranātha—A celebrated shrine of Śiva in a grotto in the Bhairavaghāṭi range of the Himalaya, about sixty miles from Islamabad, the ancient capital of Kaśmīra. The cave is situated at a considerable altitude on the west side of a snowy peak, 17,307 feet in height, locally called by the name of Kailāsa. A little stream known as Amargaṅgā, a tributary of the Indus, flows by the left side of the cave over a white soil with which the pilgrims besmear their body to cleanse away their sins, though no doubt it serves to keep off cold. The path to the cave lies along the side of the Amargaṅgā stream. The cave is naturally arched, 50 feet in breadth at the base and 25 feet in height. The Liṅga or phallic image is about 20 or 25 feet from the entrance and is at the inner extremity of the cave. The grotto is rightly said to be "full of wonderful congelations" (Bernier's Travels, p. 418 note), and according to Dr. Stein, the Linga which is an embodiment of Siva Amareśvara is "a large block of transparent ice formed by the freezing of the water which oozes from the rock" (Dr. Stein's Rājatarangiṇī, vol. II, p. 409), which is evidently a dolomite rock. There is something very wonderful and curious about the formation of the Linga. The pedestal of the Linga is 7 or 8 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height. The Linga, which is 3 feet in height, rises from the centre of the pedestal with the figure of a serpent entwining it. The peculiarity of the entire formation is that it has got some connection with the moon, as it is gradually formed from day to day commencing after the day of the New Moon till it attains its full height on the day of the Full Moon: the process of forming and dissolving goes on every day, and on the day of the New Moon no sign of the image exists at all. On both sides of the Linga there are two columns of ice formation which are called Devīs. Every year in the month of Śrāvaṇa, the pilgrims start from Mārttaṇḍa (Mārtan or Bhavan) for Amarnāth escorted by the officers of the Mahārāja of Kāśmīra (JASB., 1866, p. 210). On the last day of the visit, one or two or sometimes four pigeons are said to appear, gyrating and fluttering over the temple, to the amazed gaze of the pilgrims who regard them as Hara and Pārvatī.