Ice-lingam at Amarnath Cave shrine melts,‘It was expected’: Experts

5 Dariya News (Rouf Pampori)

Srinagar 11-Aug-2015

Yet again the Ice-lingam at Amarnath Cave shrine  has melted even before the annual pilgrimage enters into the last phase. Experts believe that increasing temperature from last couple of days, less snowfall in winters and rising ambience temperature of the cave has resulted in the melting of the Ice-lingam.Reports said that the flow of Yatri’s have come down drastically from last few days after the word about Ice-lingam melting has spread among the pilgrims coming from outside states. “For the first time I have seen lesser number of yatri’s visiting the cave. The inclement weather and the melting of Ice-lingam can be the two major factors that have stopped Yatri’s from visiting the cave,” a doctor at Baltal base camp told CNS.

Eyewitnesses told CNS that 90 per cent of yatri’s have abandoned the Baltal route after cloud burst struck the base camp. “I have not seen a single Yatri’s present in the Shadipora Sumbal camp. Majority of the Yatri’s who wished to visit the cave returned back to their native places after the cloud burst incident,” said a ponnywalla.“We have been sitting idle. Our business has affected a great deal as the ice-lingam has melted. Yatri’s visit the cave with the sole purpose to have a glimpse of lingam and in absence of lingam, they don’t prefer to go there,” ponnywallas said.Sonam Lotus, director, Meteorological Center Kashmir told CNS that this year Srinagar witnesses more heat than Jammu and it was expected the Ice-Lingam at Amarnath cave will melt before the yatra ends. “On an average the maximum temperature has been hovering between 19 to 20 degrees Celsius near the Amarnath cave site. Minimum temperature never dropped to zero degree Celsius since the onset of yatra and so one should not get surprised why lingam melted this year so early,”

Shankar Acharaya Swami Adhakshjan Dentrith told CNS that this is not the first time that lingam has melted. “It melts every year, depending upon the temperature,” he said.“I had been to Baltal and talked to number of yatri’s who informed me that lingam has melted. They were moving back to their native places with grim faces,” said Hindu scholar Swami Agnivesh.This year the 60 days yatra started on July 2 and it will culminate on Raksha Bandan which falls on August 29. An official from Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) confirmed that the flow of yatri’s has come down as the ice-lingam has started melting. “More than three lakh pilgrims visited the holy cave so far,” he said. (CNS)