Unknown Facts About Amarnath Pilgrimage

Posted by Pallavi Tyagi | Published on May 22, 2015|7,089views

Please help spread Hinduism by sharing these articles on facebook:

Among the many shrines of Lord Shiva, the cave of Amarnath is a world-famous destination. The
Shivalinga made of ice in the cave is the symbol of peoples faith and trust. The beginning of the
journey till this cave has numerous stops in between that are extremely beautiful and increases
ones faith in Lord Shiva even more.
The legendary importance of Amarnaths cave is related to the secret of immortality told to Lord
Shivas wife Parvati. When Lord Shiva was insisted by his wife to reveal the secret of immortality,
he decided to proceed towards the cave. On his way to the cave he did a few things,which were
great according to his devotees. Because of these few things, the entire way to the cave became
blissful.
Actually, in order to reveal the secret of amarakatha, Lord Shiva left his son, vehicle, etc. in
various isolated places, which is why all these places seem like tirtha sthalas.There are two ways
for Amarnath journey Pahalgam and Sonmarg Baltal. According to the legends, Lord Shiva took
the Pahalgam route to reach the cave.

Pahalgam

When Lord Shiva took Parvati to the cave to tell her the amar katha, he first left his vahana,
Nandi, at this location. This place was later called as Pahalgam. It is 96 kms from Srinagar and is
surrounded by mountain peaks.

Chandanbadi

The next place after Pahalgam is Chandanbadi. It is 16 kms from Pahalgam. According to beliefs,
Lord Shiva did a very unique thing here. Also known as Chandramauli, Lord Shiva sacrificed the
moon from his head here. The moon then waited for Lord Shiva to return here. This is how the
name of this place became Chandanbadi.

Pissu Top

Slightly ahead of Chandanbadi is Pissu Top. The importance of this place is related to the darshan
of Amarnath. According to this, for the darshan of Amarnath, a huge fight between the Gods and
demons occurred. That time with the help of Lord Shiva, the Devas defeated the demons. With
the dead bodies of the demons a mountain was formed. From then this place is known as Pissu
Top.

Sheshnag

After Pissu Top the next destination is Sheshnag. Lord Shiva had dropped the snake from his neck
here. There is a lake of blue water here, which proves that this is the place of Sheshnag. It is 12
kms from Chandanbadi

Mahagunas Mountain

It is around 4 to 5 kms from Sheshnag. It is at an altitude of 14,000 feet. It is believed that Lord
Shiva had left his beloved son Ganesha here. This place has several waterfalls and scenic
overlooks. The winters are extremely cold here.

Panchatrani
It is 6 kms from Mahagunas Mountain. It is at an altitude of 12,500 feet. It is believed that Lord
Shankara sacrificed the five Panchabhutas here, i.e. space, air, water, fire and earth. Here there is
the confluence of five rivers. It is believed that the five rivers flowing here come out from the
tangles of Lord Shivas hair.

Amarnath Cave

This is the final destination of the journey. The cave is situated at an altitude of 13,500 feet. The
path of 3 kms to the cave is covered with snow. After crossing the river of ice, the cave is finally
seen. The cave is about 100 feet long and 150 feet wide. In this cave the ice Shivalinga is formed.
In this cave Lord Shiva told the secret of immortality to Mother Parvati.

19 Avatars of Lord Shiva

Shiva is present everywhere! As Adi Shankaracharya said, Forgive me, Oh Shiva, my three great
sins! I came on a pilgrimage to Kashi forgetting that you are omnipresent. In thinking about you, I
forgot that You are beyond thought. In praying to you, I forgot that You are beyond words. To
sustain law and balance of nature Lord Shiva took many avatars in various yugas. In Shiva
Mahapurana there is a mention of these avatars. Here are a few:

Piplaad Avatar
As per the legends, Shiva was born as Piplaad to sage Dhatichi. The sage left his son even before
he was born. Upset without his father Piplaad asked the devas why his father left him. They told
him that the unfortunate circumstances were formed because of the planetary position of Shani.
On learning this, Piplaad cursed Shani and Shani started falling down from his celestial abode.
Piplaad forgave Shani on the condition that he will not trouble anyone before 16 years of age. It is
believed that praying to this form of Lord Shiva helps people to get rid of Shani Dosha. According
to Shiva Purana, Lord Brahma had named this avatar of Lord Shiva.

Veerabhadra Avatar

Sati was the youngest daughter of Daksha, the king of all men. When Sati grew up she married
Lord Shiva, much to the displeasure of her father. One day Daksha made arrangements for a
great yagna, and invited all the gods omitting only Lord Shiva. Satis urge to go to her home due
to the affection towards her parents overpowered the social etiquette for not going to an
uninvited ceremony. Daksha insulted her and Shiva in front of others. Unable to bear further
trauma she ran into the sacrificial fire.
When Lord Shiva came to know about this, with deep sorrow and anger he plucked a lock of hair
and threw it on the ground. Lord Veerabhadra and Rudrakali were born. Virabhadra is believed to
be the destroyer of ajnana, his tall body reached the high heavens, he was dark as the clouds,

three burning eyes, and fiery hair; he wore a garland of skulls and carried terrible weapons. To
provide him power, Bhadrakali arrived, a wrathful incarnation on Devi.
On the direction of Shiva, Virabhadra appeared in the midst of Dakshas assembly like a storm
and broke the sacrificial vessels, polluted the offerings, insulted the priests and finally cut off
Dakshas head, trampled on Indra, broke the staff of Yama, scattered the gods on every side;
then he returned to Kailash.

Bhairava Avatar

Bhairava, sometimes known as Kaala Bhairava, Kal Bhairab, Annadhaani Bhairava, Bhairon or
Bhairadya, is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation. The origin of
Bhairava can be traced to the conversation between Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu recounted in

Shiva Maha-Purana where Lord Vishnu asks Lord Brahma who is the supreme creator of the
universe. Arrogantly, Brahma tells Vishnu to worship him because he (Brahma) is the supreme
creator. This angered Shiva who then incarnated in the form of Bhairava to punish Brahma.
Bhairava beheaded one of Brahmas five heads and since then Brahma has only four heads.
When depicted as Kala Bhairava, Bhairava is shown carrying the severed head of Brahma.
Cutting off Brahmas fifth head made him guilty of the crime of killing a brahmin (Brahma Hatya
Paapa), and as a result, he had to carry around the disembodied skull for twelve years and roam
as Bhikshatana, a mendicant, until he had been absolved of the sin. In the form of the frightful
Bhairava, Shiva is said to be guarding each of the Shaktipeethas. Each Shaktipeetha temple is
accompanied by a temple dedicated to Lord Bhairava.

Ashwatthama
According to Mahabharata, the son Dronacharya, Ashwatthama is an amsha of Lord Shivas kaal,
krodh (anger) and yam (death). During Samudra Manthan, Halahaal the fuming posion capable of
burning universe appeared and all Dev Danav Manav Yaksha Gandharva fled. All of them along
with Lord Vishnu and Lord Bramha came to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva consumed Halahaal and held it
in his throat. However unable to bear its consequences it started burning him.
The Vish purush sprung out of him folded his palms, Lord Shiva asked him that although Lord
Vishnu and me didnt let you kill the people yet in Dwapar Yuga but during Mahabharat war, with
my blessings, you will be able to kill oppressive kshatriyas. You will be born as Bhardwajas
grandson and be raised as Brahman but attracted towards Kshatriyahood. This Vish purush was
born as Ashwatthama to Drona and Kripi.

Sharabha Avatar
Sharabha is a creature that is part lion and part bird. According to Sanskrit literature, Sharabha is
an eight-legged beast, mightier than a lion and elephant and which can kill the lion. In later
literature, Sharabha is described as an eight-legged deer. Shiv puran narrates that god Shiva
assumed the Avatar of Sharabha to tame Narasimha the fierce man-lion avatar of Vishnu
worshipped by Vaishnava sect into a normal pleasant form representing harmony. This form is
popularly known as Sarabeshwara (Lord Sarabha) or Sharabeshwaramurti.

Grihapati Avatar
Once upon a time, there used to live a brahmin named Vishwanar who was a great devotee of
lord Shiva. Shuchismati was his devoted wife. Shuchismati expressed her desire of having a son
just like lord Shiva. Vishwanar went to Kashi to please Lord Shiva by his penance. He worshipped
Vishveshwar linga with supreme devotion. Lord Shiva became very pleased by his devotion and
he appeared before Vishwanar from the Shivalinga. When Vishwanar expressed his desire, lord
Shiva agreed to take birth as his Son.
In due course of time, Shuchismati gave birth to a beautiful child. Lord Brahma named the child
as Grihapati. When Grihapati attained the age of six, he was proficient in all the Vedas and other
sacred texts. When Grihapati attained the age of nine, Narada came and informed Vishwanar that
death of Grihapati was imminent because of the evil effects of the planetary combinations.
Grihapati then consoled his parents and proceeded towards Kashi to do penance so that the
death could be conquered.
Grihapati commenced his penance at Kashi. Indra arrived there and requested him to demand
anything he wished but Grihapati refused. Indra became furious and tried to attack him with his
Vajra. Grihapati was very terrified. Right then Lord Shiva appeared and Indra had to retreat from
the scene. Lord Shiva blessed Grihapati by saying even Kaalvajra would not be able to kill you.

Grihapati became very pleased. The Shivalinga which he worshipped, later on became famous as
Agnishwar linga. Lord Shiva made Grihapati the lord of all the directions.

Hanuman
Lord Shiva was so infatuated by the appearance of lord Vishnu in his form of Mohini during Amrita
Manthana episode that his semen was released on the ground. This semen was established by
the Saptarishis in the womb of Anjani, with the permission of lord Shiva himself. In this way was
born the mighty Hanuman, who is considered an amsha of Lord Shiva.

Rishabha Avatar
After the churning of the ocean had been accomplished, Lord Vishnu made the deities drink all
the nectar. When the demons came to know about this, they became very furious and attacked
the deities. Ultimately the demons got defeated. To save their lives the demon ran towards their
abode. Lord Vishnu chased the demons and killed them. However, he got infatuated by some
enchanting beauties. During his stay in the Patal Lok, many sons were born to Lord Vishnu, who
were very wicked and cruel. These sons of lord Vishnu started tormenting the inhabitants of all
the three worlds.
All the deities and the sages went to lord Shiva to take his help. Lord Shiva went to the Patal Lok
in the form of a Ox (Vrishabh). He killed all the sons of lord Vishnu with his sharp horns. Seeing
the death of his sons, lord Vishnu came forward to fight him. He attacked lord Shiva, but lord
Shiva couldnt be conquered. Ultimately lord Vishnu was able to recognise him and returned back
to Vishnuloka.

Yatinath Avatar
There used to live a bheel named Aahuk on the Arbudachal mountain. His wife was Aahuka and
both of them were supreme devotee of lord Shiva. Once, lord Shiva wanting to test their
devotion, appeared before them disguised a hermit Yatinath. Aahuk honoured his guest and
treated him very well. Lord Shiva then requested him to give shelter for the whole night. Aahuk
expressed his inability as he had a very small hut, in which only two people could be
accommodate at a time.
But his wife intervened and requested Aahuk to sleep outside the hut with his arms, as it would
be inappropriate on their part to miss this chance of proving their hospitality. The hermit, who in
reality was lord Shiva and Aahuks wife slept inside the hut, while Aahuk himself slept outside.
Unfortunately Aahuk was killed by a wild animal while he was asleep. In the morning when lord
Shiva found that Aahuk had died, his heart was filled with grief.
But Aahuka consoled him and decided to give up her life by jumping into the burning pyre. Right
then lord Shiva appeared in his real form and blessed her by saying In his next birth your
husband would take birth in a royal family. He would become Nala and you would be born as
Damayanti. I would myself appear in the form of a swan and help both of you to unite. After
saying this, lord Shiva established himself as immovable Shivalinga, which later on became
famous as Achaleshwar linga.

Krishna Darshan Avatar

Once there was a King Nabhag who, during his childhood, left his home for gurukula to get
education. In his absence his brothers got the wealth of the kingdom distributed among
themselves. When Nabhag returned home after the completion of his education, he demanded

his share of wealth. His brothers told him that they had forgotten to fix his share as he was
absent at the time of distribution. They advised him to go and meet their father.
Nabhag went to his father and made the same request. His father advised him to go to sage
Angiras who was trying to accomplish a yagya, but was not being able to accomplish it because
of his attachment. Nabhag did the same. He went to the place where sage Angiras was
performing his yagya. He preached sage Angiras on the virtues of Religiousness. As a result the
sage became free from all sorts of attachments and the yagya was successfully accomplished.
Sage Angiras was very pleased by Nabhags knowledge of religion. He gave all the remaining
wealth of the yagya to Nabhag. Just then lord Shiva arrived there in his incarnation of Krishna
Darshan and tried to prevent sage Angiras from donating the wealth to Nabhag, instead he
staked his own claim. Nabhag told lord Shiva that, since the wealth was given to him by sage
Angiras himself, it naturally belonged to him.
Lord Shiva then sent Nabhag to his father Shradhadev to know about his opinion. Nabhag went to
Shradha deva who revealed to him that the person who was staking his claims on the wealth was
none other then lord Shiva. He also told him that whatever remained after the accomplishment of
the yagya belongs to lord Shiva only. He went back to lord Shiva and worshipped him. Lord Shiva
blessed him which helped Nabhag to attain salvation.

Bhikshuvarya Avatar
There was a king named Satyarath who ruled over Vidarbha. Once he was attacked by a
neighbouring king and got killed in that battle. His wife somehow managed to save her life by
hiding in a forest. The queen was pregnant at that time. At the shore of a pond she gave birth to
a child. She was feeling thirsty, so she went into the pond to quench her thirst. Unfortunately she
was killed by a crocodile who used to live in that pond.The hungry child started crying- A beggar
woman arrived there with her one year old child. Though her heart was filled with compassion
seeing the hungry child cry but still she was hesitating to take him in her lap. Right then lord
Shiva appeared as a beggar and advised her to bring up the orphan child.

Sureshwar Avatar
Upamanyu the son of sage Vyaghrapaad, was brought up in his maternal uncles home since his
childhood. One day Upanyu he was crying for milk when his mother told him that if he wanted
milk then he should worship lord Shiva as he only was capable of making the milk available.
Upamanyu proceeded towards the Himalaya and started doing penance to please lord Shiva. His
penance generated so much of heat that all the three worlds started burning.
To test his devotion, Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati appeared before him disguised as Indra and
Indrani respectively. Both of them told Upamanyu to stop doing penance. They said We Indra
and Indrani are extremely pleased by your devotion. Stop worshipping Shiva. We will fulfill all
your desires. Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati did not stop at this. They even cursed Shiva.
Upamanyu became very furious and got up to attack the abuser Indra.
Shiva and Parvati were satisfied by his total dedication and devotion. They revealed their real
identity and blessed him. Shiva promised Upamanyu that he would be present in the vicinity of
his hermitage along with Parvati forever. Upamanyu returned back to his home and narrated the
whole story to his mother who was very pleased. Lord Shiva got the name Sureshwar because
he appeared in the guise of Indra.

Keerat Avatar

Once, Arjuna was performing a tremendous penance to please lord Shiva. Duryodhan had sent a
demon named Mooka to kill Arjuna. Mooka had disguised himself as a boar. Arjuna was engrossed
in his meditation, when suddenly his concentration got disturbed by a loud noise. He opened his
eyes and saw Mooka being chased by a Kirat. In fact it was none other than Shiva who had
appeared in the guise of Kirat. Both Arjuna and Lord Shiva struck the boar with their respective
arrows at the same time. A disagreement broke between Arjuna and Kirat (Shivas avatar) over
who killed the boar. Arjuna challenged Shiva for a dual. Shiva was very much impressed by his
valour. He revealed his real identity. Arjuna was very ashamed that he fought with Shiva but Lord
Shiva consoled him and gave his weapon Pashupat to Arjuna.

Sunatnartak
Lord Shiva had taken this form to ask the hand of Parvati from her father, Himalaya.

Yaksheshwar
After defeating the demons and driking Amrit the deities very arrogant. Lord Shiva was very
concerned about their arrogant nature. He went to them in the guise of a Yaksha. He asked as to
what was it that had made them so arrogant. The deities replied that their arrogance stemmed
from victory over the demons. Lord Shiva who was disguised as Yaksha replied- Your pride is
based on false notion, because you did not achieve victory due to somebodys grace and
blessing.
Lord Shiva then asked them to cut the grass if they considered themselves so mighty. He then
kept a grass leaf in front of them. Each of the deities tried to cut that grass with their respective
weapons but remained unsuccessful in their attempts. Suddenly a heavenly voice was heard
which said that the Yaksha was none other than Lord Shiva himself. The deities realized their
mistakes and apologized to lord Shiva.
Related Articles

The Return of Gobind Dev Temple at Vrindavan

Nrsimhadev Shrines in Andhra Pradesh: Mangalagiri

Temple in Kerala Guarded by Devotee Crocodile for ...

Ancient History of Tirupati from Varaha Purana

Sri Ratna Bhandar of Srimandir

14 Pictures of Ahobilam, Holy Place of Lord Narasi...

Next Article: Soma Elixir of the Gods

Previous Article:

22 comments on Unknown Facts About Amarnath Pilgrimage

1.

Surendra ullal on May 22, 2015 at 9:38 pm said:

A great explanation about Lord Shiva his love for his devotees and various acts of kindness he
performed for the joy of his devotees.

Reply

2.

vijaya on May 23, 2015 at 1:22 am said:

its a wonderful recollection of my trip to barfili baba yathra in 1994. thank you so much.

Reply

3.

binay on May 23, 2015 at 2:54 am said:

Thanx Sir.!! A very informative artcle. Many of us, may not be knowing @ various avtars of. Shiv ji. ( I
avoid calling Him Lord. Is He a membr of house of Lords of one europian country? ).
Many thanxs.

Reply

4.

Babujee Datta on May 23, 2015 at 2:56 am said:

There is another offshoot to the matter of Lord Shiva telling Mata Parvati the secrets of immortality
(Amartwatta). In the comfort of the Amarnath cave, Parvati became drowsy and went to sleep. But
Lord Shiva with his eyes closed continued to recite the secrets of immortality for her. Every time the
Lord asked Parvati if she was listening she replied, Hoom. After the recitation was over Parvati woke
up and asked her husband why had he stopped his recitation? Lord Shiva was surprised and told her
that every time he had asked her if she was listening, she had replied, Hoom. He then looked around
the cave if there was anyone else who had been responding to his queries to Parvati. He then saw two
white birds sitting on the ledge of the cave above the place he and Parvati were sitting. It was the male
bird that had been cooing that sounded like Hoom. As the birds had heard the full mystery of Lord
Shivas recitation, they had attained immortality. Ever since, few lucky pilgrims who go to the
Amarnath caves for darshan, have said that they have seen these two birds at that location, which
defies any rationality as no bird can survive in such hostile environment.
Babujee Datta

Reply

5.

CHAKRADHAR YARRAMSETTI on May 23, 2015 at 3:26 am said:

it is a small effort to show gratitude about the GODS discrimination or elevating the Amarnath
Pilgrimage.
this article will inspire certain devotees to pray his permission to visit such wordless place.
aum sri sai ram

Reply

6.

S M Rao on May 23, 2015 at 3:33 am said:

Very informative and useful narration. I myself went to Amarnath two times and saw all these places. A
vague information was provided by the accompanying pilgrims and guides. This is very good. Thanks a
lot for the pains taken.

Reply

7.

Bhargavaram on May 23, 2015 at 4:42 am said:

Good , elaborate article on ESHWARA and his manifestations in different form . Actually speaking, all
those incarnations are as only AMSHSA so as to say just a part of ESHWARA . As the AMSHSA is just
a part of ESHWARA , and they cannot be called as SAMPOORNA AVATAARA .
Bhargavaram

Reply

8.

HARBANS SAWHNEY on May 23, 2015 at 5:17 amsaid:

very nice article,.i worship HUNUMANJI,now i know i worship shivas avtar,lot of joy,bliss

Reply

9.

HARBANS SAWHNEY on May 23, 2015 at 5:19 amsaid:

very informative article about shiv avtars.I recite Hanuman chalisa daily,now I am happy to discover,it
is for Shiva too

Reply

10.

Sanjay Banerjee on May 23, 2015 at 6:00 am said:

A very well documented lively presentation, which makes us knowledgeable.

Reply

11.

Shiv Bhakt on May 23, 2015 at 6:59 am said:

Very Nice article about greatest Lord, the LORD SHIV.

Thanks. please keep posting such a good article.

Reply

Pandit Kishor Dutt Maharajon May 23, 2015 at 10:46 am said:

This reminds me of my pilgrimage to Kailashi Parvat. Darbhanga was a miracle. Wish you would start
up a dialogue on the Mount Kailash subject.
Reply

12.

Gaurishankar Dubey on May 23, 2015 at 9:32 amsaid:

The article is very elaborate and informative.

Lord Shiva is omnipresent.Shiva is beyond words.
Warm Regards and heart felt thanks from the cre of the heart.

Reply

13.

Dr Rajeeb Kumar Sharma on May 23, 2015 at 10:17 am said:

This is wonderful information.This will enrich our devotion towards Lord Shiva. We will be happy to
receive information on similar topics

Reply

14.

S.CHANDRASEKHAR on May 23, 2015 at 11:12 amsaid:

Very nice and interesting

Reply

15.

Neelam Mittal on May 23, 2015 at 12:07 pm said:

very beautiful and informative article.

Reply

16.

Kaumaaram on May 23, 2015 at 1:11 pm said:

Nicely presented. OM Nama: Shivaya; Hara Hara Mahadev

Reply

17.

Vaideeswaran.M.S. on May 23, 2015 at 3:37 pm said:

Really a wonderful and informative article.

Reply

18.

narasimha on May 23, 2015 at 4:04 pm said:

please send articles of parasara samhita about HANUMAN, avatar of lord shiva

Reply

19.

Bhimasankaram Sampara on May 23, 2015 at 4:52 pm said:

Lord Siva is in Himalayas doing penance .I went by riding a pony along with other thousands of
piligrims to Kedarnathji temple probably contemplating in my mind about the Lord and how He would
appear in the temple.When I reached the temple and went inside dozens of rajasthani women
arranging jyothis there in the central place and I could not locate the Lord. At right lower part of the
temple I saw a group of mountain peeks arranged very closely. Disappointed I was coming out of the
temple and saw to my hearts break Lord Siva sitting by the Rt side of the temple in the yogasana with
closed eyes.His folded knee is higher than the temple peak and His face is looking towards the temple
and taller than the mountains behind Him in the sitting posture.I saw Him there with my own eyes and
confirmed that it is not a presumption and not a dream and I asked my wife standing by my side on the
platform about the Lord appearance.But she saw none. there to her eyes.I confirmed that Lord Siva
gave His darsan to me and felt blessed thousand times for His grace bestowed on me

Reply

20.

ANANTA PRASAD PANDA on May 23, 2015 at 5:35 pm said:

My warm regards and heartful thanks to you. A beautiful narration about Lord Shiva which gives lot of
information in nut shell to us. Once again , my Warm Regards.

Reply

21.

Raghu. panditji from new zealand on May 23, 2015 at 7:43 pm said:

I am extremely happy on reading the avatars of Lord shiva early mornin. What a great bo morning on
to read earlymorning. One who has Fath he is the most blessed person on the earth. One thing is sure,
god will never let down any person at any cost though this person shall forget good. Radhe radhe
raghu panditji

Reply

Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Name

Email

Website

Comment

Post Comment

Subscribe to Newsletter
Sign up for our email newsletter to keep up to date with our activities.

Subscribe

Ask a Question
Do you have a question? Please write to us.

Ask a Question