According to legend, Bhrigu Muni was the first to have discovered Amarnath. A long time ago, it is believed that the Valley of Kashmir was submerged underwater, and Kashyap Muni drained it through a series of rivers and rivulets. As a result, when the waters drained, Bhrigu Muni was the first to have darshan of Lord Amarnath. Thereafter, when people heard of the lingam, it became an abode of Lord Bholenath for all believers and the site of an annual pilgrimage, traditionally performed by lakhs of people in July and August during the Hindu holy month of Shravan.[10] According to researchers and as per the belief of locals, the gadaria community were the first to discover the Amaranth cave and saw the first glimpse of Baba Barfani.
According to legend, Bhrigu Muni was the first to have discovered Amarnath. A long time ago, it is believed that the Valley of Kashmir was submerged underwater, and Kashyap Muni drained it through a series of rivers and rivulets. As a result, when the waters drained, Bhrigu Muni was the first to have darshan of Lord Amarnath. Thereafter, when people heard of the lingam, it became an abode of Lord Bholenath for all believers and the site of an annual pilgrimage, traditionally performed by lakhs of people in July and August during the Hindu holy month of Shravan.[10] According to researchers and as per the belief of locals, the gadaria community were the first to discover the Amaranth cave and saw the first glimpse of Baba Barfani..
The peak pilgrimage occurs when the iced stalagmite Shiv lingam reaches the apex of its waxing phase through the summer months.[12] The July–August popular annual Hindu pilgrimage, undertaken by up to 600,000 or more pilgrims to the 130 feet (40 m)-high glacial Amarnath cave shrine of iced stalagmite Shiv linga at 12,756 feet (3,888 m) in the Himalayas, is called Amarnath Yatra.[13][14][15][16] It begins with a 43 kilometres (27 mi) mountainous trek from the Nunwan and Chandanwari base camps at Pahalgam and reaches cave-shrine after night halts at Sheshnag Lake and Panchtarni camps.[17] The yatra is both a way of earning revenue by the state government by imposing tax on pilgrims,[18][19] and making living by the local Shia Muslim Bakarwal-Gujjars by taking a portion of revenue and by offering services to the Hindu pilgrims, and this source of income has been threatened by the Kashmiri militant groups who have harassed and attacked the yatra numerous times,[20][21][22] [23] causing killings and massacres, with at least 59 people killed till July 2017 on this yatra causing death of mostly Hindu pilgrims, at least 10 Muslim civilians, and security forces personne
The Harkat-ul-Mujahideen group had in the past imposed what it called a "ban" on the yatra in 1994, 1995 and 1998 while threatening the pilgrims of "serious consequences".[29] The Amarnath pilgrimage was suspended in July 2016 due to the Kashmir unrest.[30] A section of Sufis and Shias later demanded resumption of the Yatra. Kalbe Jawad, a Shia cleric and general secretary of Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Hind and Sufi Cleric Syed Hasnain Baqai expressed concern that the tradition had been suspended because of upheaval in Kashmir.
