As per Hinduism, the processes of God are three fold – Creation, Preservation and Destruction. The first two are attributed by Brahma and Vishnu and the the last one is attributed by Lord Shiva – the destroyer whose primary role was to purge all the obstacles and unwanted from the world cycle. The Transcendent God called Shiva is the timeless God of the universe and he alone exists as an existence itself, even before the creation of our world and can be understood as the ultimate transcendence and the supreme being.
Amarnath Caves are located in Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir at a height of 3888 mts and considered as the most revered pilgrim destinations of the Hindus. Despite not being a Jyotirling, lakhs of Hindu pilgrim brave the unfriendly mountain terrain, harsh climate and not to mention personal safety & security to have a glimpse of the icy Shiv Ling which is open to the public for a short duration from June end till August end every year. The Shivling is Swayambhu (self created) by when the water drips from the cave’s roof and starts to freeze as it touches the ground and consecutive accumulation results in formation of the Shiv Ling. One can also find two other such formations which are designated as Maa Parvati and Lord Ganesh.
It is believed that a Muslim shepherd by the name Buta Malik discovered the cave when he chanced upon a saint at a cave while grazing his sheep. There he met a saint who gave me him a bag full of coal which turned into gold when he reached home. The saint was none other than the Mahadev himself and from then on hoards of pilgrims visit the cave where one can find icy shiv ling signifying the lord himself.
For more http://karmicroutes.com/Pilgrimage/Blog/Holy_AmarnathYatra?BlogId=5
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