Climate change devours Amarnath lingam

Abhishek Behl


The melting ice-lingam in the Amarnath cave shrine is just a signal of the things to come. It calls for long term plans to address the issue instead of stop-gap arrangements.



THE MELTING of the holy Shiv Lingam for the past few years at the Amarnath cave shrine has been an agonizing event for most of the devotees, who make the arduous trek to the holy shrine fighting the elements. But, from another perspective this also sends a message that Shiva-the supreme lord is not happy with human beings and is not willing to give darshan. The ice lingam at the Amarnath caves used to remain frozen for months in the previous years but extreme changes in climatic conditions have made it impossible for the phenomenon to continue. The holy ice lingam which is formed every year due to a natural process has been melting prematurely due to the extreme heat being witnessed in the area for the past few years.

Notwithstanding the simple fact that global warming has initiated a number of climatic changes, the controversy surrounding the melting of the ice lingam at the Amarnath Cave shrine has become a perennial feature. This controversy will linger on till the yatra is over like it has been happening for the past few years. Putting the responsibility for the melting of the lingam squarely on the State Government, Chief Executive Officer (Ecology) of the Shri Amar Nath Shrine Board, Arun Kumar in an interview said that this happened due to delay in the transfer of land for preserving the ice lingam. Governor SK Sinha, who also presides over the Shrine Board, however, blamed the weather for the melting of the holy lingam, adding, that he had witnessed it in full during an earlier visit.

Last year also, a huge controversy had broken out over the alleged tampering with the ice-lingam at the cave shrine, which had forced the authorities to order a judicial inquiry into the matter. It is not beyond comprehension that religious sensibilities are hurt, when a pilgrim is not able to have darshan of the very deity for which he/she has travelled thousands of kilometers. But it must be accepted that that humans are very much responsible for the melting of this lingam. It is worthwhile to mention that June 26 night was one of the hottest nights in the Kashmir valley when the minimum temperature was recorded at above 22 degree Celsius.

The temperature inside the cave rises not only due to the increasingly warm days in the area but also due to human activity which includes burning of candles, incense sticks as well as the heat generated from human bodies. A warning must be read into the study conducted by the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) and Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE) last year which said that the glacier cover of the Amarnath cave has receded by 100 meters. Since, Amarnath shrine is part of a natural glacier it is important that this pilgrimage respects the biotic environment of the area and it remains undisturbed.

Putting aside the controversies, the time has come for the Amarnath Yatra Shrine Board, J&K government and State Pollution Control authorities to take necessary steps to prevent the melting of the holy lingam which is also a signal of the damage done to the environment. A concerted effort by the stakeholders can ensure that pilgrims from all over the country and even from abroad do not have to face the specter of a vanishing lingam. The state government and Shrine Board should get in touch with DRDO and put in place a technological system which will ensure that temperature is kept at freezing point inside the cave. At the macro level the government of Jammu and Kashmir will have to act fast and check the increasing depletion of state forests which is one of the prime reasons for extreme variations in weather.

Pollution caused by the pilgrims also acts as a major problem in the area and the State Pollution Control Board has an important role to play in this regard. It must educate the pilgrims and also ensure that the leftovers do not create an ecological crisis in the area.

All these indications suggest that the time has come for a concerted action. While in the short run, the melting lingam can be saved by using technology but permanent solutions are needed to reverse the havoc wrought by us on mother Earth. Whatever has been done cannot be undone but the melting lingam every year is sending the message that we have to act fast and find a remedy. Or else there is the danger that like the holy lingam the human race might melt into oblivion due to its own follies.