Shive ling in ICE !!

For the Hindu, the Himalaya abounds in pilgrimage spots. There are sacred sites near rivers, mountains, caves... The landscape is high in religious density, giving to the whole region a sanctity that permeates the casual visitor even as it astounds the religious-minded for whom a pilgrimage is the high point of their lives

In the religious barometer, Amarnath (3,888 metres) located in a narrow gorge in Jammu and Kashmir, has a high reading. Legend has it that Lord Shiva recounted to Goddess Parvati the secret of creation in a cave there. Unknown to them, a pair of mating doves eavesdropped on the conversation. It is believed that the pair of doves have made the cave their eternal abode and are reborn again and again. Even today many pilgrims report seeing a pair of doves at the end of their trek to the ice-lingam (the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva) at Amarnath.

During Shravan (July-August), the devoted flock to the cave where the ice stalagmite is flanked by two more ice-lingams , those of goddess Parvati and her son, the elephant-headed god, Ganesha. The regularity of the devotion is matched only by the pair of doves (the original couple?) that has, till today, not taken flight.

Yet another linga was found in Uttaranchal. Here, an over 100-feet deep cave forms the holy altar of Lord Shiva.

Patal Bhuvaneshwar in the Kumaon hills encapsulates in stone aeons of Hindu mythology. It is believed that a king discovered the cave and that the first guru, Shankaracharya, consecrated it. For the last eight centuries, the same family of priests has been performing worship in that spot. Each day, the priest descends 82 steps into the earth through a three-feet-high opening that serves as a comprehensive introduction to Hindu mythology.

The stalactites that loom ahead are said to be the jatas or tresses of Lord Shiva and the fearsome snake that can be dimly seen is none other than Sheshnaga -teeth, jaws and poison sac all in place as he keeps to his mighty duty of holding up the world.

Patal Bhuvaneshwar, in fact, has more than one connection with snakes. It is said to be the site of a havana kund (a sacrifice) held by a son whose father had been cursed with death by a snake bite. His father was a king-Raja Parikshat, much liked by the gods. But despite the havana, which destroyed all snakes, the curse came to pass. A snake hid in a flower basket given to the king, as an offering for the ceremony by Lord Brahma and stung the king.

However, death is hardly the theme of the cave, which is more a site for prayers to grant liberation. There is a hollow in the rocks that is said to represent the mouth of Kal Bhairav’s mount, a dog. If the visitor can go inside it and reach the tail, he is sure to end the cycle of birth and rebirth. If not, one can always go to the sanctum sanctorum and pray for eternal freedom to the copper-gilded Shivalinga, the symbol of a god who is the very embodiment of paradox and duality; who brings the universe to an end with his dance of destruction (tandava ); who grants moksha (liberation or nirvana ) with the mere bestowal of grace; who plays the besotted lover to goddess Parvati and is yet the supreme ascetic.

At Patal Bhuvaneshwar, his lingam resides in the womb of the earth, along with the figures and legends of mythology. No mortal has yet prised open their mouths to reveal who sculpted them in a silent frenzy of stone.