From the archive record
A high-altitude meadow on the route to Amarnath Cave, with a makeshift helipad for emergency evacuations, rows of tents for pilgrims and visitors, snow peaks in the distance, and a meadow that has turned into a temporary township - images from the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage that takes place each summer/monsoon in the valleys above Pahalgam in Kashmir, India. Amarnath cave is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is dedicated to Shiva. The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), about 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir and reached through Pahalgam town. The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism, and is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism. The cave is surrounded by snowy mountains. The cave itself is covered