From the archive record
Hindu pilgrims and their guides ride ponies over the glaciers along the Amarnath trekking route in Kashmir, India. Hindu pilgrims brave sub zero temperature and high latitude passes and make their pilgrimage to reach the sacred Amarnath cave, which houses a lingam - a stylized phallus, worshiped by Hindus as a symbol of God Shiva. 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 with snow most of the year