The ice lingam is formed by a trickle of water from a cleft in the cave’s roof. Jaipal Singh/ Express Archive The ice lingam is formed by a trickle of water from a cleft in the cave’s roof. The ecstatic shepherd ran to thank the saint but couldn’t find him — instead, he found the cave and the ice lingam. Last June, Hizbul commander Burhan Wani had issued a video statement saying the Amarnath Yatra would never be attacked. The Amarnath pilgrimage has existed in a larger narrative in which Shaivite and Sufi practices were fused together in a composite culture and tradition.

Source: Indian Express July 12, 2017 18:56 UTC