The ice lingam at the Amarnath cave shrine has melted much before the scheduled arrival of the holy mace (Chhari Mubarak) on August 30.
The holy
lingam (phallic symbol of Shiva) at the shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas melted 10 days back, Chief Executive Officer (Ecology), Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, Arun Kumar told
PTI.
Accusing the state goverment of delaying the transfer of land for preserving the ice
lingam,
Kumar said its preservation could not be undertaken by the Defence Research and Development Organisation this year.
Kumar said the state government had "failed to reply to our demands on land, road and infrastructure."
The melting of the holy
lingam has disappointed thousands of pilgrims who visit the shrine every year, a spokesman of the Hotels and Restaurants Association said.
Increase in temperatures inside the cave where the
lingam forms due to rush of pilgrims, use of cameras and burning of incense sticks is responsible for the
lingam's melt-down.
Abdul Lateef Dewa, Chief Executive Officer, Pahalgam Development Authority, said nearly 2.7 lakh pilgrims had
darshan of the holy
lingam this year.
Amarnath cave, where the
lingam is formed, is situated in a narrow gorge at the far end of the Lidder valley at an altitude of 3,888 meters.