It is dedicated to Shiva. The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m. It 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 except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims. Inside the Amarnath cave, the lingam is formed due to freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave on to the floor and grows up vertically from the cave floor.[4] It is considered to be a Shiva Linga by Hindus.The Cave waxes during May to August, as snow melts in the Himalayas above the cave and the resultant water seeps into the rocks that form the cave and gradually wanes thereafter. As per the religious beliefs, it has been claimed that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon reaching its height during the summer festival.
Thousands of Hindu devotees make an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave on challenging mountainous terrain to Darshan the Lingam. The Trek via Pahalgam to Amarnth is covered in 02 to 03 days distance of stop overs are Chandanwari 16 km , Pissu top – 19.6 km , Sheshnag 25.6 km Panjtarni 40 & holy cave 46 kms.