People tell the story of a Gujjar (shepherd) named Buta Malik discovering this Holy Cave. He is credited with discovering the Holy Cave. The story goes that a saint gave Buta Malik a bag full of coal. When he got home and opened the bag, he was surprised to find it full of gold coins. This filled him with ecstasy. He dashed to thank the Saint. But what he discovered was that the Saint had vanished. Instead, he discovered The Holy Cave and Shiv Lingam in. He informed the Villagers of his discovery. From then on, this has become a sacred pilgrimage site.

Another story is told in the ancient epics, and it goes like this. The Kashmir valley was submerged.It was a large body of water. Kashyap Rishi channelled the water through a network of rivers and tributaries. Bhrigu Rishi was on his way to The Himalayas at the time. He was the first person to see the Holy Cave. When people learned about the Lingam, Amarnath became Shiva’s abode and a pilgrimage site for them. Since then, millions of devotees have made the difficult pilgrimage to obtain eternal happiness.

In the month of sharavan (July – August), the devout flock to Amarnath, where the image of Shiva, in the form of a Lingam, is formed naturally of an Ice Stalagmite, which waxes and wanes with the Moon’s cycle. By its side are two more Ice Lingams, one of Maa Parvati and the other of their son, Ganesha.