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Sacred Ice
Photograph by Yawar Nazir, Getty Images
This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.
A Hindu pilgrim worships in front of an ice stalagmite, or lingam, in a cave in Kashmir during the annual Amarnath Yatra. Between May and August each year, hundreds of thousands of Hindus make the yatra, or pilgrimage, to a remote cave in the Himalaya, to see the phallic ice structure that they believe is the mark of the god Shiva. (See "Massive Hindu Pilgrimage Melting Sacred Glacier")
The cave is one of the most revered of Hindu shrines, yet the ice stalagmite is melting, in part because of climate change, but also because of the body heat of so many visitors, scientists say. Traditionally, pilgrims arrived on foot or on horseback, picking their way along 30 miles of trail over glaciers and through mountain passes. But increasingly, wealthy visitors have been taking helicopter rides to the site, with a frequency of 300 flights a day.
Ecologists have warned that trash and waste from so many visitors is damaging the fragile alpine environment, which also serves as the headwaters of the vital Indus River.
—Brian Clark Howard
Published February 29, 2012
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Highest Point
Photograph by Natacha Giler
At 14,028 feet (4,276 meters), Mahagunas Pass is the highest point along the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage route. For disabled pilgrims like Virander Singh, whose legs were shriveled by polio, the tough 30-mile trek can take three days or more. (See a map of the region.)
Published February 29, 2012
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Dirty Snow
Photograph by Yawar Nazir, Getty Images
Hindu pilgrims and Kashmiri Bakarwals (nomads) trudge across a glacier near the sacred Amarnath Cave. To get there, pilgrims must navigate through piles of garbage, water bottles, gas cylinders, and human and animal feces.
(Related: "Goddess Glacier Melting in War-Torn Kashmir")
Published February 29, 2012
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Littering the Top of the World
Photograph by Natacha Giler
With hundreds of thousands of weary pilgrims on the route, trash and waste piles up quickly.
(Related: "India and Pakistan at Odds Over Shrinking Indus River")
Published February 29, 2012
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Crowded Camps
Photograph by Yawar Nazir, Getty Images
Thousands of pilgrims set up tents along the 30-mile Amarnath Yatra route. Indian security forces patrol the area to protect visitors from paramilitary groups that have fought for Kashmir’s independence for decades.
(Related: "The Global Water Footprint of Key Crops")
Published February 29, 2012
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Helicopter Flights
Photograph by Natacha Giler
A helicopter takes off from Baltal camp, carrying wealthy pilgrims to the sacred cave. A round-trip flight costs about $200. With about 300 flights to the cave every day, some pilgrims complain of the noise and exhaust. Scientists worry that the activity may accelerate melting of the glaciers.
(Related: "Artificial Glaciers Water Crops in India")
Published February 29, 2012
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Collecting Water
Photograph by Yawar Nazir, Getty Images
Kashmiri Muslim camp owners collect and boil water for Hindu pilgrims to use in bathing. Shakil Romshoo, a professor of science at Kashmir University, said government should limit the number of tourists and pilgrims to the region to the area’s carrying capacity, or what the area can sustainably support.
Published February 29, 2012
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Crowded Route
Photograph by Yawar Nazir, Getty Images
An aerial view of pilgrim camps along the route. Experts of the Indian National Geophysical Research Institute have said rising temperatures and the presence of so many pilgrims—who burn wood, use diesel fuel, and leave trash and animal waste—have put a lot of pressure on the fragile mountain ecosystem.
Published February 29, 2012
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Next: 8 Mighty Rivers Run Dry From Overuse >>
Photograph by Peter McBride, National Geographic
Published February 29, 2012
2 comments
Inspite of being a Hindu, I would like to say that it is very sad to see that in the name of religion people are deteriorating environment.
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