• Incredible journey: Thousands of Hindus make pilgrimage to Himalayan shrine

    Kevin Frayer / AP

    Pilgrims line up to enter the Amarnath cave, one of the most revered Hindu shrines, on June 29, 2012 in Indian Kashmir.

    Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

    Hindu pilgrims walk along a mountain path as they make their pilgrimage to the sacred Amarnath Cave on June 30, 2012 near Baltal.

    Photographers Kevin Frayer and Daniel Berehulak joined thousands of pilgrims on a trek to the remote Himalayan shrine of Amarnath, which stands at an altitude of 3,888 meters (12,756 feet).

    Getty Images reports:

    Hindu devotees brave sub-zero temperatures to hike over glaciers and high altitude mountain passes to reach the sacred Amarnath cave, which houses an ice stalagmite, a stylized phallus, worshiped by Hindus as a symbol of the god Shiva.

    More than 700,000 Hindu pilgrims are expected to take part in this year's two-month pilgrimage, according to local officials, putting strains on the environment and political stability of the region, which has long fought for independence from India.

    See pictures of last year's pilgrimage to Amarnath on PhotoBlog

    Kevin Frayer / AP

    A Hindu holy man wearing little clothing walks down a snowy hill during the traditional journey to the Amarnath cave, near Panitarni on June 28, 2012.

    Kevin Frayer / AP

    Pilgrims wearing track suits rest on the journey to the Amarnath cave on June 30, 2012.

    Kevin Frayer / AP

    The camp for Hindu pilgrims is seen at the Amarnath cave, near Sangam on June 29, 2012.

    Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

    A pilgrim is carried on a palanquin by Kashmiri bearers over a glacier on her way to the sacred Amarnath Cave on June 29, 2012.

    Kevin Frayer / AP

    A Hindu holy man gestures to well-wishers as he is carried down a trail, near Panitarni on June 28, 2012.

    Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

    A young pilgrim cries as he struggles along the path as he walks with his family during their pilgrimage to the sacred Amarnath Cave on June 28, 2012 near Baltal.

    Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

    Pilgrims line up for a meal at a Lungar facility providing free food, near Baltal on June 29, 2012.

    Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images

    Pilgrims walk along a mountain trail during their pilgrimage to the sacred Amarnath Cave on June 30, 2012.

     

  • Tens of thousands trek high into the mountains to visit Amarnath cave

    Mukhtar Khan / AP

    Hindu pilgrims climb a hill to the Amarnath cave, near Baltal, India, June 25.

    Fayaz Kabli / Reuters

    Soldiers from India's Border Security Force (BSF) keep watch as Hindu pilgrims make their way to the holy cave of Lord Shiva, June 25.

    Tauseef Mustafa / AFP - Getty Images

    A Hindu devotee is carried by porters during her pilgrimage from Baltal Base Camp to the holy Amarnath Cave Shrine, in Baltal on June 25.

    Fayaz Kabli / Reuters

    Hindu pilgrims travel by horseback and by foot, beside a glacier-fed stream during their annual pilgrimage to holy cave of Lord Shiva, in Pishutop, 114 km (71 miles) southeast of Srinagar June 25.

    Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims trek through treacherous mountains in Kashmir, along icy streams, glacier-fed lakes and frozen passes, to reach the Amarnath cave, located at an altitude of 3,800 metres (12,467 feet). There, devotees worship an ice an icy stalagmite representing Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction.

    Story from the Times of India: 12,000 pilgrims arrive for Amarnath Yatra

    More about the cave and shrine.

     

  • Half a million Hindu pilgrims hike to icy cave shrine

    The AP reports that at least half a million Hindu pilgrims are making the pilgrimage to the icy Amarnath cave shrine, which lies 13,500 feet above sea level in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Hindus worship a stalagmite inside the cave as an incarnation of the Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration.

    Altaf Qadri / AP

    Hindu pilgrims make their way to the Amarnath cave shrine over a glacier near Panchtarni, 93 miles from Srinagar, India, on July 27.

    Altaf Qadri / AP

    A Kashmiri Muslim horseman tries to comfort a crying Hindu child before resuming their trek towards the holy Amarnath cave shrine from Sheeshnag on July 27.

    Altaf Qadri / AP

    Hindu pilgrims trek towards the Amarnath cave shrine at Sheeshnag on July 27.

    Altaf Qadri / AP

    Hindu pilgrims are carried on palanquins by Muslim bearers over a glacier near Amarnath cave on July 28.

     

  • Hindu pilgrim makes determined trek for worship in Kashmir

    By Katie Cannon, Senior Multimedia Editor

    I admire this woman's fortitude.

    Jaipal Singh / EPA

    An old Hindu pilgrim bent double slowly makes her way to the Amarnath holy cave at Ganeshtop about 138 km from Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, July 1. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims trek through mountains in revolt-torn Kashmir, along icy streams, glacier-fed lakes and frozen passes, to reach the Amarnath cave, located at an altitude of about 12,729 feet, where a Shiva Lingam, a phallus-shaped ice stalagmite symbolising the Hindu God Shiva, stands for worship. Image received on July 3.