• 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.

     

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  • Welders build pontoon bridge for festival in India

    Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP

    An Indian laborer welds iron as he along with others make a temporary pontoon bridge across the River Ganges for the upcoming Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, Tuesday, June 19. Millions of Hindu pilgrims are expected to arrive for the festival held once in twelve years and scheduled to begin January 14.

    Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP

    Indian laborers work to make a part of a temporary pontoon bridge across the River Ganges for the upcoming Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, on June 19. Millions of Hindu pilgrims are expected to arrive for the festival held once in twelve years and scheduled to begin January 14, 2013.

     

  • Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP

    Policemen keep vigil on horses as Hindu devotees take holy dips during the month-long Magh Mela festival at the Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Jan. 19. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims take dips during the Magh Mela in the hope of washing away their sins.

    Washing away sins: Hindu devotees take holy dip during the Magh Mela festival in India