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JAMMU, July 18, 2004: The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) is planning to preserve the ice stalagmite (Siva Lingam) at the holy Amarnath cave all through the year. The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has surveyed the cave enclave and suggested that a Skating Rink Technology could be employed to improve sustainability of the Lingam even in the hottest months of June and July.



Normally the Lingam melts as July advances and most of the devotees are deprived of the darshan in the concluding days. Routine rise in the temperature coupled with body heat emitted by thousands of devotees affects the lifespan of the Lingam. This year, as the yatra concludes on Rakshabandhan (July 30), the DRDO team, assisted by the SASB experts, would begin work on the high-tech project. The project envisages a cost of over US$110,000.



“We plan to preserve the Lingam and prevent it from melting,” said Jammu and Kashmir Governor Gen (Retd) Srinivas Kumar Sinha, after visiting the cave Shrine early on Friday morning. The Governor is also the Chairman of the Shrine Board.



Experts from the Snow and Avalanches Study Establishment (SASE) , a subsidiary of the DRDO, have also studied the cave and appreciated the viability of the Lingam-prevention project. They have suggested to develop a 16x24x14 Skating Rink with Ethylene Venyl Acetate (EVA) pipes, which would maintain a constant sub-zero temperature within the cave enclave. “The Lingam could be preserved at minus eight degree celsius temperature,” said Board’s Development Commissioner I C Jandial.



Mr. Jandial, who has visited the cave four times this year since June 1, says that the Lingam is receding in size as more and more devotees throng the holy cave situated 3,800 feet above sea-level in Pahalgam range of Huimalayan mountains. “On June 9, it (the Lingam) was above 7 feet but now it has reduced and is becoming thinner,” he said. He says that the Lingam will melt completely after July 15.



But will the technology affect the originality of the Lingam? Says Jandial, “The Lingam will not be touched, only the environment around the Lingam would be developed to prolong it so that all devotees have darshan after braving the inhospitable terrain and vagaries of weather.” “Next year we will start the yatra with the new technology in place,” hoped the Governor.



HPI adds: There is no mention in this report if Hindu religious leaders were consulted about this plan.

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