INDIA, July 12, 2026 (NDTV): As a record number of devotees return to the Amarnath cave shrine to seek the blessings of the naturally formed ice lingam, also called Baba Barfani, concerning details have emerged. According to several reports, the ice lingam has melted by over 90% and has almost disappeared just days into the 57-day yatra. While the melting of the lingam itself isn’t the only story, deep concerns loom over the unprecedented speed at which it has vanished. Experts point out that this phenomenon is the result of various intersecting factors. The melting of the ice lingam raises alarms that point straight toward the Himalayas and their complex equation with climate change. Experts have frequently warned and documented that the Himalayan mountain system is warming at a faster rate than the global average.

The Amarnath cave sits at an altitude of 12,756 feet. Unusually warm summer conditions around the cave and nearby glaciers have raised local temperatures past the threshold needed to maintain ice. Beyond rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns also contribute to how large the stalagmite can grow before the summer season starts and exposes it to premature heatwaves. Dr Eklabya Sharma, Strategic Advisor & Director of The Himalaya Initiative at ATREE, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2024 for his work on environmental science, notes that the “unusually rapid melting” of the Amarnath ice lingam this year has once again drawn attention to the vulnerability of the Himalayan cryosphere. He states, “While no single event should be attributed to climate change alone, it is entirely consistent with the long-term warming trends that scientists have been documenting across the Himalaya for decades. The Himalaya is warming faster than the global average because temperatures increase more rapidly at higher elevations, a phenomenon known as elevation-dependent warming.”

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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/amarnath-yatra-2026-amarnath-shivling-melting-why-the-amarnath-ice-lingam-is-melting-faster-than-ever-before-11760577

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