India is a very spiritual country with an incredible history of great lords, kingdoms, and temples. In India, you will find a temple every few kilometers, and every temple has its own great story, history, importance, and significance. Amarnath is one of the most popular religious sites in India, with millions of devotees visiting every year. The site is open to devotees for a few months a year due to its high altitude location and cold temperatures, but it is still one of the most visited religious sites. In this article, we will talk about the 2 immortal Amarnath pigeons’ story and their significance.
What is Amarnath Yatra?
So Amarnath is a Lord Shiva temple or religious site, more specifically a holy cave where the Ice Shivling is made by nature. There are various beliefs for this religious site that have been stated by religious figures, sages, and even written in our holy books.
As the cave is situated thousands of feet above the ground, devotees have to walk several kilometers around the mountains to visit the site. Due to this, it is called Amarnath Yara. People believe it is a very holy and miraculous site where Lord Shiva, his lessons, his power, and most importantly, his blessing, remain every time. The overall Yatra is very exciting, from the beautiful views to the hiking-like experience and the thousands of people engrossed in devotion to the power of Shiva.
Amarnath Dham is not only a religious place; it is also a natural marvel. The whole holy Shivling is made naturally from snowdrops, and visiting that holy and miraculous Shivling is like going to heaven for Lord Shiva devotees. It has a long history, and despite poor weather, difficult passages in high mountains, and a lack of oxygen at high altitudes, hundreds of thousands of devotees visit every year. And these numbers are when the site is open for roughly two months in a year.
Lord Shiva abandons everyone on the way to the Holy Cave because he wishes to accompany Lord Parvati. So first he leaves Nandi, and the place is known as Pahalgam. This is the starting point for the yatra. Then he leaves his moon, and the place is called Chandanwadi. After that, he leaves Mother Ganga, and the place is known as Panchtarni. Now one of the famous spots is Sheshnag, where he left his snakes. Lastly, he leaves his son, Lord Ganesh, and the spot is called Ganeshtop.
After leaving everyone behind, Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati entered the holy cave so that no one could hear their story. And this is the whole summary of the Great Amarnath Yatra.
The Amarnath Pigeons Story
Amarnath is a very holy place because it is believed that Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati stayed in this cave. Once, Mother Parvati asked Lord Shiva about the concepts of creation and immortality. In order to secretly tell her these concepts, Lord Shiva takes Mother Paravati to a secret place, which is nothing but a cave in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag region. It is believed that Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati stayed in this cave (known as Amarnath Cave) because in such a difficult valley at such a high altitude and in the worst weather conditions, there would be no living beings, including animals.
So Lord Shiva thought this was the best place to tell Mother Parvati about the concepts of creation and immortality. Lord Shiva then started telling everything about creation and immortality to Mother Parvati. He told everything to Mother Parvati, and once he started everything, he found that a pair of pigeons had heard everything. Now, this is against the destiny and will of Lord Shiva. So Lord Shiva got angry at those pigeons and tried to kill them, but the pigeons apologized instantly and pleaded for mercy.
Another fact is that while hearing the story from Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati fell asleep and didn’t hear the whole story. Now, Lord Shiva’s entire story was only heard by the two pigeons, so if Lord Shiva killed those pigeons, the world would never know, and his story would be false.
So those pigeons are also proof of Lord Shiva’s story of immortality. The story of immortality is also the reason why the holy cave is known as Amarnath, which means Immortal Lord.
Because Lord Shiva is also known as Bholenath, which means kind and innocent, they not only forgive the pigeons but also bestow his blessing and a boon on them. Lord Shiva gave them a boon: they would remain immortal and remain in the cave as a sign of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. Since then, those pigeons are alive and can be seen in the cave. It is believed that they remain in the holy cave and bless everyone who visits the Amarnath Dham. If someone saw those pigeons, it is believed that he will get the blessings of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati, and luck and fortune will always support him.
It is incredible that despite very low oxygen levels, extreme weather conditions, and the lack of food and water, those pigeons are alive, all just because of Lord Shiva’s boon. These pigeons fly all around the cave throughout the year. However, not everyone can see them, so you are very fortunate if you do.
Conclusion
Amarnath Yatra is a very famous and holy Yatra and is full of mysteries, miracles, Shiva’s power, and blessings. The two immortal pigeons are also a very important part of this yatra, and they tell the world about the strength, miracles, and blessings of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. Most people have heard of these pigeons, but very few know about their story. They are extremely important, and the Yatra and story would be incomplete without them.
