Amarnath Temple, Hindu temple in Anantnag district, India.

Amarnath is a cave temple at 3888 meters in the Himalayas that houses a natural ice formation shaped like a Shiva Lingam, which can reach up to three meters in height. The cave sits in a remote valley accessible only during summer months.

The cave and its pilgrimage appear in the 6th–7th century Nilamata Purana and in Kalhana's 12th-century Rajatarangini, which calls the shrine Amareshvara and the journey the Amareshvara Yatra. In the 11th century Queen Suryamati is said to have gifted trishulas and banalingas here, and Abu'l Fazl described the ice image in the Ain-i-Akbari.

The pilgrimage runs between 20 and 60 days each summer, opening on Ashadha Purnima and closing at Raksha Bandhan. Devotees call the ice lingam Baba Barfani, and many hope to see the pair of pigeons in the cave, held to be the immortal birds that heard Shiva's tale of eternity.

Two routes lead to the cave temple: a shorter path from Baltal base camp and a longer trail through Pahalgam. The trek requires stamina because of the high altitude and steep sections.

The ice formation changes size according to lunar phases and reaches its maximum during the full moon. Alongside the main formation, smaller ice columns often appear, symbolizing the family of Shiva.