Thursday, June 29 2006 16:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: With reports of the installation of a man-made ice 'lingam' at the Amarnath cave shrine sparking off a major controversy, Jammu and Kashmir Governor S K Sinha today (June 29, 2006) ordered a judicial probe into the matter.

Sinha, who is also chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, appointed retired high court judge K K Gupta to probe allegations of the 'piling of snow in place of the naturally formed ice lingam inside the cave on June 7', board spokesman Madan Mantoo told sources.

Gupta has been asked to submit a report to Sinha within a month.

The probe was ordered after Sinha consulted Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mantoo said adding that it follows a preliminary enquiry into the issue by board CEO Arun Kumar.

"Gupta will also look into complaints of overcharging by shopkeepers and pony operators along the route to the Himalayan cave shrine," Mantoo said.

On June 19, Sinha and Kumar had said there was no 'artificial' lingam, a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva, at the cave. Kumar, however, had then admitted there were complaints that some people had brought snow and put it on top of the naturally formed lingam.

Every year, thousands of people make the gruelling trek to the 3,888-metre shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva in south Kashmir's Lidder Valley to get a glimpse of a lingam that is formed by water dipping from stalactites on the cave's roof.

This year's pilgrimage has been mired in controversy following reports that a man-made lingam had been installed in the cave.

Mahant Deependra Giri, a top priest associated with the yatra for over two decades, described the reports about the installation of a man-made lingam as a 'sacrilege'. He has said the formation of the lingam is a natural process that must not be interfered with.

Some pilgrims have also claimed the lingam is artificial and not natural.



Giri, who is the custodian of a holy mace associated with the Amarnath Yatra, said last week that he would consult the Sankaracharyas at Varanasi and Haridwar on the Amarnath shrine board extending the pilgrimage from one month to two months.

"The revised schedule did not coincide with Vedic scriptures," he said.