Why in news:

• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor has recently assured the general public that continuous efforts are being made to make the annual yatra to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the Himalayas “comfortable, modern and safe” for the devotees.
• He said his administration is committed to providing world-class facilities for the pilgrims besides facilitating langars and bhandaras (community kitchen service providers) during the yatra to the holy cave.
• The Lt Governor was interacting with the members of various associations of langars and bhandaras, which serves the pilgrims during the yatra.
• The yatra takes place from the twin routes of Pahalgam in south Kashmir and Baltal in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir in summer.
• The official said as many as 20 members representing Shri Amarnath Barfani Langars Organization (SABLO) and Shri Amarnath Yatra Bhandara Organization (SAYBO) met the Lt Governor in Delhi and discussed various aspects of the smooth conduct of the yatra.
• The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor, Nitishwar Kumar, Additional CEO of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Rahul Singh and Deputy CEO Vikas Anand.
• The holy yatra is a symbol of compassion, spirituality, service, and peace. Continuous efforts are being made to make the yatra more comfortable, modern, and safe for the pilgrims.
• The Lieutenant Governor informed the representatives of the associations about the substantial upgradation of facilities and infrastructure development for the yatris achieved in the past two years.
• The Lt Governor observed that three Yatri Niwas are being created to provide better boarding and lodging facilities to pilgrims on their way to the cave shrine.
• These include Chandarkote Yatri Niwas coming up at Ramban district, which would provide accommodation to around 3,200 yatris, besides Jammu Yatri Niwas and Srinagar Yatri Niwas with a capacity of accommodation of 3000 and 2250 yatris, respectively.
• The representatives of the Langar associations appreciated the efforts of the UT administration and confirmed their active participation in the yatra arrangements.

Amarnath cave:

• Amarnath cave is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism.
• The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m about 141 km from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Inside the Amarnath cave, a stalagmite is formed due to freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave on to the floor and grows up vertically from the cave floor.
•  It is considered to be a Shiva Linga by Hindus.
• According to Hindu religious beliefs, this is the place where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort, Parvati.
• The Amarnath temple is one of 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, that commemorate the location of fallen body parts of the Hindu deity Sati.