JAMMU, INDIA, August 2, 2010: The naturally-formed ice lingam of Lord Shiva in Amarnath cave shrine in South Kashmir has totally melted, official sources revealed. “The holy ice lingam does not exist any more for this year,” official sources said.

The pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine, situated at a height of 13,500 feet, started July 1 and will end Aug 25. The number of pilgrims is expected to touch 600,000 – at least 100,000 more than last year’s arrivals, which was the highest.

The Shiva Lingam, which at its best achieves a height of 12 feet, lasted just 32 days this year. The authorities had last year put a grill around the naturally formed Shiva Lingam, at the 3,880-meter high cave shrine, to slow down its melting, allegedly due to warmth produced from human activities in and around the cave.

Source: http://www.hinduismtoday.com