Pilgrimage Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir mostly includes the Hazratbal Shrine, Amarnath Cave and the Vaishno devi Temple.
Amarnath Cave
Amarnath is situated around 145 km away from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir and is dedicated to Lord Shiva or Mahadeva. Every year, the government of Jammu and Kashmir organizes a yatra to Amarnath in the month of July and August. It is during this time when the white Shivalingam build of ice starts to take form. On the full moon day, it attains complete form and it is this day that is believed to be the day when Lord Shiva told the secret of creation of life and immortality to Goddess Parvati that was overheard by two doves.
Vaishno Devi
Vaishno Devi is situated around 62 km away from Jammu. Vaishno Devi shrine is located at an altitude of 1615 m above sea level. It is one of the most important pilgrimages for Hindus around the world. The shrine is located inside a cave on Trikuta Hills. To reach here, one has to start climbing from Katra, which is around 14 km from here.
Hazratbal Shrine
Hazratbal Shrine is located on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar. This destination is one of the most important pilgrimages for Muslims in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the place where Prophet Mohammad`s hair is kept inside a glass casket.
The hair is kept for public display only on auspicious days. Hazratbal Shrine was built sometime in the 17th century by Muslim Auqaf Trust. The main reason for its construction was to preserve the hair of Prophet Mohammad. The shrine is also known by many other names like Madinat-us-Sani, Assar-e-Sharif, and Dargah Sharif. The mosque is also famous for many fairs that are held in the premises which attract a lot of pilgrims as well as tourists here.
Monasteries in Ladakh
Ladakh has maximum number of monasteries. The monasteries here are part of different sects of Tibetan Buddhism mainly Red Hat Sect (Kagyupa) like the famous Hemis Monastery and Chemrey Monastery and Yellow Hat Sect (Gelugpa) like Thikse Monastery and Spituk Monastery. There are few monasteries belonging to Nyingmapa and Sakyapa. The main monastery in Ladakh is Hemis Monastery, which is also the biggest in the region.
