700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the holy cave

An Indian Hindu devotee takes rest outside the holy Amarnath Cave where a Shiva Lingam, an ice stalagmite shaped as a fallus and symbolising the Hindu God Shiva, stands for worship, in Indian-administered Kashmir on June 18, 2008. The Lingam which forms naturally every year in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, measures 12 feet in height, the Shrine Board authorities said, as some 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the holy cave this season.

Indian Hindu devotees walk out of the holy Amarnath Cave after paying their respects before the Shiva Lingam, an ice stalagmite shaped as a fallus and symbolising the Hindu God Shiva, in Indian-administered Kashmir on June 18, 2008. The Lingam which forms naturally every year in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, measures 12 feet in height, the Shrine Board authorities said, as some 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the holy cave this season.


Indian Hindu devotees walk on their way to the holy Amarnath Cave where a Shiva Lingam, an ice stalagmite shaped as a fallus and symbolising the Hindu God Shiva, stands for worship, in Indian-administered Kashmir on June 18, 2008. The Lingam which forms naturally every year in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, measures 12 feet in height, the Shrine Board authorities said, as some 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the holy cave this season.

Indian Hindu devotees ride horses past a soldier on their way to the holy Amarnath Cave where a Shiva Lingam, an ice stalagmite shaped as a fallus and symbolising the Hindu God Shiva, stands for worship, in Indian-administered Kashmir on June 18, 2008. The Lingam which forms naturally every year in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, measures 12 feet in height, the Shrine Board authorities said, as some 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the holy cave this season.

Indian Hindu devotees ride horses on their way to the holy Amarnath Cave where a Shiva Lingam, an ice stalagmite shaped as a fallus and symbolising the Hindu God Shiva, stands for worship, in Indian-administered Kashmir on June 18, 2008. The Lingam which forms naturally every year in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, measures 12 feet in height, the Shrine Board authorities said, as some 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the holy cave this season.


Indian married women perform rituals on a sacred Banyan tree on the occasion of "Vat Savitri Puja" in Ahmedabad, on June 18, 2008. The Vat Savitri Puja festival is an auspicious day in Hinduism when married women observe fast and pray for their husband's health and longevity. The fasting is named after Savitri, who brought back her husband from the clutches of Yama (death).