The roots of the controversy over the allegedly “man-made” lingam in the Amarnath cave to “compensate” for the lack of a “natural” one lie in the troubled political history of the Amarnath yatra ever since it came under the control of the Shrine Board, chaired by the J&K Governor.Although the state government has remained silent on the issue so far, it has been at loggerheads with the board over the management of the yatra.Mahant Deepender Giri, the custodian of the holy mace of Lord Shiva, today called the “man-made” lingam an “act of sacrilege” and sought a probe by a Supreme Court judge. He said that the Board has to bear the responsibility.This was echoed by state BJP president Nirmal Singh: ‘‘Giri’s statement has put a question mark over this issue and we want the board to conduct a proper investigation.”The board admitted it did receive complaints before the yatra began. “There were complaints about piling of snowflakes and applying vermilion on the lingam by some persons. Immediately, a barricade was raised at the sanctum sanctorum and the side entrance was closed,” said a board spokesman.The spokesman said that on May 14, a team of the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), was sent to inspect the track and surroundings of the Cave. ‘‘The team found that the cave-top was totally free from snow and the glacier cover had receded by about 100 m. The lingam site was found dry,” the spokesperson said. Water dripping down the wall of the cave freezes into ice to form the lingam.Shrine Board Chief Executive Officer Arun Kumar refused to comment on Giri’s allegations. “We are concentrating on bigger issues and want to ascertain which factors are responsible for it (absence of a natural lingam),” he said. ‘‘We are in touch with Dehradun and Jammu-based institutions to find out the reasons.”Whatever the reasons, one thing is clear: the yatra has become a virtual tug-of-war between political parties and the Board. Consider the following:• A few weeks ago the J-K Government’s Pollution Control Board released a survey that the indiscriminate rush of pilgrims had played havoc with the Himalayan environment and sought to put a ceiling on the number of yatris each year.• This is a direct critique of the Shrine Board which wants the yatra to turn into a major pilgrim destination.• Ruling PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti accused the Shrine Board of sidelining local labourers from yatra-related work.• Barely two years ago, the yatra was a major flashpoint between Governor S k Sinha and then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Sinha announced the yatra’s extension by an additional month while Mufti objected citing weather and the burden on security saying that the traditional one-month duration was enough.• That issue threatened to assume communal dimensions as the Congress leadership as well as Mufti’s ministerial colleagues from Jammu, along with the BJP, openly supported the Governor. In fact, four ministers even resigned from Mufti’s Cabinet on the issue.• Another controversy erupted over the transfer of 3642 kanals of forest land in the custody of the Board around the holy cave. The then Principal Secretary, Forests, Sonali Kumar—who issued the order for the transfer in March, 2005—was slapped with a showcause notice by the Mufti government, seeking an explanation. The transfer, the notice said, needed to adhere to the Forest Conservation Act and required Cabinet approval. Incidentally, Sonali Kumar is the wife of the Principal Secretary to Governor and Board CEO Arun Kumar.
