File:Shivamarnath.jpg

English: Ekam sat’ means ‘there is one Being’. It is the popular verse of Rigveda. As per this verse, God has three deities to carry on the tasks of the entire world. This is called Holy Trinity: Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the perpetuator of life and Shiva is the destroyer of evil, purifier and harbringer of good. In Rig Veda, Lord Shiva has also been mentioned as Rudra. According to Yajurveda, Lord Shiva has been described as an ascetic warrior who wears deer skin’s robe and carries a trishul in his hand. Lord Shiva is considered as a living God. He has three places of His residence – first and the foremost is Kailash Parvat, second one is Lohit Giri under which flows the Brahamputra and third one is Muzwan Parvat. Lord Shiva has been mentioned in the hymns of Rig Veda. Even in ancient India, Lord Shiva was worshiped and it is evident from the Mohinjodaro and Harappa findings. One of the prominent religious destinations dedicated to Lord Shiva is the holy Amarnath Cave that is located in Jammu and Kashmir. Each year, lakhs of Hindu devotees visit the cave to pay obeisance to the ice Shiv lingam, a form of Lord Shiva that is formed inside the cave. Shiv lingam is formed when the water drips from the roof gets accumulated and start to freeze on the floor. According to Hindu religious belief, the size of Shiva lingam at Amarnath Cave increases and decreases with the different phases of the moon. But there is no scientific evidence to support this belief. Along with Shiva lingam, two more ice formations exist in the cave that are believed to be of Maa Parvati and their son Ganesha.