Baba Barfani ice lingam melts over 90% just days into Amarnath Yatra: ‘Climate change is reason’

THe Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, sir thomas more than a yr after the lifelessly Pahalgam scourge assail of April last year, has received an overwhelming response. But it seems to have hit another problem, with many news reports suggesting that the naturally formed ice lingam, also called the Baba Barfani, has melted by over 90 per cent, just days into the pilgrimage.The Amarnath Cave Shrine is located at an altitude of about 3,888 metres (12,756 feet) in the Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district. It's nestled beneath the Lidder Valley in the Kashmir Himalayas. Pilgrims can reach the shrine via the traditional 48-km Pahalgam route or the shorter but steeper 14-km Baltal route.While the Jammu and Kashmir administration has hailed the record number of devotees returning to the Amarnath cave shrine, many in the union territory have raised an alarm over the quick melting of the ice lingam. Among them is People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti.Iltija Mufti raises alarmTaking to social media platform X, PDP leader Iltija Mufti blamed climate change on “mindlessly axing trees, illegal mining, waste mismanagement and dangerous depletion of water levels” as the factors behind such early melting of the Amarnath ice Lingam.“Only a week into Amarnath Yatra, and the naturally formed lingam has already melted. Climate change from mindlessly axing trees, illegal mining, waste mismanagement & dangerous depletion of water levels are major factors. Unfortunately, the environment has become a casualty in Kashmir’s politics. It has NO power currency,” Mufti wrote. “For our mountains, rivers & glaciers to survive, we need a long-term sustainable environmental & tourism policy. Much like Bhutan. Otherwise, Kashmir will cease to exist,” she added.Many devotees who went in the initial batches of the yatra have told various news outlets about the melting of the ice Lingam. Many others have taken to social media to post about it.The shrinking of the sacred ice formation, revered for centuries as Baba Barfani, has reignited an old debate. Is climate change melting the ice lingam earlier than before every year? Are rising pilgrim numbers and expanding infrastructure inside the fragile Himalayan ecosystem accelerating the lingam's shrinking?Is record pilgrim footfall to blame?The Amarnath Yatra began on July 3 this year under unprecedented security following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. Despite security concerns, pilgrim numbers have surged. At least 93,000 pilgrims visited the shrine in the first four days.The Hindu reported that more than 32,000 devotees had offered prayers by July 5, while over 20,000 pilgrims visited the shrine on the second day of the Yatra alone. This was the highest second-day footfall in several years. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who also heads the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), described it as a "massive surge" compared to the previous four years. However, he also expressed concern over the surge in unregistered pilgrims, with thousands arriving without mandatory health certificates or RFID registration, warning that they were straining both security arrangements and infrastructure."We are seeing a large influx of unregistered pilgrims. I strongly urge those without prior registration to remain patient and wait for their turn. This cooperation is essential for a smooth and seamless Yatra experience," Sinha was quoted by The Hindu as saying..The Board has capped daily pilgrim numbers at 10,000 each along the Pahalgam and Baltal routes.Responding to concerns over the early melting of the Amarnath ice lingam, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said the number of pilgrims was already regulated under Supreme Court directions."There is already a cap imposed by the Supreme Court... As for the ice lingam, it is created by nature. Neither you nor I can decide how long it will remain," the CM was quoted by Greater Kashmir as saying.Climate change a factor?Scientists have repeatedly warned that the Himalayas are warming faster than many other mountain systems globally. Rising average temperatures, changing snowfall patterns and retreating glaciers have become increasingly visible across Jammu and Kashmir.Media reports pointed to unusually warm conditions around the cave and surrounding glaciers as one of the principal reasons for the rapid melting of the ice stalagmite. The Amarnath cave lies at an altitude of nearly 3,900 metres. Even slight increases in ambient temperature, combined with changes in humidity inside the cave, can affect the growth and survival of the naturally forming ice structure.The Amaranth route has undergone significant changes over the past two decades, with wider roads, temporary accommodation expanding, langars (community kitchens) moving closer to the shrine, electricity and solar lighting introduced, and heavy machinery used to improve access. Recently, the Centre also approved a ropeway project. Discussions continue on a proposed tunnel between Sheshnag and Panchtarni.While these steps have and would make the pilgrimage safer and more accessible, the cumulative impact of infrastructure expansion and rising human activity in an ecologically sensitive region might be altering the cave's microclimate.Moreover, this is not the first such episode. According to a report by AajTak, the ice lingam melted within 29 days in 2018, 38 days in 2020, 28 days in 2022 and within about a week in 2024. This year, the melting appears to have occurred even earlier.