Global warming has been blamed for the melting of the famous Amarnath lingam, forcing the local administration to harness modern technology to try and arrest the melt

The Jammu and Kashmir government is planning to refrigerate the holy Amarnath cave, located at a height of 13,000 feet, to prevent the famous ice lingam from melting.

The Amarnath Shrine Board (ASB) has given the go-ahead to the installation of radiant cooling panels that will ensure that the temperature inside the cave remains a constant -5 degrees centigrade. In the last two years, rising temperatures have caused the 12-foot stalagmite to melt; this year it melted even before the annual Amarnath yatra was officially launched in early July.

Radiant cooling systems rely on unconventional cooling systems rather than the more conventional devices.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, who is also the ex-officio chairman in charge of the Amarnath Yatra Trust and the Vaishno Devi Temple Trust, pointed out that the cooling panels will be fitted into a frame that will then be installed inside the cave.

“This will help to create an invisible curtain of cold air in front of the lingam and prevent both the heat from outside as also the body heat of the pilgrims from reaching it. It’s the same technology being used inside airports and malls, whereby cold air is preserved within the building,” Sinha said.

Sinha hastened to add that the cooling panels would not act as blowers. “The panel will consist only of rods. We do not want to install blowers. The cave is made of limestone and we do not want air to circulate inside as that might prove harmful,” he said.

Micro-hydroelectric plants (dams) would have to be set up along the Amravati river, which flows close to the cave, to generate the electricity needed to operate the cooling panels.

“We need to set up a reliable form of electricity generation. Conventional diesel generators are much too heavy and cannot be operationalised here especially since this region becomes completely inaccessible during the winter months,” said Dr Arun Kumar, an IAS officer who is CEO of the ASB and also the governor’s principal secretary.

Kumar added that the cost of installing the cooling panels would be over Rs 5 lakh, while the cost of putting up a compressor to generate electricity would be over Rs 40 lakh.

“We have been talking to Blue Star and Voltas and hope to shortlist the company that will be given the contract soon. The technology for this cooling process has been put together by IIT Mumbai,” Kumar clarified.

Several other technologies were tried out in Mumbai, Srinagar and Gulmarg before this one was shortlisted. These included preserving ice, as is used in ice skating rinks. “The method was given up because it would have meant disturbing the platform of ice inside the cave,” said the governor.

Brine tray technology was also tried out to help lower the temperature inside the cave, as was fitting the cave with a web of wires through which cold air could blow. The latter plan was abandoned when it was pointed out that the cave had no door to prevent cold air from flowing out.

Another idea that was tried out was to fit a grill inside the cave made from perforated iron that could pump in cold air. The experiment was tried out at Gulmarg, the governor pointed out, but had to be abandoned as the technology failed to work at that height.

The controversy last year in which a ‘fake lingam’ was created with ice brought in from outside resulted in the ordering of a judicial inquiry into the matter. Although the inquiry gave a clean chit to the administration, a PIL was also filed in the Srinagar High Court. The court ordered that the natural process should not be interfered with.

“We will start work on installing the cooling panels only after the PIL has been dispensed with,” Sinha said. According to him, the record number of 3 lakh pilgrims who visited the cave this year had to return disappointed because they did not get a glimpse of the lingam. “This will not happen once we harness science to preserve the lingam,” he said.

-- Rashme Sehgal

InfoChange News & Features, May 2008