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A Kashmiri Muslim laborer carries equipment as he walks towards the sacred Amarnath Cave, one of the most revered of Hindu shrines, on July 1, 2019 in Baltal, 125 km (77 miles) east of Srinagar the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Thousands of Hindu devotees, braving sub-zero temperatures, began the hike over glaciers and along paths overhanging gorges to reach the sacred Amarnath cave housing an ice stalagmite, a stylized phallus worshiped by Hindus as a symbol of the god Shiva, surrounded by the Himalayan mountains. More than 200,000 Hindu pilgrims are expected to take part in this year's two month pilgrimage, during which Indian paramilitary soldiers and police are being deployed along the route to protect against attacks by militants who have been fighting for the independence of Kashmir since 1989. Experts and locals say rising temperatures, the activities of the pilgrims such as burning wood and using diesel generators and ferrying pilgrims in choppers to the cave have put a strain on the ecosystem of the area. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)
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