Image of Asia: Pilgrimage to Amarnath cave shrine

In this photo by Channi Anand, an Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard overlooking a highway as the first group of Hindu pilgrims leaves Jammu, India, to start the Amarnath Yatra, the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine. The shrine to Lord Shiva is an icy stalagmite in a mountain cave 4,115 meters (13,500 feet) above sea level that is accessibly for only about five weeks in high summer. More than half a million devotees make the annual pilgrimage, and security measures such as convoys are deployed because of past separatist attacks. The pilgrims make the final trek on foot or on horseback, or are carried up the steep path by porters.