SRINAGAR, India (AP) -- Thousands of Hindu devotees are making an annual pilgrimage to an icy cave in Indian-controlled Kashmir amid tight security in the Muslim-majority region, officials said. At least half a million devotees are expected to make the pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine over the next two months. Thousands of army and paramilitary troops have been deployed along the route -- which was targeted during the 1990s by the Muslim separatist rebels still fighting Indian security forces in the region. Hindus worship a stalagmite inside the cave as an incarnation of the Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration. The groups of pilgrims are staggered over two months for security and logistical reasons. Last year, protests sparked by a planned government transfer of land to build amenities for the pilgrims -- a decision later rescinded -- led to a crackdown by security forces that left at least 50 dead, mostly Muslims. (19 images)
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Suresh, a physically challenged pilgrim makes his way to the Amarnath cave, near Dumail, 80 miles northeast of Srinagar, India, Sunday, June 21. Hundreds of pilgrims annually go to the remote Himalayan shrine of Amarnath at 14,500 feet above sea level to worship an icy stalagmite representing Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims ride on ponies on a hill on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Dumail, 80 miles northeast of Srinagar, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims ride on ponies on a hill on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Dumail, 80 miles northeast of Srinagar, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims walk to the Amarnath cave, near Dumail, 80 miles northeast of Srinagar, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
An Indian Paramilitary soldier gestures to pilgrims riding on ponies on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Baltal, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims climb a hill on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Dumail, 80 miles northeast of Srinagar, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims ride on ponies on a hill on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Dumail, 80 miles northeast of Srinagar, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims climb a hill on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Baltal, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims climb a hill on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Baltal, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Kashmiri Muslim porters carry a Hindu pilgrim on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Dumail, 80 miles northeast of Srinagar, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Pilgrims climb a hill on their way to the Amarnath cave, near Baltal, India, Sunday, June 21. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Hindu pilgrims begin their journey from Baltal Base Camp to Srinagar's Amarnath Cave Shrine on June 21. The annual piligrimage began on June 15 and so far nearly 50,000 people have visited the place of worship, where a large icicle is revered as an incarnation of Lord Shiva, tucked away in the mountains of predominantly Muslim Kashmir. AFP / Getty Images / Tauseef Mustafa
Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, shout slogans and burn tires during a protest against the state government and the police outside the registration center for the Amarnath Hindu pilgrimage in Jammu, India, Friday, June 19. Over a hundred Sadhus protested the lack of facilities for pilgrims. The annual Hindu pilgrimage was suspended at Jammu for the third consecutive day today due to rain and fresh snowfall in the pilgrimage site. AP / Channi Anand
Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, shout slogans during a protest against the state government and the police outside the registration center for the Amarnath Hindu pilgrimage in Jammu, India, Friday, June 19. AP / Channi Anand
Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, stand in a queue to register their names for the Amarnath pilgrimage in Jammu, India, Thursday, June 18. AP / Channi Anand
Hindu pilgrims watch a eunuch dance at an Amarnath pilgrimage base camp in Jammu, India, Wednesday, June 17. Due to fresh snowfall at the Amarnath cave shrine and heavy rain on the pilgrimage track, the Amarnath Shrine Board has decided not to allow any pilgrims to proceed from Jammu until the weather improved. AP / Channi Anand
A Hindu holy man smokes as he waits to register for the Amarnath Yatra, the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine, in Jammu, India, Monday, June 15. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock each year to the mountain shrine in the predominantly Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir which contains a large icicle revered by Hindus as an incarnation of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration. AP / Channi Anand
Hindu holy men, arrive to register for the Amarnath Yatra, the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine, in Jammu, India, Monday, June 15. AP / Channi Anand
The first batch of pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra, the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine, in Jammu, India, Monday, June 15. AP / Channi Anand
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