Climate change is increasingly affecting religious tourism, cultural heritage and local livelihoods in the Himalayas, with rising temperatures and extreme weather disrupting some of the region’s oldest pilgrimage routes.
The report highlights that the sacred ice formation inside the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir has shrunk rapidly for the third consecutive year reducing from around seven feet to nearly one foot within five days during this year’s pilgrimage. Researchers attribute the trend to below normal snowfall, rising temperatures and increasing human activity inside the cave during the annual Amarnath Yatra.
According to the analysis, the Amarnath Yatra has witnessed growing pilgrim numbers despite mounting ecological stress. During peak days, around 13,000 to 20,000 pilgrims enter the enclosed cave, with experts suggesting that the collective body heat contributes to rising temperatures around the naturally formed ice stalagmite. The report notes that the 2026 Yatra recorded a 28 per cent increase in pilgrims during its first six days compared to the previous year.
The article also points to climate related disruptions at the Vaishno Devi shrine. Recent heavy rainfall triggered landslides that forced the closure of the battery car route in Katra, following similar incidents in 2025 when intense monsoon rains damaged infrastructure and disrupted pilgrim movement. The recurring landslides are presented as part of a broader pattern of increasing extreme weather events in the Himalayan region.
The analysis distinguishes between the loss of tangible heritage, such as shrinking ice formations, mountain trails and shrine infrastructure, and intangible heritage, including pilgrimage traditions, rituals and cultural practices that have evolved over centuries. It argues that climate change is affecting both simultaneously by altering the physical environment and the religious experience associated with these sites.
Tourism remains a major pillar of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, contributing around seven per cent of the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Religious tourism accounts for a significant share of visitor arrivals, with Vaishno Devi attracting approximately 9.46 million pilgrims and Amarnath around 5.12 lakh pilgrims in 2024, out of nearly 23.6 million total tourist arrivals.
The article also places the issue within a global context, citing climate-related impacts on religious sites and pilgrimages, including the 2024 Hajj heat tragedy and the 2013 Kedarnath floods. It argues that protecting Himalayan pilgrimage sites requires long-term planning that balances ecological conservation with religious tourism, rather than relying solely on disaster response after extreme weather events occur.