Pataleshwar Cave Temple in Pune

Pataleshwar cave temple of Pune, situated just across the river on the Jungli Maharaj Road, is a heritage site for Pune with a long history dating back to the 8th century AD. A remarkable feature of the Pataleshwar cave temple of Pune is that it bears resemblance with the massive rock-cut temples of Ellora.

Pataleshwar cave temple is a huge temple carved out of a single rock. The entire temple is hewn out of a single block of stone, and houses gigantic pillars, a shrine of Lord Shiva (also known as Pataleshwar) and a Nandi bull.

The Pataleshwar cave temple at Pune has an exotic arrangement of circular stone at the entrance. The entrance is a sight worth seeing, as it highlights acute sense of geometry of these architects. The temple also has a wide array of seating arrangement, including smaller rooms for the visitors.

The sculpture of the Pataleshwar cave temple in Pune, which, although mesmerizing, is incomplete. Although we find an elaborate design in the main worship area, other parts of the rock temple is devoid of much beautification. The sculpture in the principle worship area include beautiful statues of Sita, Rama, Laxman and a host of other Hindu Gods and Goddesses located in the cube-shaped room at the heart of the temple.

Beside the Pataleshwar cave temple of Pune, there is a museum which is enlisted in the Guinness Book of World Records. The museum exhibits a grain of rice that has around 5,000 characters inscribed on it. We also come across a temple dedicated to a Hindu ascetic adjacent to the temple.

The Pataleshwar cave temple of Pune, which remains open from 8 am to 5.30 pm in the evening, can be reached from any destination in Pune with the help of auto rickshaws.

It thus appears that the Pataleshwar cave temple of Pune is worth paying a visit.



Last Updated on : 23 May 2013