Hindu cave temples in India are holy spots were Supreme Truth manifested to save humanity and to reveal knowledge to free living beings from the cycle of birth and death. Many ancient seers of Hinduism attained self realization in these caves. These caves today house Swayambhu Murtis (images that appeared on its own) of gods in Hindu religion. Here are some of the popular cave temples in India.
Amarnath Cave Shrine – Ice Shivling – Dedicated to Shiva
A natural ice Shivling gets formed in the
holy cave of Amarnath. This wonder takes place at a narrow gorge
in the Lidder valley in Anantnag District of Jammu and Kashmir – the
cave Temple of Amarnath. The journey to Amarnath Cave is
restricted to two months before Shravan Purnima (June – August).
Vaishno Devi Temple
Vaishno Devi Ji Temple is located at Katra in Jammu and
Kashmir and is visited annually by more than 5 million devotees. The
temple is located on the folds Trikuta - a three-peaked mountain. The murti of
Goddess Vaishnodevi is in the form of three natural rock formations. Today
the original cave entrance is closed, as it is very narrow and cannot
accommodate the volume of devotees.
Patal Bhuvaneshwar
Patal Bhuvaneshwar Temple in Uttarakhand is a
natural cave temple dedicated to various gods in Hindu pantheon and is
mentioned in the Skanda Purana. The cave temple is mainly dedicated to Shiva
and has naturally formed murtis of various deities. Patal Bhuvaneshwar temple
is located about 37 km from Chaukori and 14 km from Gangolihat in Pithorgarh
District in Uttarakhand. (More information about Patal Bhuvaneshwar Temple)
Elephanta caves
Elephanta Caves located in Raigad District
in Maharashtra is carved out of solid rock in 6th century AD. The
caves are 11 km north-east of the Apollo Bandar, Mumbai. The important murtis
here are Trimurti Sadashiva Shiva, Ardhanarisvara, Parvati, Andhakasuravada
murti, cosmic dance of Nataraja, Kalyanasundara murti, Gangadhara murti, Ravana
shaking Kailasa, Siva as Lakulisa and a panel depicting Saptamatrikas. (You can find a video on Elephanta Caves here)
Ellora
Some of the important cave temples here are the Kailashnatha
Cave Temple dedicated to Shiva and the Dashavatara Cave Temple.
Badami Cave Temples
These cave temples are located in Badami in Karnataka. There
are four caves here. The first three caves are dedicated to murtis of Ganapati,
Shiva, Vishnu, Nandi, Nagaraja, Harihara and various incarnations of Vishnu.
Shiv Khori
Shivkhori is a famous cave temple dedicated to Shiva and is
located in Reasi District in Jammu and Kashmir. This is a very long cave and
entry is permitted only up to 130 meters. Rest part of the cave is unexplored
as there is lack of oxygen. The cave has naturally formed Shivling and murtis
of Goddess Parvati and Kartikeya.
Bidar Narasimha Swami Cave Temple
Narasimha Jhira Cave Temple is popularly known as
the Jharani Narasimha Temple and is famous for a swayambhu Narasimha Murti. The
temple in situated in a cave where the water runs up to 300 metres. One has to
move through waist deep water to reach the feet of the murti. The
temple is a kilometre from Bidar town in Karnataka.
Nag Hill Caves at Pushkar in Rajasthan
Naga Sadhus mediate here. There is a cave here associated to
Parashuram. It is located a kilometre south of Pushkar in Rajasthan.
Shiva Gufa at Mehargav in Uttarakhand
Shiva Gufa is a naturally formed cave at Mehargav on the
Uttarkashi – Yamunotri Road. In the cave, one can see a naturally formed
Shivling – water naturally falls on top of it continuously. The Guha also has
naturally formed ice sculptors of Shiva, Ganesha, Trishul, Lotus and Om. (Picture and more about Shiva Gufa can be found here)
Punarjani Cave at Thiruvilwamala in Kerala
Punarjani Cave is located near the Thiruvilwamala Temple in
Thrissur District in Kerala. The cave is only open during the Krishna Paksha Ekadasi
day in Kumbha Masam as per Kerala Calendar. (More info on Punarjani Cave)
Guha Ganapati Small Cave Shrines near
Mookambika Temple in Karnataka.
Guha Ganapati Temples are located on the way to Sarvanjna
Peedam from Mookambika Temple. Here there is a Cave with a Ganesh murti
popularly known as Guha Ganapathi. (Find more information and pictures of Guha Ganapati here)