I was sixteen when I first visited Patal Bhuvneshwar. Nestled in the Foothills of the Himalayas, in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, is a tiny village called Patal Bhuvneshwar, famous for it’s prehistoric (read: mysterious) cave temple. My parents had been coming here on spiritual retreats for many years, just to spend some time meditating in this cave. So naturally I’d heard many mythical stories of this cave from them. An uninterested, lazy teenager me believed nothing, until she experienced the incredible energy of this place, by herself. After 2017 I knew one thing for sure - I would definitely keep coming back here. The tranquility, the divinity, the beauty of lush green meadows with the snow peaks in the backdrop, the wild forests and peace - it’s all just serene. But hey, this is just the cherry on top of the real treat - the Patal Bhuvneshwar Cave itself.
During my recent visit here, I stayed close to this cave temple, so I walked down a pathway (~900 meters) through the forests, opening up to the entrance of the Patal Bhuvneshwar cave temple. On one side is a very small entrance to the cave, and on the other side are lush green meadows surrounded by Pine trees. The mouth of the cave is pretty narrow with steep descend and each descending step takes you inside this dark, tapered, uneven and rocky tunnel which is the only way to enter and exit the cave. So naturally, not everyone can enter the cave. They say that only the people with good intent and sheer willingness can go in and come back out safely. Well.
Finally I’d reached what is believed to have been the abode of Lord Shiva and his family. The interiors of Patal Bhuvneshwar are nothing short of breathtaking. The stone formations had formed over centuries, creating intricate patterns and mesmerizing natural sculptures that very closing resemble deities, animals, serpents and celestial objects.
As I entered this sacred space, a multitude of serpent-like rock formations were visible everywhere - on the walls and ceilings, resembling a congregation of divine beings. Felt like I was indeed walking on a serpent.
Legend has it that Lord Shiva had beheaded Ganesha exactly at the entrance of this cave when Ganesha denied him entry. Lord Ganesha’s head formed in stone lying upside down is visible here, through the cross sectional view you can even see wind pipe & food pipe! (Crazy!)
Here there’s separate chambers of Lord Shiva, Lord Kali and even the 33 crore Hindu Gods & Godesses. You will see Shiva’s long hair formed in the stone, in different colors, and constant water flowing over these.
And guess what? There’s multiple caves inside this one cave! The guides tell us that these caves lead the pathway to other spirtually significant places - the chaar (4) dhaams - but the pathways are too narrow for humans to enter. There’s even exact replicas of Amarnath, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
There’s free flowing/dripping water in the cave that keeps filling a seemingly man made Kund (mini pond). They say the architect of the universe, Vishwakarma, made this pond. It is finely sculpted as if a human made it yesterday. There’s barely any space for a human to get in this cave, let alone any sculpting tools. Magical.
To add to the divinity of this cave is a naturally formed Swayambhu Shiv Linga. I cannot put in words the energy one can experience in this cave, especially around all of these sculptures.
It’s amazing how a single place can hold so much energy and history, and how it can change our perception of the world around us. Everything just starts making sense here, because you can see & experience all of this with your bare eyes. Each tale is like a thread connecting the past and the present, blending history, mythology, and spirituality in a way that left me captivated and enthralled.
Everytime I come here, my belief in sprituality only strengthens by leaps and bounds. That there is something more to being human than this sensory experience, that there is something much greater than our lives and that we’re all a part of greater cosmic whole. And if you don’t believe this and want to see it for yourself - visit this cave!