Cave Temples of India

Temples have been built since ages and many new ones open their doors every year. As we all know India is a land of diversity and this is very well reflected in the temples across the country. The architecture, designs and the method of building, everything varies from temple to temple and all these shrines have their own uniqueness. Let us take a tour of some of the well-renowned and gorgeous cave temples of India-

#10 Amarnath Cave temple

Amarnath cave temple is a famous Hindu temple located in Jammu and Kashmir and it is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism. The soft and icy snow which covers the cave makes the temple more beautiful and a striking heritage site. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Shiva Linga here has many unique features-during May to August the Shiva Linga gets smaller and finally diminishes and with the phases of moon, it increases and during summer festival it reaches the maximum height.

#9 Thrikkur Mahadeva Temple, Thrissur

Thrikkur Mahadeva temple is one of the few cave temples in Kerala, which is located near Manali river in Thrissur. A 6 ft natural stone lingam is preserved in this large and magnificent Shiva Temple. A waterhole on the topmost part of the rock, which never dries even during the scorching summer heat, is something astonishing. Lord Ganesh, Ayyappa, Skanda or Lord Muruga, Parvati and a Shivlinga are the other deities of this temple. Along with the divine passion and holiness you can feel here, the amazing architecture and beauty of the place are worth mentioning.

#8 Elephanta Cave Temple

Elephanta Cave Temples located at Elephanta Island in Maharashtra is the finest example of fabulous Indian architecture, with its marvelous sculptures and carvings. There are two groups of caves here- a large group of five Hindu cave temples and a smaller group of two Buddhist temples. This cave was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1987 to preserve the artwork and it is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

#7 Patal Bhuvaneshwar

''This awesome cave is believed to be as old as the earth itself.''
Patal Bhuvaneshwar is a limestone cave temple in Bhubneshwar village of Uttarakhand. It is believed that the cave has thirty three crore Gods in it, along with Lord Shiva. It is not just one cave, but a group of caves within caves and according to beliefs the Pandava brothers are said to have spent some time here during their exile.

#6 Aurangabad cave temple

The Aurangabad cave temple is situated on a hill in Aurangabad of Maharashtra and is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. It is a group of 12 artificial rock-cut Buddhist temples and the caves are divided into 3 separate groups based on their locations. The sculptural carvings in these temples are simply marvelous and catch the attention of everyone.

#5 Lenyandri Cave temple

Lenyadri, which literally means ''mountain cav'', is a series of 30 rock-cut Buddhist caves situated in Pune. Most of the caves are numbered and Cave 7 is a renowned Hindu temple, which has the deity of Ganesha. To reach this centuries' old Ganesha shrine, which is made out of a single stone, one has to climb 207 steps, which is quite difficult and hence people don't go there in the evenings.

#4 Pataleshwar Cave Temple

The Pataleshwar cave temple, also known as Panchaleshvara located in Pune is a rock-cut cave temple which was built during the 8th century. The entire temple is carved out of a single block of stone and it is quite similar to the rock-cut temples of Ellora. This Shiva temple also includes the deities of Sita, Rama, and Laxman. One can find a 'mandapa' (pavilion) at the centre of the temple, which is in the name of Shiva's bull, Nandi.

#3 Cave temples of Ellora

The cave temples of Ellora located in the Deccan Plateau were excavated between 600 AD and 900 AD. There are numerous Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples here and all of them are made from solid rock. The Kailas (heaven of Siva) temple in Ellora is one of the most interesting and attractive cave temples here. Ellora, also known as Ellooru, represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture.

#2 Jogeshwari cave temple

The Jogeshwari caves located in Mumbai has some of the oldest temples, belonging to the Hindus and Buddhists. The cave temple and the area is named after Goddess Jogeshwari( Kuladevi to some Gujarati Brahmins)and the shrine also has the footprints and 'murti' of Jogeswari. According to Walter Spink, historian and scholar, Jogeshvari is the earliest prominent Hindu cave temple in the country and (in terms of total length) 'the largest'.

#1 Ajanta Cave Temples

The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra are 30 rock-cut cave monuments and these splendid architectural wonders portray the rich heritage of India. The paintings and sculptures in these caves are supposed to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art. The cave temples are positioned in a horse-shoe shaped cliff.


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Raakesh is the admin of the blog featherfear he write many articles. He contributes to this blog with various interesting posts and images