Patal Bhuvaneshwar Cave Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Naini Saini Airport is the nearest civil airport to the district, but it has no regular scheduled commercial passenger service.

• By train

  The nearest railway stations are Tanakpur and Kathgodam, about 151 km and 212 km from Pithoragarh town.

• By road

  Haldwani and Tanakpur are the two entry points for reaching Pithoragarh by road. The cave is about 14 km from Gangolihat, a town in the same district.

Why devotees come here

Patal Bhuvaneshwar is a limestone cave temple in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, about 14 km from Gangolihat. Legend says the cave holds Shiva and thirty three koti demigods, and that a serpent once carried a king through it.

Patal Bhuvaneshwar is a limestone Hindu cave temple. Legend and folklore say the cave enshrines Shiva and thirty three koti demigods. The cave is 160 m long and about 90 feet deep from the entrance. Limestone formations have made stalactite and stalagmite figures of many hues and forms.

Legend says King Ritupurna met Sheshnag at the entrance, and Sheshnag agreed to carry him through the cave. In the Kali Yuga, Adi Shankaracharya is said to have re-discovered the cave during his visit to the Himalayas. He is recorded as visiting the cave in 1191 AD.

The cave lies in Pithoragarh district, the easternmost Himalayan district in Uttarakhand. The cave is fully electrically illuminated, but the walk inside is made in feeble light.

Tips for your visit

• Hold the protective iron chains along the path, because the walk inside is made in feeble light.
• The cave is fully electrically illuminated, so the lights run through the whole cave.

Questions people ask