Pataleshwar

Pune, India

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Further readingAtlas Obscura↗

The Pataleshwar Caves in Pune, Maharashtra, are an 8th-century rock-cut Hindu temple from the Rashtrakuta period, dedicated to Shiva. This monumental monolithic excavation features a distinctive circular Nandi mandapa and a large pillared mandapa, with three rock-cut cave sanctums originally likely dedicated to Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, though now housing idols of Parvati, Shiva, and Ganesha. The site, also known as the Panchaleshvara temple or Bhamburde Pandav cave temple, exemplifies the sophisticated rock-cut architectural traditions of its era. Now surrounded by a garden and managed by the Archaeological Survey of India, the caves bear the marks of both vandalism and centuries of weathering, yet remain a Monument of National Importance and a PMC Heritage Grade I site.