You wouldn't think it possible to find a
quiet, oasis of calm in the heart of Pune, but that’s just what a friend
and I discover at the Pataleshwar Caves, located along the busy JM Road.
In the inner sanctum sanctorum we find a Shivling, with a gilded
snake’s hood rising over it. Another stone Nandi mutely faces this.
The caves at the back are incomplete and
not properly carved, hinting that the caves may have been left incomplete for whatever
reasons.
A small, insignificant gate leads the
way in, and a smaller, obscured-by-plants board assures us that we are at the
right place. We find ourselves facing a large, open space, in the centre of
which stands a huge Banyan tree creating a beautiful green canopy above us.
Further along, the path takes us to the site
of the caves, sunk a few feet below where we stand. Wide, gently sloping stone
steps take us down to a circular, pillared Nandi mandapa carved entirely from
stone.
Another stone-carved Nandi sits
forlornly in a corner, while a shrine occupies space under a Peepal Tree, atop
a platform built around it.
The Nandi mandapa faces the 8th
century, rock-cut Pataleshwar cave temple, which by its name, indicates that it
is dedicated to Lord Shiva. We take off our shoes and enter a pillared sabha
mandap or hall.
The outer hall contains other deities,
of which I recognize Lord Ram, Lakshman and Sita. Among this profusion of Hindu
gods, I find the time to send a quick prayer to my own God, to watch over my
shoes and keep them from getting stolen.
The caves extend on either side of the
inner sanctum, and circle back to connect through a passageway behind it. This
passage is pitch-black, but we capture some great silhouettes where the light
finally shines through!
The Archeological Society of India,
which maintains the caves and grounds, does not provide any information about
the caves, so we’re in the dark about its history. But the Pataleshwar Cave Temple
does afford a glimpse into the architectural genius of a bygone era and the
religious sentiment of people today, who continue to worship here.
We step out of the gates, and are
swallowed by the busy crowd that walks and drives past these caves, perhaps completely
unaware of its existence.
