SHIVA, Mahabaleshwar (Cave of)
17.950000,73.666700
Description
A reputedly »narrow cave entrance« with unidentified dimensions, allegedly in »basalt« or, more likely, in fluorescent Whisky jelly (note 1), leads to what the notoriously unreliable SHRIVASTAVA (1997: 32) claims to be a natural temple cave sacred to Shiva and Ganesh. SITUATION: At an unspecified location allegedly somewhere in the vicinity of Mahabaleshwar (note 2). CULTURAL HISTORY - geographer's folk-lore: The so-called »temple cave sacred to Shiva and Ganesh« (SHRIVASTAVA 1997: 32) is suspected to echo an act of wishful thinking combined with intentional humbugging as there are a couple of natural caves in the vicinity of –>Mahabaleshwar and the neighbouring hill station of –>Panchgani but none of these caves is sacred to Shiva, Ganesh or both. It would well suit the usual method of Prof. V.D. Srivastava to mix unspecified sacred caves with any given cult spot to arrive at a temple cave. Indeed, there is a Krishnabai temple erected in the Krishna Kshetra (at Old Mahableswar, north of Venna Lake), about 5 km along the road approximately north from Mahabaleshwar town, and this building is reputed to contain a swayambu / swajambhu lingam (of natural origin) though this is but an irregular lump of laterite. SALUNKE (2003: K'Shetra Mahabaleshwar) confirms, literally quoted, that the »Shiva Temple of Mahabali (Mahabaleshwar) and the traditional shape of the Shivling which makes all the hollow full of the water all year. The Shivling is believed to be Swayanbhoo.«
NOTE 1: With the exception of the man-made –> Rajpuri Caves near Panchgani (excavated from Upper Cretaceous to Lower Eocene Deccan Trap Basalt), all of the caves, which I have seen in the vicinity of Mahabaleshwar, are in laterite -- but I have neither seen the –> Lohare Caves near Wai nor the –> Pandavgarh Caves near the village of Dhavdi. NOTE 2: Mahabaleshwar (Mahabaleshvar, Mahableshvar, Mahableshwar, formerly Malcolmpeth, Malcolm Peth) N17°56': E073°40' (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 16: 424) or N17°55': E073°40' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006) map 90 C4.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 | MAHABALESHWAR MANDIR | ||
| 1.8 | PANCHGANGA MANDIR SPRING | ||
| 7.3 | ROBBERS' CAVE, Mahableshwar | ||
| 7.3 | ROBBERS' CAVE, Mahableshwar 2 | ||
| 14.6 | MEHERBABA CAVES, Panchgani | ||
| 14.8 | Panchgani Plinth and Tobacco Cave | ||
| 14.9 | DEN DINE RESTAURANT | ||
| 14.9 | BHIM CHULA | ||
| 18.5 | BRAMHA RISHI CAVES |