PARVATI CAVE, Pachmarhi - Jatashankar

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A modified natural rock shelter in sandstone, which is used as a temple cave sacred to Shiva and Parvati, is situated adjacent south (upon descending on the left-hand side) of the footpath to Jata Shankar Cave. The shelter faces north, is some 10 m broad and up to 4 m deep and charaterised by a spacious frontal concrete platform with a pair of stairs. Behind a plaster statue of the sacred couple, which, on 29th December 2000 was painted in gaudy enamal colours, is a partly walled-off bedding plane passage which soon becomes too shallow to be penetrated. This section of the shelter is almost dark and but faintly lit by daylight entering from a subvertical fissure opening to the west.