Top 5 cave temples of India

New Delhi: It is believed that everything on earth is created by God and almost every human being profoundly worships the God. However the way of worshiping the God might vary for different people.The practice of praying to God is being followed long before the civilization started to evolve though the way to pray at that time might not be the same as it is today.Since India is rich with cultural heritage, a lot many temples can be seen across the country.Each of the temples has its own uniqueness while the architecture, designs and the method of building, everything varies from temple to temple.Like the Akshardham temple, the Birla Mandir and many more which are known for their magnificent design and architecture, India has been home to various splendid cave temples which allures a large number of devotees each day.Here we present you the list of 5 cave temples of India. Amarnath Cave templeSituated in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ice Shivling at Amarnath is considered to be the holiest shrines in Hinduism.While the Amarnath cave is dedicated to Lord Shiva, it also holds an important place in Hinduism.Ice Shivling inside the 130 ft high Amarnath cave is basically the stalagmite that is formed due to freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave on to the floor and grows up vertically from the cave floor.While the cave is said to be around 5000 years old, this stalagmite considered to be a Shiva Linga by Hindus.It is also believed that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon reaching its height in summers, although there is no scientific evidence for this belief.An annual pilgrimage known as the “Amarnath Yatra” is held every year to visit this cave and worship the ice shivling. Elephanta Cave Located on an island in Arabian Sea, in Mumbai, the Elephanta Caves are a group of sculpted caves divided into two groups.While the first group comprises of five Hindu caves dedicated to the Hindu God- Shiva, the second features a smaller group of two Buddhist caves.The Hindu caves have been a place to worship until Portuguese rule began in 1534.Created in between the 5th and 8th centuries, the Elephanta Caves are hewn from solid basalt rock.The Elephanta Caves have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Cave temples of Ellora Situated in Maharashtra, Ellora Caves were built during the rule of the Kalachuri, Chalukya and Rashtrakuta dynasties.The 30 caves of Ellora were carved out of a vertical face of the Charanandri hills in the 5th century AD.The Ellora caves comprises of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain rock-cut temples and viharas and mathas that were built between the 5th century and 10th century demonstrating the religious harmony of the time.While the Hindu caves features paintings of the various gods, the Buddhist caves were primarily designated as monasteries, whereas the Jain caves boasts intricately painted ceilings.A World Heritage Site, the Ellora is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. Ajanta Cave Temples Located in Aurangabad in Maharashtra, the Ajanta Caves comprises of around 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments.These caves features splendid architectural wonders portray the rich heritage of India.The paintings in the Ajanta Caves are the masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, with figures of the Buddha and depictions of the Jataka tales.The Ajanta caves were said to be built in two phases starting around the 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 400–650 CE.Declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983, the site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. Pataleshwar Cave TempleLocated in Pune, Pataleshwar Cave Temple is a rock-cut cave temple, carved out in the 8th century in the Rashtrakuta period.Made of basalt rock, the Pataleshwar Temple is dedicated to the Hinu God-Lord Shiva.The temple has a cube-shaped room about 3–4 metres on each side featuring a Shivling.In front of the cave is a circular Nandi mandapa, its umbrella shaped canopy supported by massive square pillars.This mandapa is one of the peculiar structures of Pataleshwar.While the temple was left incomplete it is still visited by numerous devotees who worship the Shivling in the temple.