Jatashankar temple in mountains of pachmarhi

Jatashankar (also Jata Shankar) is a natural

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

and Hindu shrine located north of

Pachmarhi Pachmarhi is a hill station in Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh states and territories of India, state of central India. It has been the location of a cantonment (Pachmarhi Cantonment) since British Raj. It is widely known as ''Satpura ...

, in

Narmadapuram district Narmadapuram district is one of the districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India, and Narmadapuram city is the district headquarters. Geography The district has an area of 5408.23 km². Narmadapuram district is bounded by the districts of R ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

, India. Jatashankar is located in a deep ravine with enormous boulders perched above. The cave contains

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

s which are revered as naturally formed

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

s. The cave serves as a shrine to the God

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and is a popular destination for pilgrims. ''Jata'' means hair and ''Shankar'' is another name of Lord Shiva. There are two ponds fed by springs found in the locality, one of cold water and the other one of hot water. The cave structure resembles to a hundred head snake named Sheshnag a mythological character.

Religious Importance

The Jatashankar caves are considered as very sacred place as the caves are believed to be the spot where Lord Shiva concealed himself from the wrath of Bhasmasur.

References

Tourist attractions in Narmadapuram district Hindu cave temples in India Shiva temples in Madhya Pradesh Caves of Madhya Pradesh Pachmarhi {{India-Hindu-temple-stub