Patal Bhuvaneshwar Cave

The opening story of the cave belongs to the Treta Yuga, when King Rituparna is said to have been guided inside by Sheshnag and to have seen the gods assembled there. A second tradition holds that the Pandavas stayed in the cave during their final journey into the Himalayas, and that the rock formations preserve marks of that visit.

Devotees identify named shapes within the passages, including Ganesha, Sheshnag, Garuda, the jatas of Shiva and a shivalinga formed from the stone itself.

By Air: Pantnagar airport is the nearest, more than two hundred kilometres away by road through Almora and Pithoragarh. By Rail: Tanakpur is the nearest railway station at about a hundred and fifty kilometres, and Kathgodam is the other practical railhead for Kumaon. By Road: buses and taxis reach Gangolihat from Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Champawat, and the cave is fourteen kilometres from Gangolihat.

Wear shoes with grip and expect wet floors inside the cave, because water continues to drip from the formations onto the walking surface. Allow time for the descent and the climb back out, since the route is narrow and visitors move through in single file.

Gangolihat, fourteen kilometres away, holds the Haat Kalika temple, a Shakti shrine that tradition also connects with Adi Shankaracharya. Berinag, about twenty-five kilometres from the cave, is known for its old naag temple and its tea gardens facing the Himalaya. Pithoragarh town, roughly ninety kilometres from the cave, gives visitors the fort, the Soar Valley and the road onward to Lohaghat and Askot.