Patal Bhuvaneshwar: Timings, Distance, Nearest Station

Visiting Patal Bhuvaneshwar

• Legend says King Rituparna of the Surya dynasty found the cave in the Treta Yuga, and Adi Shankaracharya later revived worship there. (kumaon.gov.in, last updated 2024-10-21)
• The cave is about 160 m long and 90 ft deep from its entrance. (en.wikipedia.org, accessed 2026-10-22)
• Centrally protected by the ASI as 'Patalbhubneshwar Cave' since 3 March 2003; the ASI dates an inscription at the entrance to the 14th century. (asidehraduncircle.in, not shown)

Timings

• Opening hours and any fee are not published officially; travel sites give roughly 8 AM to 5 or 6 PM, and say entry is with a receipt from the temple committee. (bhaktibharat.com, 2025-04-20)

The festival

• Maha Shivaratri is the main day; the next falls on 6 March 2027. (en.wikipedia.org, accessed 2026-10-22)

Before you go

• The road ends about 0.5 km from the cave mouth; you go down 82 steps in dim light, holding iron chains. (kumaon.gov.in, last updated 2024-10-21)
• The way in is a crawl of about 20 m down a narrow passage, about 500 m from Bhubneshwar village. (asidehraduncircle.in, not shown)
• A local guide is needed because the passage is narrow and slippery, and only one person at a time fits through the entrance. (etvbharat.com, 2025-10-12)
• Phones and cameras are not allowed inside the cave (a travel site's account, not an official notice). (devbhomi.in, updated 2025-11-05)
• Oxygen falls inside the cave in the rains; the committee says an oxygen concentrator will be set up when levels are low. Think twice if you are claustrophobic or unwell. (etvbharat.com, 2026-10-11)

Lately

• The ASI closes the cave for the monsoon, because of low oxygen: in 2026 from 11 August to 10 October, as in 2025. (etvbharat.com, 2026-08-01)
• The cave reopened on 11 October 2026, at the start of Navratri. (etvbharat.com, 2026-10-11)
• It was also closed from 29 March to 2 April 2026 while the ASI rebuilt the stairs, and reopened on 3 April. (etvbharat.com, 2026-03-27)

How to reach Patal Bhuvaneshwar

By road, measured on OpenStreetMap: 13 km from Gangolihat.

• 14 km from Gangolihat, the nearest bus station, and about 91 km from Pithoragarh; Naini Saini airport about 90 km (district figures). (pithoragarh.nic.in, last updated 2019-08-17)

The weather near Patal Bhuvaneshwar now

At Patal Bhuvaneshwar, beside the temple, at about 1,600 m; the temple is at about the same height.

Patal Bhuvaneshwar weather: the next 24 hours, 10 days and every month.

The snow peaks from Patal Bhuvaneshwar

From the temple's point the elevation model finds a clear line to these summits; mornings from October to March are clearest.

• Nanda Devi, 7,816 m: 77.2 km to the north; about 900 m of it over the nearer hills.
• Nanda Devi East, 7,434 m: 76.1 km to the north; about 1,600 m of it over the nearer hills.
• Api (Nepal), 7,132 m: 88 km to the north-east; just the summit.
• Trishul, 7,120 m: 75.9 km to the north-west; just the summit.
• Panchachuli, 6,904 m: 66.8 km to the north-east; about 2,100 m of it over the nearer hills.
• Nanda Kot, 6,861 m: 66.1 km to the north; about 1,300 m of it over the nearer hills.
• Maiktoli, 6,803 m: 68.5 km to the north; about 1,800 m of it over the nearer hills.
• Nampa (Nepal), 6,755 m: 93.7 km to the east; just the summit.
• Rajrambha, 6,537 m: 67.9 km to the north-east; about 1,800 m of it over the nearer hills.
• Chaudhara, 6,510 m: 71 km to the north; about 700 m of it over the nearer hills.
• Suli Top, 6,300 m: 82.1 km to the north; about 700 m of it over the nearer hills.