Pataleshwar Caves

A surprise hidden behind a wall on Jangli Maharaj Road, smack in the middle of the modern city: a rock-cut Shiva temple chiselled out of solid basalt in the eighth century. Steps lead down into a square sunken courtyard with a circular Nandi pavilion, and at the back, the cave shrine with its central lingam still in worship.

It is small but atmospheric, and the contrast with the traffic outside is jarring in the right way. The site is free, open until evening, and best in the late afternoon when the low sun reaches into the cave. Park officials around the perimeter sometimes ask for a token donation; entry itself is free.

things to do sight
A story
The caves were carved in the eighth century from a single piece of basalt, in the same Rashtrakuta style as Ellora. They were left unfinished -- you can see the chisel marks on incomplete pillars -- probably abandoned when a crack appeared in the rock during carving.