Introduction to Mukteshwar Dham Pathankot
Mukteshwar Dham Pathankot is not just a temple, It’s a living wonder of our ancient heritage. Where Pandavas used to live and worship Lord Shiva while they were here. Pandavas stayed here 6 years while they were in exile while having their Agyat Vas.
Let me take you on a legendary journey of a 6000-7000-year-old temple built and maintained by the Pandavas and have an in-depth analysis of the features of this temple. Posted in my Temple Travel Series, this article would be an extra gem in it.
Located on the bank of the Raavi River and having breathtaking views, this place will steal your heart. Let’s explore more below.
Pathankot to Mukteshwar Dham distance
The Mukteshwar Dham is located on the Ravi River ahead of Pathankot with a distance of 22 km. Which can be easily traveled by Bus, bike, taxi, or car. The area ahead of Pathankot till the Mukteshwar Dham is so beautiful that it would resemble you to Kerala. I can bet you that it will leave you with mesmerizing memories for your lifetime.
Let us talk about the features of the Pandava Caves in Mukteshwar Dham Pathankot.
The moment you reach there you will find a big shed in front of you and there will be hundreds of stairs that you have to walk down until you reach the caves.
Features of The Pandava Caves
Dhyaan Kaksha
Dhyan kaksh is the first and foremost cave that you will find there and it is basically a room dedicated just for meditation purposes. Pandavas used to sit here and meditate for a long period of time. As you can see in the photo, a signboard is provided where you can see Pandava Dhyan Kaksha is written and when you go inside you will find two rooms attached to each other one being used as an entrance and the second being used as the Dhyan Kaksha.
As you can see in the below photos there are inscriptions on the pillars of Dhyan Kaksha from that period of time. But now these are so deteriorated that one cannot identify what exactly is inscribed over them.
In the Dhyan Kaksha, the top of the roof is actually built into a perfect geometrical shape, which resembles a similar profile to a Hindu Yantra, crafted out of a rock by the Pandavas. It goes upwards in a conical shape built into a square-into-square design.
Now look at the below picture this sculpture is carved directly out of the rock and signifies the shape of a Yogi. Who is doing meditation sitting on the ground? The whole sculpture including the face is no longer intact so the actual identity of the sculpture could not be identified. But depending upon the posture of the sculpture it could be imagined as Shiva who is in his Dhyaana.
Main cave
Now let me take you to the main cave where Pandavas used to reside, sleep, cook, and used to worship Lord Shiva as ShivaLingam.
The moment you enter, on your left will be the Yagya Kund and behind that will be another room used as a kitchen by Draupadi. On your right, there will be a raised platform and after that another room, where the ShivLingam is throned.
In the main entrance Hall, on the front wall, you will see a sculpture of Deity Lakshmi, although in comparison to other sculptures, this one is more intact and also painted beautifully. Have a look at the picture below.
The adjoining wall, has a beautiful sculpture of Bhairavnath, while it’s not clear but signboard is attached to the wall stating the Identity of the shape.
Inside the cave, there are two pillars, supporting the roof and bearing all the load. Just left to the pillar, the Nandi Statue is built facing the Shivalingam. A very interesting fact is that, just like any other Nandi I have seen in different temples, this is a little different. The face of the Nandi, that I have seen around the temples is much bigger and looks straight towards the Shivlingam.
But here, the face is relatively small and looks towards the base of Shivlingam. Have a look at the image below.
On the main entrance of the temple, above the door, there are a total of 9 small sculptures carved out of the rock. it is very difficult to identify the image in today’s situation but depending on the number of these I can guess that they are 9 forms of Durga.
Just have a look at the image below.
SHIVALINGAM
The ShivLingam inside the temple is a marble-made lingam, Which is now more protected and decorated according to the needs, as you can see in the image.
Now if you look at the rooftop, you can see the rock is actually cut and made into the shape of a conical funnel in an upward direction. Again a similar profile of a Hindu Yantra.
Let me tell you one more interesting fact about this place, Although this place lies in a valley, Pandavas still appear to reside in a cave built above nearly 20 feet of the natural ground level of the valley. It was very easy to build a Hut-like structure near the source of water, as the Raavi River flows nearby.
Maybe it was because they were hiding in the Agyat Vaas and didn’t want anyone to find them.
Kitchen
A separate room in the cave is dedicated to cooking purposes where Dropati used to cook food for all the Pandavas and their mother. This room is actually empty, there is nothing there & it was only used as a kitchen. The Kitchen room is behind the Yagya Kund.
Mukteshwar Dham Pathankot is the most photogenic place in nature’s leap.
While you are coming here to witness the ancient heritage, let me tell you, it’s more than that. The location of Mukteshwar Dham Pathankot makes it a very prominent place for a Traveller to experience more.
The lush greenery, clouds, river, mountains, and mesmerizing view originating from light rain are definitely something that is going to take your heart. Seriously, I have never seen such a place with a combination of both natural beauty and ancient heritage. By the way, Pathankot itself is a beautiful town to visit.
Apart from this if you want some nature shots on your Instagram page then definitely this is the place for you.
Currently, construction work is going on there, due to the dam and its rising water level.
Why you should visit Mukteshwar Dham Pathanlkot?
I have three reasons for you.
The first one
If you want to experience our old age ancient heritage which is nearly 6 to 7000 years old and provides you the real pieces of evidence of Pandavas residing here during their Agyatvas as stated in Mahabharata.
Second One
If you are a Traveller, who loves being in nature’s leap, and not a beach kind of guy, or the one who loves mountains, rivers, clouds, greenery and nature then definitely this should be the place for you.
The last one
For Instagrammers Preferably, the beauty of this place is so mesmerizing and breathtaking that you surely want to spend some extra time here. I know, nowadays people used to go to hilly places or in the mountains where they could have a photo shoot for their marriage or for special dates. I think this could be a great place for this.
Let me tell you in the comment section below when you are reaching here.
