Shri Marleshwar Cave Temple, Ratnagiri

Shri Marleshwar Cave Temple, Ratnagiri

📍 Marleshwar, Konkan, MaharashtraVerified
🧭 Get directionsIn-person counter only
Open
Hours not documented
Next aarti
Morning
06:30 · in 583 min
Crowd right now
Moderate
Weather
33°C ⛅
20% rain

Today at this temple

ಶನಿವಾರ, ಏಪ್ರಿಲ್ 25, 2026Sunrise 06:13 · Sunset 18:54
Tithi
dashami
shukla
Nakshatra
Magha
Yoga
Ganda
Abhijit muhurta
12:09–12:57
Today's darshan timeline
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
🔥 Rahu kaal 09:23 – 10:58

Quick facts

Primary deity
Shiva
Tradition
shaiva
Year founded
—
Founder
Ancient svayambhu-Shiva-Lingam in a natural-CAVE near Dhamapur village, Ratnagiri district, Konkan. The cave-temple is reached via forest-trek and waterfall-crossing — one of Konkan's most-scenic-devotional destinations. Sacred COBRAS (naga) reportedly-reside in the cave and are-considered-auspicious by devotees
Managing trust
Local Konkan Shaiva community trust
Daily footfall
500-2,000 daily
Photography
outside_only
Non-Hindu policy
all_welcome
Dress code
Trekking-appropriate attire; shorts discouraged but practical
Accessibility
—
VIP darshan
—
Typical visit
120–240 min

Sthala Purana — the story

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Ancient Konkan-regional Shaiva svayambhu-tradition

References: Shiva Purana Classical Shaiva

Darshan & aartis

Sun
06:00–19:00
Mon
06:00–19:00
Tue
06:00–19:00
Wed
06:00–19:00
Thu
06:00–19:00
Fri
06:00–19:00
Sat
06:00–19:00
  • 06:30
    Morning
    30 min · Simple morning worship
  • 18:00
    Evening
    30 min · Evening worship

Plan your visit

✈️ Nearest airport

Ratnagiri (RQY) — 60 km

🚆 Nearest railway

Sangameshwar (Konkan Railway) — 30 km

🚌 How to reach locally

Road-end parking; trek to cave

🅿️ Parking

✓

🏨 Where to stay

Ratnagiri or Konkan hotels (30 km)

🍽 Prasad & food

Dhamapur local eateries

🧘 Best time to visit

Mahashivratri (2026 approximately 7 March 2026) peak; MONSOON WEEKENDS (Jun-Sep) for waterfall-scenery; Oct-Feb dry-trek

🎒 What to carry
  • Trekking shoes, rain-gear for monsoon
  • Water bottle, snacks
  • Bilva-patra
  • Combine with Konkan-coast circuit: Ganpatipule, Parshuram Chiplun

Deity & iconography

Height of murti
90 cm
Vahana
Nandi — stone Nandi outside cave-entrance
Adornments
Svayambhu Shiva-Lingam in natural cave-setting; sacred-cobras reportedly-reside. Traditional-forest-temple-setting with-minimal human-constructed-ornamentation. Devotees offer bilva-patra and Gangajal
Consorts on panel
None in cave (nature-temple character)
Favored bhoga
Bilva-patra, Gangajal, coconut, simple offerings
Mantras chanted here
Om Namah Shivaya · Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
Worship purpose
Ancient svayambhu-cave-Shiva; Mahashivratri observance; Konkan-monsoon-weekend trek-destination combining devotional + nature-tourism; Konkan-coast pilgrimage circuit (with Ganpatipule, Parshuram Chiplun)

Architecture & art

Natural forest-cave temple with no human-constructed elements

Style
Natural cave-temple in Konkan-forest near Dhamapur, Ratnagiri district. Access via 500-600m forest-trek from road-end; path crosses waterfall during-monsoon-season. No-human-constructed-temple-architecture — the cave IS the sanctum
Built of
Natural cave rock
Notable features
Natural cave Shiva-temple · Forest-trek + waterfall-crossing access · Sacred-cobras traditional · Konkan-monsoon-weekend-destination · Combined devotional + nature-tourism · Ratnagiri Konkan-coast
Protection status
state_protected

History timeline

  1. Ancient (traditional)

    Svayambhu Shiva-Lingam in Konkan-forest cave

  2. Modern

    Konkan-tourism integration

Special phenomena

Forest-trek cave-temple with waterfall

Unique Konkan-destination combining devotional-pilgrimage with forest-trek and waterfall-crossing; monsoon-season particularly-atmospheric

Poojas & sevas offered here

No bookable poojas listed yet

Festivals & signature events

  • Mahashivratri
    Annual
    Signature

Location & nearby temples

Scriptural references

Shiva Purana
Classical Shaiva
Shaiva foundations

Sources & credits

✓ Verified by 2026-04-25. Seeded from training + Wikipedia. Video metadata intentionally empty.

  • Marleshwar — source · CC-BY-SA 4.0
✓ Last verified 2026-04-25
en