Welcome to Mahendra Cave, Pokhara
The local inhabitants of Pokhara discovered Mahendra Cave in 2008 B.S. (the 1950s’). At the time, they had named it “Adheri Bhuwan” which means a dark hole. Later, in 2016 B.S. the cave was named after King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev as Mahendra Cave. This cave lies around 10 km northwest of Lakeside Pokhara and is located in Pokhara Metropolitan City Ward No. 16.
Mahendra Cave is a natural cave of 125-meter length. It is said that the cave was around 500 – 700 meters long before the great Nepal-Bihar earthquake of 1990 B.S. (1934 A.D.). The earthquake of 1990 is the worst earthquake Nepal has ever seen which took down many natural and historical monuments.
The most abundant mineral available in this Cave is limestone (चूना पत्थर).
To enter the cave, you will have to descend some stairs. The inside of the cave has numerous rock formations of stalactites and stalagmites. One of the stalagmites a few meters from the entrance is worshiped as Lord Ganesh. A priest stays inside the shrine to perform Puja and Hindu devotees who visit the Mahendra Cave pay their respect to the Lord.
The entrance and exit door of the cave is different. Mahendra Cave has different exit routes with different difficulty levels. So, the visitors going inside the cave without a guide are suggested to take the safer and shorter exit route. It is believed that only those who have not committed any sin in their life can pass through this narrow opening.
Mahendra Cave is protected and managed by Bindhyabasini Ma. Bi. since 2031 B.S. (1976 A.D.). For the development of the cave as a tourist attraction, a Master Plan of 7 years was initiated but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The budget for the entire plan is 21 crore. The surrounding garden area of the Cave covers 46 Ropani of land which includes a Children’s Park and a Zoo that aims to conserve the fauna in and around the Jungle area of the Cave and a Maze for entertainment purposes is under construction. Under the Mahendra Cave Development project, different types of work related to the embellishment of the cave are being done.
The premise of Mahendra Cave has lots of greenery, perfect for a peaceful time amidst nature. To reach this cave, you can take a private vehicle or a public bus from Lakeside. You can also reach the cave by cycling along the way. On the way, you will be able to visit Seti River Gorge and Gurkha Museum too. Bat Cave (Chamero Gufa), another natural cave popular as a habitat of hundreds of bats, is just 10 minutes from Mahendra Cave.
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