Gupteswar Cave

Dashed Trail
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Gupteswar Cave is a Shiva-dedicated cave shrine. It is a pilgrimage  destination located 55 kilometers (34 miles) from Jeypore in the Koraput  District of Odisha, India. 

Dashed Trail

It is a limestone cave with the massive Shiva Linga as its main feature, which is supposed to be growing in size. 

Dashed Trail

The cave is thought to have been found by Rama and rediscovered during Maharajah Veer Vikram Dev’s rule.  

Devotees travel to the shrine barefooted with adorned bamboo palanquins  called “Kanwadiya” and bathe in the maha kund before worshipping Lord  Gupteshwar during the holy month of Shravan. 

The Shiva linga shrine is reached via 200 steps. It has a 3 meter (9.8 ft) wide and 2 meters (6.6 ft) high entrance. 

Legend : A 2 meter (6.6 ft) high lingam rises in the cave, surrounded by a lush grove of sal trees and bordered by the Kolab River.

Because the lingam stayed undetected for such a long time, the shrine is known as “Gupteswar,” which means “God in hiding.”