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Nelliteertha Cave Temple: Explore The Divine 200-Meter Cave Mystery
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News18•18-10-2026, 16:07
Nelliteertha Cave Temple: Explore The Divine 200-Meter Cave Mystery
- •Devotees can now participate in holy cave ritual baths at the Sri Somanatheshwara Cave Temple in Nelliteertha near Mangaluru.
- •Walking about 200 meters inside the natural cave leads to a holy water pond and the darshan of the Jabaleshwara Shiva Linga.
- •Cave entry is strictly open from October 17 to April 14, allowing visitors between 7:30 AM and 1:00 PM daily.
- •Tradition requires devotees to bathe in the Nagappa pond outside before entering the cave in wet clothes for rituals.
Key Questions Answered
Entry into the cave for holy ritual baths is permitted annually from October 17 until April 14, operating daily between 7:30 AM and 1:00 PM.
Devotees must first take a bath in the Nagappa pond located outside the temple. Afterward, wearing wet clothes, they proceed 200 meters inside the cave to bathe in the holy water stream and offer water ablution to the Jabaleshwara Shiva Linga.
The site is named Nelliteertha because water droplets continuously fall from the upper part of the natural cave, and they are believed to resemble the shape of a gooseberry, known as 'nelli' in the local language, while 'teertha' means holy water.
