Mahendra Cave is a cave located in Pokhara-16,batulechaur, Kaski district, close to the Kali khola, is a large limestone cave. It is a rare example of a cave system in Nepal containing stalagmites and stalactites. This show cave attracts thousands of tourists every year. A statue of Hindu lord Shiva can be found inside the cave.
This cave was discovered in the 1950’s by shepherds in Pokhara. The old name of the cave was ‘Adhero Bhawan’ which literally means Dark Habitat. The cave got its name from Late King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, the then ruler of the country, who immediately visited the place after he read about it in the Newari language newspaper.[1] The cave was named Mahendra after it was officially inaugurated by the then King Mahendra.[2] The cave got rapid attraction after the royal visit and since then it has remained one of the most visited places in Pokhara.[3] It was first properly surveyed in 1976 by a small team of speleologists from the UK including Jane Wilson-Howarth who documented the animals that lived in the dark zone of the cave.[4] Copies of the expedition report are lodged with the UK copyright libraries and at the Royal Geographical Society.
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