The Marleshwar temple is a cave temple of Lord Shiva. It is one of the famous Shiva temples in Maharashtra, India. The peculiarity of this temple is that you might find venomous snakes roaming in and around the temple, but nobody to date has died from snakebite here. Marleshwar is also blessed with hundreds of waterfalls, among which is the Dhareshwar waterfall, which is the most famous.

It is located in Sangameshwar in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra, India. The Shiva lingam is believed to be swayambhu (self-manifested). The Marleshwar yatra takes place on Makar Sankranti every year, and thousands of devotees visit here to worship Lord Shiva. The annual yatra celebrates the marriage of Marleshwar and Girija Devi.

The Marleshwar temple is 78 km away from Ganpatipule, where there is a very famous temple of Lord Ganesha. The other places to visit near Marleshwar temple are Jaigad Fort, Parashurama temple, and Swami Swarupananda ashram (Pawas).

On Makarsankranti, a marriage celebration of Marleshwar and Girijadevi occurs yearly. On Mahashivaratri and Tripurari Purnima, a fair is organized where thousands of devotees come to offer prayers to Lord Shiva.

The best time to visit is in the monsoon, as you will see many waterfalls around the temple.

Image Credit: Pranav011