Mysterious Caves Where Humans Visit For Worship

Caves, in historic times, served as a place of shelter and defence.

As humans inhabited these caves, some became revered as a place of worship and a place for the preservation of religion.

The serenity and isolation from the rest of the world may have been two of the many reasons for preserving deities of different religions in caves. These caves, by virtue of having a diety, have been termed holy and mysterious.

This is why every year, tourists, as well as thousands of religious fanatic, flock these caves to offer prayers.

See some of the caves below:

Awhum Waterfall And Cave – Nigeria

The water gotten from the waterfall is said to heal the sick and chases away evil spirits. Although there is, allegedly, documented evidence of this significant discovery, many swear by its healing powers. This is further heightened by the fact that a section of the water remains warm every season. It is also said that prayers offered to the Virgin Mary by Christian pilgrims at the Awhum Waterfall and cave gets prompt answers.

Awhum Waterfall and Caves. Pinterest

Saint Simon The Tanner – Egypt

In Egypt, a muslim-majority country, lies the largest church in the Middle East. The church is called the monastery of St. Simon the Tanner and is located in Mokattam where the Zabbaleen (Coptic Christians) dwell. It has a seating capacity of 20,000.

Cave Church In Egypt. Photo credit: Pinterest

Monastry of Destiny- Romania

The 7,000-year-old Monastery of the Destiny goes by different names: the temple of faith, the monastery, and the Sinca Veche Temple. Strangely, the cave has two altars.  A lot is unknown about the cave such as when it was sculpted, what the underground rooms are for, and the reason behind establishing two altars.

One has the symbol of the Judaism Star of David and the other, the Chinese Ying and Yang.

Temple Of Destiny (Templul Ursitelor) The Star Of David. Photo credit: Goecaching

Ellora Cave – India

The Ellora cave is located in Maharashtra, India. The Ellora cave houses the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. Out of the 100 caves broadly featuring Buddist, Hindu, and Jain deities, 34 are open for public viewing. The three deities were placed in the Ellora cave to signify the unity of religion in ancient India.

Of all the caves, the Hindu Kailash cave is most profound for its monolithic rock excavation. Rashthrkuta King Krishna 1, is credit with constructing this chariot-like temple in the 8^th century. It is believed that there are elephants carrying the building.

Ellora Caves

Pak Ou Caves – Laos

The Tham Ting (lower cave) and the Tham Theung (upper cave) are caves famous for their Buddha images. The story goes that Buddhist is the first to put a wooden Buddha statue there after the difficult and enduring journey to the cave. Since then, the cave has witnessed an influx of wooden Buddha statues. Each cave has a Buddist miniature statues doing something significant such as medicating and teaching.

Pak Ou Caves. Photo credit: Pinterest