Lord Shiva, who is also ‘Lord of the mountains’ has a unique cave abode amid undulating hills in the Scotland of East. Sri Mahadev Khola Dham, situated at Upper Shillong is one of the oldest temples in Meghalaya  and among the famous places of pilgrimage in Shillong. It is located at a distance of 5 km from Shillong Bus Stand and is an ancient Hindu temple. There are different stories about the existence of the temple, which is estimated to be 150 years old. A huge number of devotees visited the temple during the Shivratri Mela.

Mahadev Khola Temple is located on the banks of the river Umshyrpi and was constructed in the North Indian style of architecture.

The Mahadev Khola Dham is a cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to legend, the temple is built at the spot where Lakhiya Baba, a sage was decided to stay and meditate. A subedar-major of 8th Gorkha Regiment dreamt of the sage mediating with a trishul (trident) in his hand and a rudraksh’ necklace around his neck. The very next day, the man searched for the sage and found him at the place where the mandir’ stands today. During the course of excavation for construction of the temple, the subedar-major found a huge shivling and thus the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The present temple was built by several persons after independence, but the earlier one was built with the permission of the then British government. There is a small opening in the cave that leads to another cave. A small statue of Lord Shiva guards the entrance. It is believed that the opening leads to the ancient Kamakhya temple atop the Nilachal Hills in Kamrup, Assam directly. Apart from the main temple, there are many small temples in the complex, which are believed to have been built by devotees of Mahadev Khola Dham.

A grand mela of Lord Shiva is held for three days every year on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri at this temple. During the mela, more than 25,000 people visit the temple for the lord’s blessings.