The caves in India are known for their artistic beauty, sculpture, and Art. They are all shrouded with mysteries, legends, and various folklore giving tourists the nerve chilling experiences of both happiness and disappointment. An enthusiastic traveler feels happy for having gained some knowledge and disappointment for his failure to establish the veracity of folklore and legends relating those caves.
BORRA CAVES, (VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH)
These are located in Araku Valley of Visakhapatnam District in the Andhra Pradesh state of India at an elevation of 2313 ft. These are limestone structures.
As per popular legend a cow, grazing on the top of the caves, dropped 60 m through a hole in the roof. The cowherd while searching for it found a stone inside the cave that resembled a Lingam, and interpreted it as Lord Shiva who protected the cow. The village folk since then built a small temple for Lord Shiva outside the cave and worship him in the form of Lingam (phallus). These caves are known for Stalactites and Stalagmites. The best time to visit these caves is November and December.
Of all the caves in Meghalaya, these are one of the caves quite accessible for many travelers and one of the few caves which can be explored without a guide. Just about a kilometer from the main town Cherapunji, and after driving through a golden field of autumnal grassland, we could finally see a small groove on a hill; Mawsmai caves lay hidden beneath these trees.
The caves have one way of opening and the exit will be at the other end. It has got many places where the passage becomes narrow making you crawl, making you squeeze your body while coming out. As it is only a ‘one-way traffic’ it would be advisable not to be hasty. As the caves are well lit you need no candles and you can see each and every rock formation with details of colors and patterns that can be left to your own interpretation.
These are situated in the wettest place on the earth, Mawjymbuln cave situated with a height of 204 meters is a wonder and for religious significance. The stalagmites formation is unique and place of high interest for explorers and researchers. The stalagmites forming the shape of Shiva Linga are a sacred one for Hindus. At some places the entry becomes difficult. These caves are also famous for being formed out of calcareous sandstone
The place Chitrakoot half lies in Madhya Pradesh and a half in Uttara Pradesh situated on the bank of river Mandakini is the oldest pilgrimages in the country. It is one of the places in the sacred Hindu epic Ramayana and it is stated that Lord Rama performed the final rites of his father here and it has got many other temples and ashrams. The Mandakini is believed to be the bathing place of Sita and there are places where Lord Rama along with his wife Sita is known to have stayed. Here the Gupt Godavari river flows over rocks and deep inside the cave and finally disappears into another cave in the mountain.
There are two caves here one wide and one narrow that serve a more religious purpose.
This cave is located 132 km from Tura in South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. It is locally known as Dobakhol means cave of bats and the third longest one. The cave is known for internal chambers and labyrinths unexplored fully. The cave is totally dark and not measured yet fully. The perennial stream is a residence for difference aquatic life. The stalactites and stalagmites closely resemble those of Borra Caves, in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh State.
These are located at the remote place in Wayanad district of Kerala State, India. There are much pictorial writing (in the form of carvings) believed to be pertaining to the period 6000B.C on the walls of these caves and thus showing the oldest settlements in the area and several archaeologists have approached UNESCO to declare it as World Heritage site.
The word Lena in Marathi means Cave. And are means ‘stone’ in Sanskrit.
These caves are located in Junior on the Southern side of the mountain called ‘sulaiman Pahad’, and those after the Ganesha shrine is known as ‘Ganesh Pahad’. But, the ancient inscription in one of the cave describes it as Kapichitta. These are all Buddhist monasteries which turned later into shine of Hindu God ‘Ganesh’
This is a limestone cave in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state in India. It is located in the village Bhubneshwar. The cave is 160m long and 90 ft.deep with a narrow tunnel –like opening and this is not a single cave but a series of caves. According to legend the king Ritupurna of sun dynasty discovered the cave as described in Manas Khand of Skanda Purana. Adi Sankaracharya visited this cave in 1191 AD. The figurines of Seshnag holding earth can be seen here in the solemn atmosphere under holy Vedic chants. It is believed that it is connected to Mount Calash by an underground and that Pandavas have made a journey to the Himalayas after meditating here in front of Lord Shiva. This is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Bihar is home to many hidden treasures, the main ones being the Pippala Caves, Barabar Caves, Sonbhandar Caves and more.
The mysterious Sonbhandar Cave is located at the foot of Vidarbha Hill and considered literally a ‘treasure trove’, known for amazing polished finish with many legends shrouding around them with inscriptions referring to Swarna Bhandar ‘stone of Gold’ and it is believed that it is the place where the treasure of Bimbisara was hidden which was later donated to Jain Thirthankara.It should always be kept in mind that Acharya Nagarjuna, the famous alchemist belong to this period who could successfully prepare the Gold with the use of herbs and others shrubs. There is also an inscription on the wall the date of which has not been deciphered from the time of the British. They were unsuccessful to unblock the passageway, the black mark on the upper parts of the doorway being a mark left by a cannon ball used when they tried to force open the entrance to the passage.
The locals say that the passage reaches the Saptaparni ( the historical place where the first Buddhist council was held after Lord Buddha attained enlightenment). caves on the other side. The cave is formed out of single stone.
Ajanta Caves are located in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra and date back to 2nd Century B.C to 450-680 C.E. They include paintings and sculptures and they are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art. They were accidentally discovered by a British Officer while hunting. Today 29 caves at Ajantha and the 34 caves at Ellora combined in a single trip, have become the most visited places of Tourists and it is posing a threat also to these caves and the Maharashtra Government in 2012 has taken necessary steps to avoid threat especially to the painting in the caves. It is pertinent to mention that the caves at Ajanta are all Buddhist, and the caves at Ellora are a mixture of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain and their works can not be described in a couple of lines.
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I am always amazed by the beautiful things that are found in caves all around the world. But I have a phobia about going into them. I settle for watching TV programs and looking at photographs. To think that scientists say that caves were man's first dwelling places and homes. I am glad I was born in the 20th century. :)