GORI UDYAR, Lahurgad
29.883300,79.750000
Description
The slightly modified, natural temple cave in a conglomerate, which is compounded of rounded pebbles of various size and rocks, is sacred to Shiva, contains speleothems, and represents a partly collapsed stream cave, now in ruins, which consists of a south-west facing rock shelter (30 m wide, up to 15 m high and 15 m horizontally deep) upstream of an adjacent, north-south trending tunnel cave (10 m long) with pool among undercuts and gravitationally dislocated conglomerate boulders. This item is possibly identical with the –>Shiva Cave (Song, Saryu Valley) noticed by DUCLUZAUX (1993d: 36). ETYMOLOGY: The Sanskrit "ghora" (literally: frightful, disagreeable) is not only the word for a horse but also an epithet of Shiva, whilst "gaur", the great wild ox (zoologically Gavaeus gaurus Jerdon 1874 redescribed as Bos gaurus Blanford 1888-1891: 484-486) is a bovine (note 1) and "gauri" not only a colour (white) but also the name of a Hindu mother goddess. SITUATION 1949: The cave is reached by travelling from »Bageshvar [note 2] three miles [about 5 km] to Lahurgad [note 3], from where one path goes to Gori-udyar which is three miles« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 95, 149). SITUATION 1991: On the »Lahor Gad« (Lahurgad), a tributary from the north-west, which joins the Saryu opposite across Balighat (N29°52'30": E079°47'), a village 5 km on foot north from Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46'): »There is a footpath from Balighat to Choona [note 4] and Pandrakpali. From the mill at Pandrakpali, proceed on the left (east) foot path upstream along a small stream arriving from the north to where the cave lies in a gorge about 500 m below the hamlet of Gauriudyar, Gori Udhyar« (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1949: »Gori Udyar is a big cave situated 6 miles [9.7 km] north of Bageshvar. This is an interesting cave full of big stalagmites, stalactites and stalactitic columns. A brook flows nearby forming a number of cataracts …« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 95, 149) CAVE DESCRIPTION 1991.1: »Gouriudyar is a cave ruin with a 15 by 50 m large chamber, totally calcited. Used as a temple. A stream sinks about 200 m above to resurge in the cave: A young creek in an old bed. A grand piece!« (after Uwe Scherzer 1991.08.18). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1991.2: »The current remnant of cave lies on the northern side of a 20 to 25 m wide gorge which once must have formed a river cave as heavily weathered calcite formations are found deposited on rock surfaces now in the open air. A stream sinking some 300 m north-west of the cave and not far from the hamlet, is strongly suspected to communicate with a karst spring rising in front of the cave, from where the resurging water flows through the "Appendix" or downstream part of the cave. The cave is comprised of two sections: First, the old chamber which houses a huge calcite mound and the cave temple, and second the apparently much younger "Appendix". Upon entering the cave from the north-west, one walks into an ante-chamber separated from the main chamber by fallen rock pillar. Put up on a levelled piece of ground in front of this pillar --and still outside in the open air-- is the green painted sculpture of a plant-leaf cast in reinforced concrete. In the ante-chamber itself is another green item: A stalagmite overgrown with bright malachite green algae. A level concrete floor covers about half of the main chamber, which is separated by a concrete wall from the nearby flowing stream. Since the cave had been modified to such a degree -- and judging from a rich accumulation of religious rubbish -- the cave is exploited as a cult spot, as indicated by a holy fireplace, brass bells for noise fitting pious prayers, and a sculpture of a sacred Nandi bull. The main attraction, however, is a 20 m wide calcite calcite escarpment -- lining the entire back of the chamber -- and several independent stalagmites, which are recklessly painted with red and orange colours., The largest stalagmites are venerated as linga representing Lord Shiva and Ganesh. The "Appendix" downstream of the main chamber seems to be much younger than the main cave. It consists of fallen boulders perforated by the stream. Here, at a level of 3 m above the streambed, is also a niche (7 m wide, 3 m high) decorated with stalagmites and stalactites treated in the same manner as those in the main chamber. The water continues folling it's way by passing a grottoe (up to 6 m high) with a little pool before cascading downstream and out of the cave« (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). CAVE POTENTIAL: »The vicinity of the cave is covered with impenetraable thickets and dense vegetation which can be expected to veil caves and cave ruins similar to Gauriudyar.«
NOTE 1: »The Gaur (Bos gauris) … bison of the Anglo-Indian sportsmen … is a magnificent animal, almost the finest, if not actually the grandest, of living bovines. Large bulls sometimes measure over six feet in height at the withers, whilst their horns are occasionally each three feet long and as much as eighteen to twenty inches round their base. Cows are smaller« IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 1: 231-232). 1681 »They have a beast called a gauvera, which much resembles a bull ; his back stands up with a sharp ridge, and his legs are white halfway« (KNOX 1681). 1833 »The gour, a species of bull, which, by its description (as taken from a young one), must be the noblest in appearance of all known animals, ranges the hilly portions of the jungles (of Borabhum and Dholbhum), defying pursuit« (TICKELL 1833, Journal Asiatic Society). 1840 »… a large and fierce animal, called a gaura, …This creature is probably, we may say certainly, extinct in Ceylon … but in several parts of the country, particularly in Lagalla, its former existence is vouched for by the names of places, as "the Gaura-field", "the Gaura-flat", &c.« (FORBES 1840, 2: 159). 2005 »gaur -- Indian bison« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005 glossary: 1107). NOTE 2: Bageshwar (Bageshvar, Bhageshwar, Wageshwar) N29°51': E079°46' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003): 975 m asl (LONELY PLANET 2005: 343) or 3200 feet or 975 m (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 95, 149). NOTE 3: »Lahurgad« (PRANAVANANDA 1949) and »Lahor River« (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss) is indicated as »Lahor Nadi« on AMS sheet NH44-10 Almora (U502 series, 1958 edition) and joins near N29°52'30": E079°47' the Surya from the north-west.NOTE 4: »Choona« (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss) is indicated as »Chhona« on AMS sheet NH44-10 Almora (U502 series, 1958 edition) at a spot about a kilometre north-west of the confluence and above the north (orographically left) bank of the Lahor Nadi / Lahur Gad.
Documents
Bibliography 28/03/2016- Pranavananda, Swami [alias: Somayajulu, Kanakadandi Venkata] 1949, 1983.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 | BAGESUR HOLES | ||
| 4.1 | Balighat Cave | ||
| 18.3 | LAKHU UDYAR | ||
| 19.6 | DALBAND SHELTER 1 | ||
| 19.6 | DALBAND SHELTER 2 | ||
| 20.6 | SANI UDYAR (Scherzer 1991) | ||
| 23.1 | BHRIGU, Bhrigutunga - Pokhri (Cave of) | ||
| 25.4 | BHIR CAVE | ||
| 25.4 | ASHPHAL GUPHA |