ANDHI GUFA, Tanahun
27.929900,84.442800
Description
A north-facing, relatively narrow but high cave entrance (about 1 m wide and 3 m high) and seasonal (monsoonal) spring of water (exsurgence) gives access to some 70 m of beautiful to look at cave passage with secondary calcite formations (speleothems), which leads to a kind of "dry" (air-flooded) but very slippery and seasonally sumped cave passage (backup zone), which was estimated to be more than an estimated 30 m long and gave the impression of allowing access to a possibly penetrable collapse (note 1). ETYMOLOGY: The culturally irrelevant cave and seasonal spring is probably named after the sacred pond –>Andhi Mul, the »Dark Spring« or, if you wish, Blackpool (note 2). So far, I saw the name of this cave called or spelled, edited and eventually printed as Aandimul Cave GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA (2011: 21) Andhi Gupha DUCLUZAUX & SCHENKER (1992: 59) Andhimul Cave GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA (2011: 22). SETTING: »Aandimul Cave (27°55'47.6” N, 84°26'34.2” E) is located at the altitude of 636 m. There is a dead simal [note 3] tree just ahead of the cave and forest above and nearby cave is dominated by Castanopis indica« (GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA 2011: 21). SITUATION: Beneath what had been in autumn 1992 a relatively large tree (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 22) in the seasonally active bed of a generally northwards draining tributary stream (no name mentioned) to the orographically right (southern) bank of the Marsyangi Khola and at a linear distance represented by centimetre on an unspecified scale north-east (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 19 croquis de situation …) of the –>Andhi Mul but 105 m higher up (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 20).DUCLUZAUX (1993d: 19 Croquis de situation des cavites de la region de Dumre.- without scale) indicates the number 3 for Andhi Gupha a thumb's breadth south-west of no. 2 (Andhi Mul) and both ESE across a ridge from the nos. 4 and 5 for »Jambowoti Gupha« (Siddha Gufa, Bimalnagar) and SSW above the populated place called »Satrasaya Phant« [note 4] on the Prithivi Marg (Kathmandu - Pokhara highway). CAVE DESCRIPTION: An unspecified cave entrance gives access to 70 m of cave passage leading to what had been on an unspecified day between 16th October and 30th November 1992 an air-filled but very slippery "sump" and, 30 m further on, to a possibly penetrable collapse. A few metres short of the "sump" is an impenetrable squeeze with a noticeable air current, which (the squeze) would need digging and was not explored but anyhow declared to lead for sure nowhere else but to a not yet discovered upper cave entrance. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1992: The beautiful cave and seasonal spring is 100 m long (note 5).1993c: Not seen (DUCLUZAUX 1993c). 1993d: »Une galerie de 70 m de long donne sur un siphon temporaire. Le siphon à sec est tres glaiseux. Arrêt sur trémie, passable semble-t-il ? L'eua vient du coeur du massif. Le pendage (20° vers le sud) est oppose à l'ecoulement, d'où la presence du siphon. Un peu avant le siphon une étroiture avec courant d'air est à déstobstruer, Elle mène sûrement à une entrée supérieure (à decouvrir)« (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 22). 2001: »… l'emergence temporaire d'Andhi Gupha de 100 m de déveleoppement« (DUCLUZAUX, JUBERTHIE & DECU 2001: 1944). LIPS 1993; DUCLUZAUX 1994d)CAVE LIFE - bats (Chiroptera): »Fire camping (Andhimul Cave), [and] killing for medicinal belief (at Satrasaya, Andhimul) are major threats pertaining to the bats in Tanahun … »Very few bats were sighted at Andhimul Cave« (GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA 2011: 22).
NOTE 1: Bruno Ducluzaux tells us a tale according to which the unidentified catchment area of this spring lies west of the seasonal exsurgence cave and on an unidentified »the mountain« (no name mentioned) that culminates at 2130 m asl (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 21) and is declared to be doubtlessly covered with impenetrable vegetation where one has not only the liberty to enter but also the difficulty to return: »Le bassin d'alimentation de ce karst n'est pas connue, sans doute la jungle impénétrable qui recouvre la montagne à l'est« (DUCLUZAUX & SCHENKER 1992: 59). »Le bassin d'alimentation est inconnue. Il devrait se situer au dessus et à l'est des émergences. La montagne, qui culmine à 2130 m, est entirement recouverte par la forêt vierge, une jungle pleine de favues …« (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 21). NOTE 2: The Nepali "mul" is a word for root, origin, source or »spring« (in the sense of a place where water or oil wells up from an underground source) and "andhi" is the word for »storm, strong wind« but the adjective "andha" means »blind« and "andheri" (adjective) »dark, murky« (KRÄMER, K-H 2007: 10). NOTE 3: »Simal tree« (GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA 2011: 21) or Simul and »Semal or cotton-tree. A large forest tree with crimson flowers and pods containing a quantity of floss, Bombax malabaricum« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: xxv), »one of the most gaudy ornaments of the forest or village« (BUCHANAN HAMILTON, Francis 1828 edited by Montgomery Martin, vol. 2: 789). 1992 »Semul, Bombax ceiba« (BAZELY, Peter James 1992: 28). 1909 »Semal or cotton-tree. A large forest tree with crimson flowers and pods containing a quantity of floss, Bombax malabaricum« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: xxv). »Simul. see Semal« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: xxvi). 1904 »Simul tree … Bombay [sic!] malabaricum; a cotton tree« (SINGH, N 1906: 52, 67). 1903 »Sanskrit: shalmali« (Crooke, W in: YULE & BURNELL 1886 edited by Crooke, W 1903: 807). 1886 »Seemul, Simmul, &c. (sometimes we have seen Symbol, and Cymbal), s. Hindustani semal and sembhal. The so-called cotton-tree Bombax malabaricum, D.C. (N.O. Malvaceae), which occurs sporadically from Malabar to Sylhet, and from Burma to the Indus and beyond …« (YULE & BURNELL 1886 edited1903: 807). 1807 (circa) »… the Salmoli, or Simul … is one of the most gaudy ornaments of the forest or village …« (BUCHANAN HAMILTON, Francis; [edited by] MARTIN, Montgomery (1828): The history, antiquities, topography and statistics of Eastern India.- vol. 2: 789). NOTE 4: Neither »Satrasaya Phant« (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 19 Croquis de situation des cavites de la region de Dumre) nor »Satra Saya in Prithvi highway« (GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA 2011: 21) in indicated on the Central Service Map sheet 38 Tanahun (edition 1989) on the Prithvi Marg, the national highway from Kathmandu west to Pokhara. satra (Nepali, numeral) seventeen (17) saya (Nepali, numeral) [one] hundred (100) NOTE 5: »Andhi Gupha est une belle émergence temporaire de 100 m de développement« (DUCLUZAUX & SCHENKER 1992: 59).
Documents
Bibliography 05/07/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1992.10.16 - 1992.11.30: Bruno Ducluzaux and Pascal Schenker visit, explore and survey (DUCLUZAUX & SCHENKER 1992: 59) to a degree resulting in a cave plan (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 20). 2010.03.12-14: Rameshwor Ghimire, Sudeep Acharya and Sanjan Thapa from the SMCRF (Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation, Kathmandu New Baneshwor) and the Central Department of Environment Science (Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu Kirtipur) »carried out a three days bat monitoring survey in Tanahun district … to update the recent information on the chiropteran species diversity, population and distribution …« (GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA 2011: 20). On this occassion, they paid a visit to the »Aandimul Cave« (GHIMIRE, ACHARYA & THAPA 2011: 21).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | ANDHI MUL | ||
| 0.6 | BARADI (Cave at) | ||
| 1.8 | Lohi Cave | ||
| 2.2 | Keraghari | ||
| 2.2 | PATAL DWAR | ||
| 3.0 | SIDDHA GUFA, Bimalnagar | ||
| 3.2 | SIDDHA GUFA, Bimalnagar, 2nd | ||
| 4.1 | SIDDHA CAVE, Bhanumate | ||
| 13.3 | CHAMERE GUFA, Mulpani |