MAKKUVA CAVES
18.666700,83.266700
Description
Among the »cave temples« (man-made, rock-cut chambers used for religious purposes) of Andhra Pradesh state, DUTT (1981: 1) enumerates »Makkuva, Ramatirtham and Sankharam in Visakhapatnam districts in the Archaean (ancient) crystalline rocks« (note 1). ETYMOLOGY: The word "kuva" (Sanskrit, Hindi, etc.) is applied not only to man-made mines, wells and step-wells but also to natural potholes and caves. SITUATION: DUTT (1981 plate 1 "Physiographical map of Andhra Pradesh" on scale 1: 3,000,000) indicates »Makkuva« about 50 km in a direct line approximately north-east of Anantagiri (note 2) or Borra (note 3) and again about 50 km in a direct line but approximately ESE of Koraput (note 4). India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 96 D3) indicates the village of Makkuva in Vizianagaram district and about 20 km north along a road approximately north of Salur (note 5).
NOTE 1: Little doubt remains that it is not exactly the whole lot of »Visakhapatnam districts« (DUTT 1981: 1), of which there is only one, are found in »Archaean (ancient) crystalline rocks« but rather the »cave temples« themselves. NOTE 2: Anantagiri (N18°14'00": E83°00'30": 990 m asl) lies 77 km (India Road Atlas, Eicher Goodearth 2006: 96) along the road approximately NNW from Visakhapatnam (N17°42': E083°18') and about 59 km along the road approximately west Vizianagaram (N18°07': E083°25'). NOTE 3: Borra N18°16'45”: E083°02'45” (unspecified geodetic datum probably Everest 1830, RAGANATHAN K 1968; KURIEN T K 1980: 199)NOTE 4: Koraput N18°49': E082°43' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003). NOTE 5: Salur N18°32': E083°13' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56.6 | NIAMRAJA's CAVE | ||
| 92.8 | DEVAGIRI, Kalyasinghpur (Cave on the) | ||
| 147.6 | MOHURI KALUA CAVE | ||
| 218.4 | SHAILODBHAVA (Cave of) | ||
| 237.1 | CHANDRAPIDA (Cave of) | ||
| 243.4 | PANDURANGA SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGE | ||
| 298.0 | PANDAVA CAVE, Khordha | ||
| 317.6 | DHAULI, Aswastama Hill (Caves at) | ||
| 317.6 | DHAULI CAVE 1 |