SITAKUND, Kalinjar
25.001700,80.488100
Description
Sita's Pool at –>Kalinjar Fort (N24°59'50”: E080°28'50” WGS84) is a modified natural cave, which is used as a subterranean cistern and almost completely filled with a pool of luke-warm, murky and stagnant water (note 1). SITUATION: At a perched location high up and at the edge of the fortified hill of Kalinjar and some 50 m in a direct line approximately north of the man-made –>Sita Sej (Sita's Couch) rock chamber. A rather low but almost 3 m wide cave entrance leads to a series of ten steps down to water. Some two or three metres from the entrance's dripline drops the ceiling to touch the water's surface. CAVE DESCRIPTION: »… I think a natural reservoir, or at all events very little enlarged. It is a pool of clear water on a small cavity under shelving rocks, and is reached by two or three steps from the rampart« (MAISEY 1848: 179).
NOTE 1: On 23rd December 2000 I personally witnessed with my own eyes how journalists on a trip sponsored by the UPTDC (Uttar Pradesh Tourist Development Corporation) took the stagnant pool as a source of drinking water. With my own eyes I saw them not only pouring the interesting liquid into their own mouths but also to swallow it. Several hours later, they still were alive.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | SITA SEJ GUFA | ||
| 0.5 | FAKIR's CAVE, Kalinjar | ||
| 0.5 | HANUMAN GATE CAVE, Kalinjar | ||
| 0.5 | MRIG DHARA | ||
| 0.5 | NILKANTHA CAVE | ||
| 0.5 | PANI KE AMAN | ||
| 0.5 | PATALA GANGA, Kalinjar | ||
| 24.0 | KALYANPUR - BILADI SHELTER | ||
| 26.8 | LAL PUTARIA: ITWA SHELTERS |