CHOHIA ORGAN CAVE
30.790600,77.776700
Description
»Fine cave chamber, with wide entrance, 15 ft. [4.6 m high] Stalagmites [speleothems], no tackle required« (note 1) notices a pencilled note (perhaps by Glennie, E. A. 1946.08.06) amended with »Call it CHOHIA CAVE« (perhaps by R. D. Leakey 1946.08.20) on the margin of a worn fragment (bottom left corner) of Forest Map sheet 53-F/13 S2 (note 2) at a spot where another fragment (again bottom left corner) of the same map shows »Organ Cave« (in ink, Glennie's hand). SITUATION: In both cases the spot lies in a relatively small and steep valley (note 3) descending east-northeast from Chohia Dhar (mountain) and about perpendicular 250 feet (circa 75 m) and 100 or 110 m on foot above (south-west) a path (road?) north-west from the Budher Forest Rest House (N30°45'45”: E77°47'20”) and on the way via Gorchha (note 4) to the Bangota Bridge. POSITION 1: »Chohia Cave« near (perhaps ±50 m) N30°47'26”: E77°46'41”: 7500 feet (±75 feet, Everest 1830, anonymous recorder perhaps E. A. Glennie, undated, perhaps 1946.08.06) equalling N30°47'25.5”: E77“46'36.2” (WGS84): 2286 m on a fragment of the Survey of India sheet 53-J/13 S2, Four Inch to One Mile = 1: 15'840 Forest Map series, circa 1940 edition). POSITION 2: »Organ Cave« near (perhaps ±50 m) N30°47'26”: 77°46'41”: 7500 feet (Everest 1830, anonymous recorder perhaps R. D. Leakey, undated, perhaps 1948.08.20) equalling N30°47'25.5”: E77“46'36.2” (WGS84): 2286 m on another fragment of the Survey of India sheet 53-J/13 S2, Four Inch to One Mile = 1: 15'840 Forest Map series, circa 1940 edition). POSITION 3: CRAVEN (1969.03.15), writing in The Junior Statesman (Calcutta) issue for Saturday 15th March 1969) on page 11, quotes Glennie without acknowledgement and positions »Chohia Cave« at a location about 150 m further north near (estimated ±500 m) N30°47'30”: E77°46'40”: 7500 feet (Everest 1830) corresponding to N30°47'29.5”: E77°46'35.2”: 2286 m asl (WGS84). IDENTITY: This »Chohia Cave« or »Organ Cave« is strikingly similar to the cave called –>Bhiar Dhar Gupha or Bittdo Cave, which Professor Bahadur S. Kotlia (2005.11.08 Mss: Notebook) reported from the same area (about 1.5 km in a direct line approximately SSW of Gorchha village near N30°48': E77°47') and positioned with two unfortunately disturbing GPS positions (EPE ±14 m, ±32 m) at linear distances of 29.8 m SSW or 606 m in a direct line approximately NE from where the entrance to the Chohia Organ Cave had been indicated (by Leakey?) on the the Forest map.
NOTE 1: Unless the »Organ Cave« (marginal manuscript note in pencil, Glennie's hand) or »Chohia Cave« (marginal manuscript note, in ink) is the –>Moila Toad Hole, it is probably the nameless »show cave« which GLENNIE (1943: 42) reported on 6th November 1943 (Cecil Hotel, Delhi) to Gerard Platten (then editor of The British Caver: The periodical Journal of the Mendip Exploration Society): »We explored a large number of caves finding one which was quite a show cave, remarkable for immense numbers of stalagmite column pillars of all sizes up to 5 ft. [1.52 m or so] in height.« NOTE 2: In the 1980ies, this Survey of India sheet 53-J/13 S2 (Four Inch to One Mile (circa 1: 15,840) Forest Map series, circa 1940 edition) had been kept in the "BSA Box India" held by the BCRA Library at Matlock, Derbyshire, Great Britain. NOTE 3: The relatively short and steep valley (gully?) descending from Chohia Organ Cave, being joined by another gully, is indicated as »Bahar Khal« (Bahar Khat?) on the Survey of India sheet 53-J/13 S2 (Four Inch to One Mile Forest Map series, ca. 1940 edition). NOTE 4: »Gorchha« is not only indicated near N30°48'10”: E77°47'10” (Everest 1830) but also, about 300 m further south, near N30°48'00”: E77°47'10” (Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 53-F/13 S2 (Four Inch to One Mile Forest Map series, ca. 1940 edition) and as »Gorcha« near N30°48': E77°46' on AMS sheet NH44-10 Almora (U502 series, 1958 edition). It is probably the same as »Gorcha« (JANGPANGI et al. 1979) and »Gorchha« (Kotlia, B. S. 2005.11.08 Mss: Notebook).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1943.11.06: Edward Aubrey GLENNIE (1943: 42) reported to Gerard Platten, editor of The British Caver, the existence of an unidentified cave, which is »quite a show cave« (perhaps Chohia Organ Cave) due »immense numbers of stalagmite column pillars of all sizes up to 5 ft. [1.5 m] in height« but this size is possibly a misprint for »15 feet« (4.6 m). 1946.08.06: Edward Aubrey Glennie instructs Robert D. Leakey (1946.08.20) to investigate a namelss cave that contains a »Fine Cave Chamber with wide entrance and 15 ft. stalagmites.« 1946.08.20: Robert D. Leakey (1946.08.20 sheet 6) informs E. A. Glennie »I have not been able to investigate … the cave with 15 ft. stalagmites.« 2005.11.08: Bahadur S. Kotlia (2005.11.08 Mss: Notebook) investigated a similar (the same?) »natural cave« called –>Bhiar Dhar or Bittdo Cave.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | BHIAR DHAR | ||
| 1.4 | MOILA CEDAR POT | ||
| 1.6 | MOILA RUCKLE HOLE | ||
| 1.6 | MOILA MINE | ||
| 1.8 | MOILA SWALLET | ||
| 1.8 | MOILA SWALLETS (Glennie 1946) | ||
| 1.9 | BUDHER CAVE, Kotlia | ||
| 2.2 | MOILA TOAD HOLE | ||
| 3.1 | MASAK VILLAGE POTHOLE |