RANGAMATIA HILL (Cave on)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A cavity of dubious nature, noted not only for the accoustic phenomenon of issuing unearthly noises at times but also dhunan (smoke or vapour) and possibly consisting of an abandoned copper mine, is situated on the face of some cliffs somewhere about half-way up the Rangamatia Pahar (note 1), a hill about 2 km or so in a direct line south of Rajdah / Rajdoha (note 2) and some 15 km in a direct south-east of Jamshedpur (N22°48': E086°11') in Purbi Singhbhum (ex East Singhbhum) district. CULTURAL HISTORY - cave legend: BALL (1880 edited 1985: 146-147, after Colonel HAUGHTON (a.i.): Unknown title) : … Rangamatia Hill, which Colonel Haughton in his geological account described on native authority as a fire mountain. His own recorded observations clearly shewed that there was no real foundation for this story, which asserted that from a cavity on the face of some cliffs about half-way up, unearthly noises issued at times, and that is some years after heavy rain fire was poured forth frm it. Colonel Haughton could not -detect the odour of any gas exhaling from it, and the cave itself had no appearance of igneous action about it.- The natives with him could not be induced to approach it. Those with me could not, or would not, point out the exact spot, but I satisfied myself that the only foundation of this belief was that, after rain, a steamy cloud of vapour was often to be seen curling up from the summit. The appearance is not uncommon in these hilly regions, and is spoken of by the natives as being caused by dhunan, which is the term ordinarily applied to smoke, but also signifies vapour. From the summit of the hill there was a remarkably fine view … CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: CHAKRABARTI & CHATTOPADHYAY (1985: 138-145) list old copper workings in Singhbhum District and mention the site Rajdoha, which is not indexed in the IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 24) but the chapter on -Copper- in the -Mines and Minerals- section (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 3: 144) noes: In Singhbhum District, a copper bearing belt persists for a distance of 77 miles [124 km], and includes several rich lodes, some of which, at Rajdoha, have been proved by extensive prospecting operations to depths of 233 feet [71 m].CAVE LIFE: The unearthly noises may indicate flapping bats (Chiroptera). According to HUTSON, MICKLEBURGH & RACEY (2001: 4), In temperate areas, caves and mines provide ideal conditions for hibernation and, in their warmest parts, for nursing. Other smaller underground structures, such as rock crevices or ledges, may also be of importance in some areas. The world’s largest aggregations of bats are found in caves in both temperate and tropical regions, where millions of animals may be found in a single site. Abandoned mines may also house hundreds of thousands of bats.es: In Singhbhum District, a copper bearing belt persists for a distance of 77 miles [124 km], and includes several rich lodes, some of which, at Rajdoha, have been proved by extensive prospecting operations to depths of 233 feet [71 m].CAVE LIFE: The unearthly noises may indicate flapping bats (Chiroptera). According to HUTSON, MICKLEBURGH & RACEY (2001: 4), In temperate areas, caves and mines provide ideal conditions for hibernation and, in their warmest parts, for nursing. Other smaller underground structures, such as rock crevices or ledges, may also be of importance in some areas. The world’s largest aggregations of bats are found in caves in both temperate and tropical regions, where millions of animals may be found in a single site. Abandoned mines may also house hundreds of thousands of bats.