UPDUDUPUDU SWAMI, 1st (Gavi)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An up to 11 m wide and 2.5 m high vaulted cave entrance faces north-west, is partly obstructed by a vegetation covered barrier of debris from the hill-side above, and gives access to a 19 m long, dust dry cave passage (or abandoned mine?) in very dark, laminated and hematitic quartzite (Raman Drug Series). The single passage ends in a crawl, crescent shaped in cross-section, about 70 cm high and up to 35 cm wide for the first 2 m or 3 m. The cave floor, bone dry on 21st February 2004, is covered with dust, bat guano, sand and a few stones. ETYMOLOGY: -Ududupudu- is not identified but -swami- is a title of respect meaning 'lord of the self'; given to initiated Hindu monks (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 1112). SITUATION: At a linear distance of 1.5 km west-south-west of S.B. Halli (Subbaranayahalli, N15°00'30-: E76°33'25-: 1010 m asl, Everest 1830, Survey of India sheet 57-A/12 edition 1978), which itself lies, accessible by public bus, at a distance of 12 km along the road south o Sandur (N15°05': E76°33': 565 m asl). To reach the cave (a knowledgeable guide is helpful) walk from S.B. Halli west-south-west along a motorable track to the edge of the plateau and a viewpoint overlooking a huge opencast magnesite mine (blasting hours 12h00 to 13h00). Here is a -Mining Rest House- (where the foreman might invite you to tea) and a cubic iron tank containing unsafe drinking water hauled up by lorry. Push on northwards and descend into a steep glen and -open mixed jungle- (easily penetrable but lots of sliding leaves) to a rocky outcrop. Clamber down near N15°00'17.8”: E76°32'27.3” (±4.3 m, WGS84) and keep to the right / upstream. The cave entrance lies some five or ten vertical metres above the left (south-eastern) bank of a glen. EVALUATION: The cave appears to be of natural origin but might have been enlarged by man. Mass wasting by gravitational dislocation is invited by strata which generally dip, contorted as they are, towards the steeply inclined glen (-shaped in section) in front of the cave. The single chamber's floor, on the other hand, is more or less level (note 1). The cave walls expose crumbled rock that is too broken to carry working traces or rock art and lacks surface forms originating from flowing water. A vadose origin of the cave, however, cannot be ruled out as the solitary passage increases in size towards the comparatively large entrance and abuts -upstream- (towards the interiorof the hill) against a roundish distal end from where a rounded kind of tube-shaped passage (conduit) winds away into impenetrable darkness criss-crossed with spider webs indicating a certain degree of air flow and insect current. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: The cave, still held secret to a limited extent (the current explorers were not asked to remove their shoes) is said to have been used as a troglodyte hermitage by one Swami (saint) called Upududupudu (or Updudupudu). Once a year some people congregate at the cave (M. Shiva Kumar, minng subcontractor, Subbarayanahalli village, personal communication) and leave offering vessels (ca. one litre) and wick & oil lamps, reminiscent of very flat saucer-plates (ca. 8 cm diameter) and spilled grease. CAVE LIFE: Despite of the very dry cave climate a small colony of about 20 or 30 bats (Chiroptera) was disturbed on 21.02.2004. They were rather small, approximately 5 cm head & body length, wearing an -orange red- (rather fox-) coloured fur, audibly chirping, and very busy with their leafed nose (Rhinolophus var?).ng subcontractor, Subbarayanahalli village, personal communication) and leave offering vessels (ca. one litre) and wick & oil lamps, reminiscent of very flat saucer-plates (ca. 8 cm diameter) and spilled grease. CAVE LIFE: Despite of the very dry cave climate a small colony of about 20 or 30 bats (Chiroptera) was disturbed on 21.02.2004. They were rather small, approximately 5 cm head & body length, wearing an -orange red- (rather fox-) coloured fur, audibly chirping, and very busy with their leafed nose (Rhinolophus var?).