SALISHWAR CAVE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A vertical temple cave (pothole) sacred to Salishwar (an other name of Shiva) contains an iron door and is made accessible with a fixed iron ladder and a 2 mm or 3 mm diameter steel wire reminiscent of the Russian vertical caving techniques developed in the 1980ies. ETYMOLOGY: Little doubt remains that Seleswoar Parvat and Selepharbat (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss) or Salishwar [Hill] (Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss) composed of the Hindi word -parbat- (from parvat, Sanskrit) for hill and the name -Shalishwar-, which combines -shali- (Sanskrit), stone, and -ishwar- (Lord), an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva. SITUATION: On the western flank of the hill Salishwar Parvat / Parbat, note 1), which rises at an estimated distance 2 km or 3 km approximately south-west from an unidentified starting in Gangolihat (N29°40': E080°03') and lies on the way towards Chodiyar (note 2), high above the east (orographically left) bank of the Sarju (Saryu) river, in an unspecified spatial relation near to an unidetified place called Maraknali (note 3) and in an area where the vegetation in the open air is characterised by dense oak (Quercus incana) forest, shrubs (Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht). On the other side of the hill lies –>Gupta Ganga. APPROACH: The Salishwar Cave is reached by walking along an old trail through oak forest to a cement terrace in the Chodiyar area (Breitenbach 2005.10.29 to 11.13 Mss: Tagebuch). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1991: An entrance shaft of unknown width drops 4 m down to intersect a lateral dome-pit, which is illuminated from above by a daylight window and continues descending with what looks like a 10 m shaft (Scherzer 1991.08.18 Mss). Another cave called Seleswoar Parvat Gupha is on the western slope of Selepharbat Hill. The entrance is situated in a small sinkhole where I was able to climb down a few metres but climbing equipment would have been necessary to continue descending the rift pot. The entrance lies hidden in thickets and is difficult to find (Scherze 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005: At an estimated depth of more than 40 m and a cave passage length surpassasing an estimated 100 m (note 4), the temple cave [is] mostly natural. There is one thick but short (less than 30 or 40 cm high, 40 cm in diameter) stalagmite and fluvioklastic sediments, including pebbles, deposited by an episodic (monsoonal) river or stream (after Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht). CAVE POTENTIAL - Prospects: Some potential, interesting for sports caving (Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss Bericht). CAVE LIFE (Breitenbach 2005.10.29 to 11.13 Mss: Tagebuch; Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht): A relatively small day roost of a rather small sized species of bats (Chiroptera) and some relatively small sized spiders (Araneae).tified place called Maraknali (note 3) and in an area where the vegetation in the open air is characterised by dense oak (Quercus incana) forest, shrubs (Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht). On the other side of the hill lies –>Gupta Ganga. APPROACH: The Salishwar Cave is reached by walking along an old trail through oak forest to a cement terrace in the Chodiyar area (Breitenbach 2005.10.29 to 11.13 Mss: Tagebuch). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1991: An entrance shaft of unknown width drops 4 m down to intersect a lateral dome-pit, which is illuminated from above by a daylight window and continues descending with what looks like a 10 m shaft (Scherzer 1991.08.18 Mss). Another cave called Seleswoar Parvat Gupha is on the western slope of Selepharbat Hill. The entrance is situated in a small sinkhole where I was able to climb down a few metres but climbing equipment would have been necessary to continue descending the rift pot. The entrance lies hidden in thickets and is difficult to find (Scherze 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005: At an estimated depth of more than 40 m and a cave passage length surpassasing an estimated 100 m (note 4), the temple cave [is] mostly natural. There is one thick but short (less than 30 or 40 cm high, 40 cm in diameter) stalagmite and fluvioklastic sediments, including pebbles, deposited by an episodic (monsoonal) river or stream (after Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht). CAVE POTENTIAL - Prospects: Some potential, interesting for sports caving (Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss Bericht). CAVE LIFE (Breitenbach 2005.10.29 to 11.13 Mss: Tagebuch; Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht): A relatively small day roost of a rather small sized species of bats (Chiroptera) and some relatively small sized spiders (Araneae).