PHIYAWRO GUFA
28.166700,83.983300
Description
A sizeable cave entrance (12 m wide, 5 m high) to a broad but very low horizontal cave passage which is almost hidden behind a pile of conglomerate debris in the back of a 60 m wide and 50 m deep crescent shaped overhang of a cliff situated on the southern rim of the Pokhara Terrace and about 600 m to the east of the –>Powerstation Caves. The known part of Phiyawro Gufa (Jackal's Cave) clearly originates from a seasonal subterranean stream which flushes decomposed conglomerate through the entrance above the northern (left) bank of Phusre Khola. This hydrological function, however, is reversed –to a certain extent– for most of the year because the mouth of the resurgence is nearly closed by a dam of pebbles fallen from the cliff face above the entrance. The greater part of the dam rolls down into the valley below but a certain amount of the falling pebbles spill into the cave mouth (by gravitation) and smaller particles are washed by surface water into the cave. This alternating draiage results in a longitudinal passage shape resembling a Swiss alphorn. CAVE POTENTIAL - Outlook: About a 100 m further east of Phiyawro Gufa, and at the same elevation lies a much smaller cave wit three entrances. This Phiyawro Gufa 2 is terminated at a distance of about 15 m from the entrance by breakdown (dig!). The three small entrances were secured by animal traps made of barbed wire destined, as I was told, for the 'phiyawro', the jackal. The two caves might be connected.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1980.02.18: H. D. Gebauer found the entrance in the course of systematic 'ridge walking' (better: cliff walking), commenced mapping and reached meter 53 under the impression of beeing watched: A second later I saw –at a distance impossible to estimate– a pair of glowing eyes reflecting my carbide light golden from the complete darkness ahead. Lying sandwiched between coarse rounded gravels -loose and dusty under my breast and quite solid in my back, the alien beast kept staring at me without blinking. I shouted, it stared. I knocked stones together, it stared. I tried to throw a pebble, it stared. I choosed to refrain from approaching closer.
Caves nearby
Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
---|---|---|---|
0.7 | DHUNGESANGU GUPHA | ||
1.8 | PHORKE CAVE 3 | ||
2.5 | PHORKE CAVE 1 | ||
2.5 | PHORKE CAVE 2 | ||
3.2 | PATALE CHHANGO | ||
3.5 | Gupteshwar Gupha | ||
3.7 | CHINDANDA CAVE | ||
3.9 | DHUNGE SANGU | ||
4.0 | BIRHENDRA GUFA (Gebauer 1980) |