PANDAVANPARA
8.416700,77.116700
Description
India's possibly southernmost natural »cave« (WANKE 1982: 90) is a rock shelter associated with the Pandavas (note 1) and containing rock-art (engravings) managed (note 2) by the Archaeological Survey of India (note 3). SITUATION: Somewhere at Ankode / Ancode (note 4) and near the wide-spread village of Perumkadavila (Perunkadavila), which lies at a (travelling?) distance of 6 km along the road north of Neyyattinkara (note 5), which itself lies 15 or 20 km along the National Highway NH47 approximately south-east of Thiruvananthapuram (also: Trivandrum, obsolete: Travancore; N08°30': E76°54'36”). CAVE DESCRIPTION (STEPS ON … 2003): »Though the entrance of the cave has a diameter of only about three metres, the inner portion is spacious and cool.« CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art: The »Cave-writing [sic!] belongs to the late Neolithic period« (note 6) and features »About 37 carved motifs. Rock shelter and cave with carvings of human and animal figures as well as abstract shapes on both the internal and external walls« (note 7). STEPS ON… (2003): »… seat of several pictorial engravings dating back to the Middle Stone Age … made mostly using pointed rocks. An engraving of a flower about 2.5 metres long can be seen at the entrance, while there are engravings of feathers, flowers, some letters and geometric figures inside the cave. Several engravings seen here have similarity with those seen at the Edakkal caves in Wayanad, Nilambur and caves at Marayur in Idukki … Quarrying activities in the nearby rocks have been posing a threat to the very existence of the Pandavanpara. Some of the engravings inside the cave have been badly damaged by miscreants.«
NOTE 1: The Pandavas are five sons of king Pandu and nephews of Dhritarashtras (blind king; father of the Kauravas): Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva; the "good" in the Mahabharata, the Hindu epic focussing on the exploits of Krishna and describing the battle of Kurukshethra between the Pandavas and Kauravas. The Mahabharata is thought to have been composed some time around the 1st millennium BC (before current). By about 400 BC the Mahabharata had evolved into a far more complex creation, with substantial narrative and instructive additions, of which the most important and famous is the Bhagavadgita (in short: Gita), probably dating to the 4th or 3rd century BC, where Krishna gives advise to Arjuna before a great battle). The story centers on conflict between the good Pandavas (heroic gods exiled to forest and sheltered in caves) and bad Kauravas (demons), the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra. Overseeing events is Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu), who has taken on human form. Krishna acts as charioteer for Arjuna, the Pandava's military expert for long-range missile tactics (bow and arrows), who eventually triumphs in a great battle with the Kauravas. NOTE 2: Beware of outrageous entrance fees duped from non-Indian races —local crorepathis pay only pennies. NOTE 3: kerala.gov.in/dept_archaeology/monuments.htm (accessed 2005.12.21), the official website of the Kerala Department of Archaeology reaveals from (item number) »2 ¬ a) Name of Monument: Pandavanpara, Ancode; b) Features: Pre-historic Monument. Cave-writing belongs to the late Neolithic period; c) Name of Village: Perumkadavila; d) Name of Taluk: Neyyattinkara; e) Total Area of Monument: 1.2590 Hectares (Sy N0.450/1/LB/1-22 Re Sy No.544/2 of Block No. 26); f) Owner: Department of Archaeology; g) Notification No. N0.2320/B1/86/CAD dt.8.9.87.« NOTE 4: Ancode or Ankode is neither shown on AMS sheet NC43-16 Trivandrum (U502 series, 1959 edition) nor listed on nima.mil/geonames (accessed on 16.11.2003). NOTE 5: Neyyattinkara (Neyattinkara) N08°24': E077°05' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003). NOTE 6: kerala.gov.in/dept_archaeology/monuments.htm (accessed 2005.12.21). NOTE 7: edakkal.com/html/sitesofRockcarvings.htm (accessed 2004.01.05).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1986: Declared as a protected monument (STEPS ON… 2003). 1987: The State Archaeology Department aquisitions Pandavanpara with an area of about 1.25 hectares (STEPS ON … 2003). 1988-2002: Illegal quarrying continued in the area and a rock structure, `Aduppukoottipaara', was destroyed as a result (STEPS ON… 2003). 2003.05.04: Quarrying activities in the nearby rocks have been posing a threat to the very existence of the Pandavanpara. Some of the engravings inside the cave have been badly damaged by miscreants. The department completed the survey of the land and fencing has been put up around the rock. Gates have been fixed at three entrances to the rock to prevent the entry of outsiders. Once the renovation works are completed, security would also be provided to check the entry of miscreants into the structure. The Archaeology Director, Manmadhan Nair, said the department was also seriously thinking of developing Pandavanpara into a tourist centre.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.8 | PERUNGULAM CAVE 1 | ||
| 10.8 | PERUNGULAM CAVE 2 | ||
| 14.7 | VIZHINJAM CAVE | ||
| 15.8 | MADAVURPPARA CAVE TEMPLE | ||
| 23.2 | TRIVANDRUM YONI (aa -) | ||
| 38.1 | INJIKULI, Pothigai Hills (Cave near) | ||
| 38.5 | SENGALTHERI CAVE | ||
| 46.0 | KALIKESHAM (Cave at) | ||
| 56.1 | VELLIMALAI, Kalakad - Mundanthurai (Caves at) |