KATHAR KUVA
22.583300,76.583300
Description
The existence of one known 76 m deep pothole with a 30 m wide, funnel-shaped mouth in Deccan Trap rocks at a remote location on the Malwa Plateau is supected to indicate the possible existence of other caves and potholes in the area. SITUATION: »Kathar Kuva« or "layered well" (note 1) lies east of Indore (N22°43': E75°50') in Kannod taluk (town at N22°40': E76°44') but was reached (Reddy 1989.03.31 Mss) by bus from Dewas (note 2) by a 92 km long road to Kanthapode / Kanthapor (note 3) from where (in 1989) a 28 km long, jeepable track through thick jungle lead to a place called »Surmanya« (note 4), a village of 130 houses (mostly hill tribes and labourers) in a plateau land covered with »regur« or »mar, kali« (note 5) on top of thin »shaly layers« of »igneous rock« (Reddy 1989.03.11 Mss) or Deccan Trap rocks (note 6). From Surmanya, Kathar Kuva lies at a travelling distance of another 6 km along a jeepable track. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1 (Reddy 1989.03.31 Mss): »The left rim of the entrance shaft is higher than the right, lower one, since it is situated on the slope of a hillock. For about 2 m the top is inclined due to weathering and covered with dust etc. From there the rocky phase begins with irregular edges as shown in the sketch. The bottom of the pit consists of flat soil with rocks. There is a small pool of water at the bottom of one wall. From the inner edge (lower edge) of the slope I measured 31 m width and a depth of 76 m.« CAVE DESCRIPTION 2 (DEEPEST HOLE … 1988c after DEEPEST HOLE … 1988b after DEEPEST HOLE … 1988a): »A more than 1000-ft-deep hole, claimed to be the deepest hole in the world, has been discovered in Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh state. A Hindustan Times report quoted Dr. V S Vakankar, who discovered the hole, as saying “it is a rare geological phenomenon”. The hole is a natural tunnel about 100 ft [30 m] wide and more than 1000 ft [305 m] deep. So far no such deep runnel was reported anywhere in the world” Dr. Vakankar was quoted as having claimed. Dr. Vakankar, who died last month, opined that some miracle must have come from outer space, hit the space and made the hole. No geological phenomenon can account for the formation of such a hole.« CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use (Reddy 1989.03.31 Mss): »The pit is not known to anybody, not even the S.I. [Super-Intendant of Police]. Luckily the district officer at Dewas, who visited it, could tell me its location, when I met him at Dewas.«
NOTE 1: CHABERT (1989: 20) lists Kathar Kuva as the deepest cave of India in granite (sic!) but the layered host rock are rather Deccan Traps. NOTE 2: Dewas N22°58': E76°04' on S.I. sheet 55/B/01 and on AMS sheet NF43-07 Indore (U502 series, 1959 edition). NOTE 3: »Kanthapode« (Reddy 1989.03.31 Mss) is suspected to correspond to the »Kantaphor« (not listed in IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 15: 245 or 25: 283), which is shown near N22°35': E76°34' on AMS sheet NF43-08 Harda (U502 series, 1957 edition) and on the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 70 C2) on the river Chankeshar, a tributary to the Datuni flowing into the Narmada. NOTE 4: »Surmanya« is not identified as it is neither listed on nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) nor in the IMPERIAL GAZETTER (1907-1909, 25: 558) or the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006 index). NOTE 5: The Tamil "regur" (Reddy 1989.03.11 Mss) is »the soil here called mar or kali by the natives, and 'black cotton soil' by Europeans« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 17: 100). NOTE 6: »The plateau is mainly composed of a vast spread of basaltic rock, which forms great rolling downs, dotted over with the flat-topped hills peculiar to that geological formation« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 17: 100).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23.0 | NIMANPUR SINKHOLE | ||
| 32.8 | SITA SAMADHI | ||
| 85.6 | NAYAPURA SHELTERS | ||
| 95.1 | KATHOTIA SHELTERS | ||
| 103.7 | BHAIRAGARH SHELTERS | ||
| 104.4 | SHAHAD KARAR SHELTERS | ||
| 104.8 | BHINYAPURA SHELTERS | ||
| 104.8 | KESALPURA SHELTERS | ||
| 105.7 | CHAMILI KHOH |