Panchgani Plinth and Tobacco Cave
17.927800,73.805000
Description
A basically natural, rather dry and vesical-shaped cave in laterite is the home of bats and contains curious, winding cave galleries in the back of a spacious, west-facing, daylight-lit rock shelter overlooking the outskirts of Panchgani. The terrace in front of the cave entrance was marked on 13th February 2007 with what looks like a rectangular, roughly dressed plinth (a solitary slab of laterite rock 1.4 by 1 m wide and 0.6 m thick) just behind the dripline, ceiling holes inhabited by pigeons, cave walls supporting maiden hair ferns, and at least four varieties of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), including pink flowering tobacco plants, that struggle to survive on a substrate of laterite soil. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for this inhabitable cave which overlooks Panchgani and is marked by a plinth and plants of the nightshade family. SITUATION: The relatively small town and hill station of Panchgani (note 3) lies 18 km (note 4) or 19 km (note 5) along the road north-west of –>Mahableshwar (N17°55': E073°40') while the cave-fringed »Table Land« (note 6) above Panchgani lies a kilometre or two approximately north-east of the MST (Maharashtra State Transport) bus stand. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2007: A flight of steps down the western cliff of the »Table Land« plateau above Panchgani passes through a rocky crack, which descends 10 or 12 m to a 5 m long cave passage (up to 2 m wide and 3 m high) that enters from the north a west facing, vaulted and daylight-lit rock shelter (22 m wide, 6 m wide, 13 m horizontally deep), which earlier had been also accessible by another footpath, now disused and overgrown, that descends from the southern edge of the rock shelter to the village of Panchgani about 30 or 40 m lower down. The rock shelter's floor, with its outer rim supported by carefully laid masonry walls, must have been artificially levelled and consists of soil and rocks deriving from the laterite in which the entire cave is formed. The back wall of the rock shelter's southern portion is missing and a couple of steps descend 1.6 m to a sunken interior chamber (about 10 to 12 m wide and 2.5 m high) from the floor of which a square, in February 2007 dry "basin" (3 by 4 m wide, 1 m deep) has been excavated just below an impenetrable, circular hole in the cave wall, initially about 30 cm in diameter, which obviously functions as a seasonal inlet in the rainy season. From the interior chamber northwards continues a curious, apparently in parts artifially enlarged, dark gallery (on average 1.5 m wide and 2 m high) which swings back in a 16 m long curved gallery to the daylight-lit rock shelter. The curved gallery allows circular traffic (note 1) and intersects an apparently natural side passage that arrives descending via a crawl from a vaulted upper chamber (4 or 5 m across, up to 1 m high) with a level, sandy floor and a hot and humid microclimate suiting (13 February 2007, noon) half a dozen of tiny bats with long wings and tail (I guess Miniopterus schreibersi Kuhl 1819). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1961: BROSSET (1961: 430) just about mentions »… une des cavernes qui s'ouvrent au-dessus du village … La caverne est située à 1.100 m d'altitude.« CAVE DESCRIPTION 1962: BROSSET (1962d: 741) understood his anonymous »Caves at Panchgani« (note 2) are »rather large and well lightened, high but not deep, with ramifications facing outwards on the cliff above …« CAVE CLIMATE: BROSSET (1961: 430) measured on 28th February 1960 at noon a temperature of 28°C in the »exterieur« (open air) but 19°C at the »gîte du Rhinolophe« (bat roost) inside one of the caves above the village of Panchgani. CAVE LIFE - bats (Chiroptera): Concerning Rhinolophus lepidus Blyth 1844, BROSSET (1961: 430) observed on 28th February 1960 at Panchgani »… dans une des cavernes qui s'ouvrent au-dessus du village, … un sujet de cette espéce en état de léthargie profonde. L'animal est accroché au creux d'un évidement du plafond, sous une voûte basse. Au toucher, le petit chiroptère rétracte ses membres inférieures et émet un cri grinçant. Placé sur dos, il lui faudra douze minutes our retrouver l'usage de ses sens et de ses mebres. Le comportement ultérieur montre qu'il s'agit d'un sujet sain et vigoureux. … Trois autres Rhinolophus habitent la cavité, ainsi qu'une cinquantaine de Minioptères [about 50 Miniopterus schreibersi Kuhl 1819]. Tous sont actifs.« BROSSET (1962c: 602 table) noticed Rhinolophus lepidus Blyth 1844 at »Panchgani … in the natural caves, at the base of the cliffs above the village.« BROSSET (1962d: 741, 743) explains that the »caves of Panchgani« (no names mentioned) »… constitute a secondary habitat of the giant colony [of Miniopterus schreibersi Kuhl 1819] at the Robber's Cave [note 7], was inhabited by 20-30 individuals in February, 5-10 in May, and 400-500 in August.«
NOTE 1: A sort of similar "back passage" exists in the –>Den Dine Restaurant Cave. NOTE 2: BROSSET (1961: 430) may have applied the plural »caves« to what BROSSET (1962d: 741) called a »cavity« either because two entrances lead this single cave or because it consists of more than just one single cave chamber or a solitary cave passage. NOTE 3: Panchgani, N17°55': E073°49' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) is the »smaller twin« of –>Mahabaleshwar (LONELY PLANET, South India 2001: 213 boxed text) and lies 18 km (SALUNKE 2003) or 19 km (LONELY PLANET, India 2004) along the road (linear 15 km) east of Mahabaleshwar. NOTE 4: reckonindia.com/tourism/hill_stations_of_india.asp (accessed 2005.11.19): »The way from Mahabaleshwar to Panchgani, which is 18 kms, is absolutely spectacular. The Krishna River meanders through the farms, ravines and hamlets on one side and the coastal plains on the other side has a special charm.« NOTE 5: LONELY PLANET, India (2004). NOTE 6: The so-called »Table Land« of the local tourism industry is a relatively up to 60 m high table hill consisting of laterite. Its elongated, flat top is tre-less and windy, extends estimated 3 or 4 km in length, is covered by spurious grass and holds a few shallow pools, which are used as toilets and as sources of water for horses pulling fancy carts with exited Indian tourists. About two thirds of the plateau is bordered by 10 to 15 m high cliffs rising from talus escarpments and bearing occasional caves. SALUNKE (2003) explains that the Table Land »…is a large expanse flat top laterite rock. It is second largest montan plateau in Asia. It is about 60 mts. high, situated on the eastern side of the town [of Panchgani] … There are some spacious caves. One peculiar one [is] known as Devil's kitchen.« NOTE 7: –> Robber's Cave is the »primary habitat« (type locality).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1960.02.28, noon: Andre BROSSET (1961: 430; 1962c: 602; 1962d: 743), probably in company with Humayun Abdulai, counted, observed, saw, surveyed and watched bats in »the caves« (no names mentioned) above Panchgani. 2007.02.13: H. D. Gebauer and Andre Abele, walking north from the –>Den Dine Restaurant Cave along the eastern edge of the »Table Land« above Panchgani, stumble across a flight of steps eventually descending to this cave without known name.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | DEN DINE RESTAURANT | ||
| 0.8 | BHIM CHULA | ||
| 1.3 | MEHERBABA CAVES, Panchgani | ||
| 4.8 | PANDAVGARH CAVES, Dhavdi | ||
| 4.8 | RAJPURI CAVES, Panchgani | ||
| 10.3 | LOHARE CAVES | ||
| 14.8 | SHIVA, Mahabaleshwar (Cave of) | ||
| 15.4 | ROBBERS' CAVE, Mahableshwar | ||
| 15.4 | ROBBERS' CAVE, Mahableshwar 2 |