DEORALI (Cave at)
28.627800,83.631900
Description
What appears to be a cave with speleothems (stalactites) (note 1) is possibly formed in the calcibreccia (note 2) south-east of the village of Deorali on the eastern slopes of Mt. Nimek. ETYMOLOGY: "deorali", from "deora" (Sanskrit), a sacred grove, is the Pahari (Gorkhali, Khas, Nepali) word for a cairn (note 3), a mound of stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline. SITUATION: Walking upstream the Kali Gandaki Valley, the trail from Ghasa takes a turn around Mt. Nimek (note 4) on the opposite (orographically left) side of the river, but finally switches to the left (eastern) bank via a relative long suspension bridge to the very first tea houses of lower Lete (an outlier of the village proper, near N28°37'50': E083°39'30"). Here, drinks and eatables are offered to trekkers before they climb up into a series of switchbacks, which ascend to the edge of the comparatively level valley floor spread around the villages of Lete and Kalopani. Looking back from the top of the switchbacks, the grass-covered Mt. Nimek is seen in the west, and near its bottom, behind a conifer forest, the hamlets of Choya (the left one) and Deorali (closer to the Gandaki) can be figured out in the distance. Scanning the area with a help of binoculars, a closer look at circular-shaped black sheadow above and to the right (south-east) of Deorali, turns out to be a cave entrance which appears to offer an "insight" onto what looks like a stalactite in the entrance area's twilight.
NOTE 1: The cave at Deorali is possibly identical with the item no.12 of PAVEY (1976b: 8), after WALTHAM (1971e: 55) who objects it is a cave: »A number of open cave entrances visible from the [Lete to Annapurna Glacier] path give a false impression of cave development in the area.« One may, however, consider that the 1970'ies cavers were pre-fixed to find nothing less than spectacular high altitude karst offering the world's deepest potholes and short or horizontal caves were simply frustrating and thus regarded as rock shelters --even when the entrance dimensions were smaller than the cave's extension. NOTE 2: »At about 2745 m, overlooking Choya Deorali [sic! qua: the tow hamlets of Choya and Deorali] in the east of Lete, there is a rock shelter formed in a steep slope of calcibreccia, containing some large old fossil stalactites« (WALTHAM 1971e: 55). NOTE 3: »… one of those conical piles of stones, which are frequently raised … by the superstition of the natives, who in passing these rude temples, never fail to adore the divinity, whose presence they are supposed to manifest. They are called Deorally …« (KIRKPATRICK, W J 1811 : 60). NOTE 4: Mount Nimek is indicated (without name) as .4071 on the Central Service Map 1989 sheet 42 Mustang (1: 125'000).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1990: H. D. Gebauer, using binoculars, saw a large stalactite a few meters beyond the entrance.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | TANGDUNG SHELTERS | ||
| 5.3 | KOKETHANTI (Cave at) | ||
| 5.9 | Hum Khola Cave | ||
| 6.5 | GURU gSANG PHUG 3: dry cave | ||
| 6.5 | GURU gSANG PHUG 4: dwar | ||
| 6.5 | GURU gSANG PHUG 1 | ||
| 6.5 | GURU gSANG PHUG 2: stream cave | ||
| 6.5 | GURU gSANG PHUG 5: tufa cave | ||
| 6.7 | BANDAR DZONG |