BHUBANESHWAR, Gangolihat (Patal)
29.685100,80.096900
Description
A modified natural sacred cave (temple cave) formed in a »limestone / dolomite« (Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht) and about 235 m long, contains not only »supportive chains« but also venerable calcite formations (speleothems) and electric light bulbs which help attracting visitor to this religious show cave (note 1). ETYMOLOGY: So far, I saw the name of this cave transcribed, called, edited or printed as Patal Bhavaneshwar Deputy Commissioner, Almora (1941.10.01 letter to E. A. Glennie) grotte de Bhubanehwar DUCLUZAUX (1992a: 32) Patal Bhubaneswar ATKINSON (1882-1886, 12: 232 edited 1981, 3.1: 232) Pátála- bhubaneswara ATKINSON (1882-1886, 11: 318 edited 1981, 2.1: 318) Patal Bhubaneshwar DUCLUZAUX (1992b: 13; 1993d: 43) Patal Bhuraneshwar Breitenbach, S (2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht zur Indien Expedition Oktober 2005) Patala Bhuvaneshvar PRANAVANANDA (1949: 94) Patal Bhuvaneshwar BUTALIA (2005) Patal Bhuvaneswar BRINDHA (2003); KARNAVAR (1995) Patal Bhuvneshwar pithoragarh.nic.in/Temples.htm (accessed 2005.10.06) Patal Bhuvneshwari hillstationsinindia.com (accessed 2005.10.06) Patal Bhuwneshwar kmvn.org (accessed 2005.10.06) Patal Bubaneshwar Scherzer, Uwe (1991.08.18 personal correspondence; 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills) Patalbhuvaneshwar TEWARI, V (2012: 81). SITUATION: At travelling distances of 14 km along the road or 10 km on foot or horseback from Gangolihat (note 2) north towards Berinag (note 3), the cave entrance lies at elevations ranging from estimated 1200 m asl (KARNAVOR 1995) or 1600 m asl (DUCLUZAUX 1992a: 32, 1992b: 13) to 1626.5 m asl (electronic Eschenbach altimeter, Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss) and 1630 m asl (electronic Casio wristwatch altimeter, Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss). SITUATION 1865: In »Gangoli, a perganah of the Kumaon district, … the temples of Kali at Gangoli Hat, Bhubaneswar with its cave … are some of the best known in the district« (ATKINSON 1882-1886, 12: 232 edited 1981, 3.1: 232). SITUATION 1991: »From Gangolihat one reaches the hamlet of Bubaneshwar via Guptari on the road to Bageshwar. Bubaneshwar is connected to Guptari by a 7 km long jeepable road which is occasionally blocked by landslides during monsoon. The cave itself lies about 500 m south-east of Bubaneshwar hamlet and is reached by a nicely made footpath leading up to the entrance« (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). SITUATION 2003: »About 37 km from Chaukori [note 4] and 14 km from Gangolihat in Pithorgarh district in Uttaranchal, this underground cave of Patal Bhuvaneshwar has a vertical 120-metre tunnel-like path to go inside. The temple is amidst a thick forest of oak and deodar« (BRINDHA 2003). SITUATION 2005: »… Patal Bhuvaneshwar or the maha-gufa beyond Haat Kalika in Pithoragarh district …« (BUTALIA 2005). »Patal Bhuvaneshwar cave temple is situated 16 km north-east of Gangolihat and 20 km south of Berinag. It is 91 km from the district headquarters [Pithoragarh] and situated at a height of 1350 meters above sea level. The temple place comes under village Bhuvneshwar which is in the tehsil Didihat« (pithoragarh.nic.in/Temples.htm accessed 2005.10.06). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Hindu pilgrims regard the sacred and sooted show cave (note 5) as a temple cave (note 6) allegedly mentioned in unidentified ancient Sanskrit scriptures (Vedas, "Puranas" or pseudo-Puranas: Markandeyapuranana, Skandapurana; and the Mahabharata). Tourists in search of adventure caving enjoy this religious show cave as an electrically illuminated subterranean sightseeing spot (note 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1949: »Patala- Bhuvaneshvar is 6.5 miles [10.5 km] from Gangolihat. Here are three ancient temples. At a distance of one furlong [about 200 m] from the temple is an interesting cave, the entrance to which is very narrow. While traversing it, one shall have to go sometimes sitting and crawling. Several images are engraved on the walls to the cave inside, which are believed to depict the anecdotes of Mahabharata. The cave is cold and damp and at places there are stalagmites and stalactites with water trickling down from the roof … The Pujari of the temple, a Kshatriya, would guide the visitors to the cave« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 94). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1991.1: »Erected in front of the cave is a small temple and to the left of it a little building houses the generator. Passing the entrance door, one enters the narrow underground canyon [note 8] and descends down on a steep flight of steps to a depth of 20 m below the surface. The opening of the first rift passage on the right-hand side is suspected to connect to the impenetrable hole on the surface, which one passes on the way to the cave entrance. Like most of the other lateral rift passages, of which some end blind, it is too narrow to be negotiated. At the end of the canyon an impressive stair construction leads down into the first chamber (about 16 by 14 m wide) of the large sized parts of the cave. In former times a river was flowing here. Rock surface forms reminiscent of elephant footprints mark the ceiling and gave the name "Elephant Feet" to this chamber. In the walls of the chamber open small tubular conduits which, coming back to each other, form an anastomising maze of not yet discovered sub-passages. Continuing along the main passage in a westerly direction, ripple marks can be seen on the loam of the floor. They were explained as the imprint of Sheshnag's belly, the mythical snake [note 9] and Lord of the Hindu's "pre-earth". A few meters further on the passage increases in size, turns towards north-east and divides. The left branch passes a richly calcite decorated side-passage (eventually is blocked by calcite) and leads to another large hall, the second chamber. The other (right) branch arrives from the same goal but passes a calcite formations called "Wolfe's Throat" and "Char Dham" (Four Gates). Squeezing past the Wolf's Throat gains a small chamber decorated with yet more calcite formations. It is from here that tiny continuations (one with dripping water) lead via impenetrable passages to goals promised in devotional narratives and scriptures. The second chamber, at 10 m in height, is largest room of the cave and controlled by two faults crossing each other. The floor of the second chamber dips at an angles around 30° to east and consists of calcite partly covered by mud and loam. From the lowest point of the second chamber continues the "Northern Passage" and the "Cleft Passage". On the left-hand side at the very beginning of Northern Passage a 3 m high calcite column (stalagnate) called "Kadali Ban" reigns a rocky edge. The floor of Northern Passage rises continually while the height of the passage decreases fom intial 6 m to about 1 m till, after 30 m and beyond a constriction the end is reached at a blockage of nicely calcited debris. A few drops of water appear [during the end of the rainy season] at the base of this debris but soon disappear in the yellow coloured loam typical for this part of the cave. The main passage continues as a "Rift Passage" where plenty of calcite formations cover the walls up to the ceiling. People interprete many figures to represent persons and events of Hindu mythology, as there is Jatashankar (Shiva's Hair), the Milky Way, Garuda (the mythical bird) and many more. In this part of the cave the Vishwakarma Kund, a rectangular basin (about a meter in square), which is reputed to have been designed by the heavenly architect Vishwakarma, is shown to the visitor. Put up in the back of the basin is a plate depicting the divine engineer's right arm. Proceeding along the main passage a shallow pond is reached, which is fed by waters from the Vishwakarma Kund. At the end of the pond lies the main place of Shiva worship (puja place). Where the rift widens a little bit, a Shivashakti made from copper (c. 1 m in diameter) is seen on the floor, flanked by plates showing Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati in relief. The fragrance of different kind of flowers, incense and other offerings creates a peculiar atmosphere. A stairway from the puja place leads into a rift passage of different character. Here re many white coloured limestone boulders rising from red silt. Passing a narrow tube in the silt one gains the bottom of the funnel-shaped floor in the final chamber (7 by 5 m wide, 6 m high) with walls nicely decorated with different kinds of calcite formations« (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1991.2: »250 m lange Karsthöhle im Kalk, die als Schau- und Puja- (Opfer-) Höhle genutzt wird. Erwähnung des Ortes in den Veden [sic! qua: pseudo-Puranas]. Elekrische Beleuchtung seit 1989. Eine enge Kluft geht 20 m tiefer und trifft dort auf eine alte Flußhöhle, heute trocken, mit Gängen im Format 5 auf 5 m und 2 auf 12 m [note 10]« (Scherzer, Uwe 1991.08.18 personal correspondence). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1992: »La grotte de Patal Bhubaneshwar ¬ Elle est le seule cavité touristique du Kumaon (éclairages électriques et guide). … Untemple est construit à l'entrée. A travers une porte fermée à clé, on sent un courant d'air sofflant chaud. Il doit donc exister une entrée inférieure. L'on descend ensuite par un escallier …« (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 43). »Grotte de Bubaneshwar … Ills’agit de la seule cavité touristique du Kumaon. Il s’agit d’une cavité fossile présentant une vaste galerie, avec des déspôts d’argile surcreusés et un important concrétionement fossile« (DUCLUZAUX & ROUSSON 1993d). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2003: »… one has to descend 82 steps to reach the underground tunnels. One has to squeeze in, crawl and worm one's way into the tunnel, holding on to the supportive chains on the walls and taking care not to slip. Between the stairways, there is a footlinga [sic! a venerated footprint?] of Lord Narasimha. At this point, one can see both ways up to the entrance and down to the main cave. On reaching down, one sees a big idol of Seshnag [Sheshnag], holding the Earth on his hood. There is a Hawan Kund in front. It is said that King Janamejayan performed Nagayaga here, as instructed by Rishi Ullanga to avenge the death of his father King Parikshit. Hanging above the kund is the adder Takshaka ready to strike at Janamejayan. From thereon, one scrambles on the spine of Seshnag [Sheshnag] to reach the point where water trickles from an eight-petal lotus on the head of Ganesha. Legend has it that when mother Parvati had gone for her bath she ordered son Ganesha not to allow anybody in. When father Siva [Shiva] tried to enter the cave Ganesha promptly restrained him. A furious Siva chopped off his head and on Parvati's plea he restored the head by sprinkling water on it with the help of an eight-petal lotus. Just ahead, the idols of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Amarnath are seen in the form of Linga. By the side is Kalabhairava, mouth open and tongue protruding. It is said that the passage from its mouth to tail depicts the path to Brahmaloka. It is believed that if somebody can pass through the narrow path, they will attain moksha [note 11]. In front of Kalabhairava is the seat of Lord Siva with Patalchandi, wearing a garland of human skulls, enthroned on a lion. After this are four doors related to four eras. The first door [dwar] stands for sin, which was closed after the death of Ravana, the second door of war was closed after the battle of Kurukshetra, the third will shut at the end of this era, Kaliyug, and the fourth, that of Moksha, will be closed at the end of the next era i.e. Satyug. Skandapurana says that people who pass through the door of Moksha with faith will attain it. In front of the door is a rostrum with an image of the Parijatha tree full of beautiful flowers and leaves. It is said to have been brought by Lord Krishna from the abode of Devendra. The other end of the ground leads to a place, where as the legend goes, the battle of Hanuman and Aiyiravan took place. Moving further, we find a cave where Rishi Markandeya composed Markandeya Purana. Ahead of this is Kamadhenu bathing the head of `Brahmakapali' ( the chopped head of Brahma) with her milk. Here the devout performs `Pitrutarpan'. After moving a few yards ,one can find the seven ponds and a swan with his head turned back. It is said that in order to protect the water from snakes, Brahma appointed a swan but the bird itself drank the water. Brahma cursed its head to be turned. Ahead the Ganges flows out of the matted locks of Lord Siva [Jatashankar] with all the gods and goddesses offering worship in the form of small projections. At the centre is the lingam, Narmadeshwar Mahadev, Nandi and a pond made by Viswakarma. The Milky Way and the Saptarishi constellation can be seen by moving a few steps ahead. Now, we enter the main sanctuary or Garbagriha. Three diminutive lingams covered with copper plates representing the three natural powers are consecrated here. This copper adornment was presented by Adi Sankara. Huge drops of water fall on these lingams alternately. One who worships here on Sani Pradosha gives peace to the souls of ancestors dating back 21 generations. Next comes a burrow to Kashi and Puri [note 12]. It is said that to give the news of yagna [note 13] of King Yaksha to the King of Kashi a dog went through this tunnel, chasing a deer. Above this is `Koteshwar Mahadev' with his locks open and snakes around his neck. Proceed further. There is a way to heaven. It is said that the Pandavas went to Swarga Rahani [note 14] this way and the idols of Pandavas, Shiv and Parvati playing `chaupad' can be seen. It is time to return. One has to take another route to join the main path. On the way, a set of four lingams representing four eras can be seen. The linga of Kaliyug is relatively big. It is said that when it meets the cone from up that will be the end of Kaliyug. Beside this linga is a cave [fabulous tunnel] to Rameshwar [note 15]. From here we come back to the previous path. On the way is the Airawat elephant with a thousand feet and the Kamandal of Lord Shiva on the right side. The journey to Patal ends here. Visiting this place is equivalent to visiting the Char Dhams [note 16], it is said. The walls of the caves are blotched due to the use of firewood for light. Now the tunnel is lit up by power drawn from a generator provided by the Patal Mandir Committee« (BRINDHA 2003.04.23). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005.1: It »… is spoken of Patal Bhuvaneshwar … there are supposed to be pathways from Patal Bhuvaneshwar to several places of pilgrimage including Kashi [i.e. Varanasi / Benares] and Hairdwar« (BUTALIA 2005) or Hairdryer, if not Haridwar. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005.2.1: »Dies ist eine Tempel-Höhle und war teuer vom Eintritt. Die "heiligste Höhle der Region" war nur barfuß zu begehen und ist mit Licht ausgestattet (extra zahlen). Auch wenn nicht gewünscht, kam sowohl ein Guide und Licht -- beides zu zahlen. Die Höhle ist eindeutig fluviatil. Ein Gang führt ca. 30 m sehr steil runter, dann kommt man in eine größere Kammer. Dort sind viele Lösungsformen an der Decke zu sehen. Wir fanden auch viel Sediment, auch Flusskiesel. Insgesamt ist die Höhle etwa 100 - 150 m lang. Zwei ca. 20 cm Stalagmiten werden als heilig verehrt, ebenso große (ca. 4 m) flowstones und eine 3 bis 4 m hoher Stalagmit. Alles zu heilig und von keinem Nutzen für Paleoklimaforschung« (Breitenbach 2005.10.29 to 11.13 Mss: Tagebuch, entry 2006.10.31). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005.2.2 : »Holy-most temple in the region. About 150 m long. River cave, inactive, pebbles and dissolution features, two to five small stalagmites (taller than 20 cm), some nice flowstone, one column about 2 or 3 m high and 15 to 30 cm in diameter. There is a small chamber outside the cave, some stairs but nothing special« (Breitenbach 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht). CAVE LEGEND 2004: »Once King Nala was defeated by his queen Damayanti. He asked Rituparna to hide him in the forests of the Himalayas with his face besmirched so that Damayanti could not recognise him. Both of them, with some warriors reached the deep of part of the woods, the Daruka Vana. On seeing a deer, the king ordered his men to catch it and announced chastisement for the man who allows it to escape. The stag escaped from the King's side. The king followed the deer and reached a cave. He halted there overnight and sent back his companion, determined not to return without catching the deer. The animal appeared in the king's dream and asked him to give up the chase because he was not a deer. The king worshipped Kshetrapal for two months. Kshetrapal appeared before him and informed that there lay the idols of all the Gods in the caves. He introduced Rituparna to Adisesha (Seshnag), creator of the cave. Seshnag lifted Rituparna on his head and toured the cave all around for six months and sent him back with the warning that revelation of this secret place would result in his death. But unable to suppress the truth from his nagging wife (queen) he revealed the secret and lost his life. After sometime, with great difficulty, the queen reached this place. She went inside the cave with the help of a rope and later built the stairs. The queen could see only the idols and did not have Divyadarshan. On her return, the queen, described the region that had remained unknown for thousands of years, and later the Kings of Chand and Katyuri dynasties found this place on the basis of the purana« (hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/23/stories/200305230… accessed 05.09.2004) CAVE LEGEND 1993: »La grotte est la résidence de Bhubaneshwar Mahadeva et Shesha Naga. Ellea été dédouverte par Suryavanshi, raja de Ayodhya, qui chassait dans les montagnes du Kumaon. En 1980, un français (cannois) a vécu trois mois dans le village de Bhubaneshwar pour y étudier la religion hindoue« (DUCLUZAUX 1993d: 43). CAVE CLIMATE: Scherzer, Uwe (1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills) reports a temperature of 15°C in the air. TEWARI, V (2012: 81 abstract only) had learned that »Himalayan speleothem deposits from … Patalbhuvaneshwar near Gangolihat town in the Kumaon Himalaya … located in the high monsoonal region … have been studied.« CAVE LIFE: Scherzer, Uwe (1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills) noticed several kinds of bats (Chiroptera) and what appears to represent true troglobiont cave fauna: unpigmented animal life. Moulds or fungi flourishing in almost all places of the cave are putatively due to the many daily human visitors.
NOTE 1: According to Dan Singh Bhandari, the hereditary "pujari" (temple guide) of the 9th generation, the cave attracted in 1990 about 2000 visitors per year (Scherzer, Uwe 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). »This cave is a holy place and used as a temple, which translates into people wearing shoes are not allowed to enter and have to perform an at least symbolic washing first. This explains why you have to slip and slide barefooted across the muddy rocks. Anyhow, it is amazing to watch visitors soiling their sunday dresses indifferently when penetrating the cave's dirty and narrow passages. It is dificult to imagine people doing that in the western world, where a show cave like that would be bankrupt within days« (Scherzer 1991.08 Mss: Tagebuch, quoted in Scherzer, Uwe 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). NOTE 2: Gangolihat, in short: Hat, near N29°40': E080°03' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003): 1750 m asl. NOTE 3: Berinag (Bering, Bherang N29°48': E080°04') is indicated near N29°47': E080°04': 4500 or 5000 foot / circa 1425 ±150 m asl on AMS sheet NH44-10 Almora (U502 series, 1958 edition) between the valleys of the Sarju and Ram Ganga (Ramganga) rivers. NOTE 4: Chaukori (also: Choukhori, Choukori, Chowkori, Choukri) is indicated as »Choukori« near N29°50': E080°01' at elevations between 6000 feet (1829 m) and 6500 feet (1981 m) on AMS sheet NH44-10 Almora (U502 series, 1958 edition) in an area west of the Ramganga on a tributary from the north to the river Surja. Choukori (2010 m asl geocities.com/lonelyplanet25/places_kum.htm accessed 2005.10.06) is said to lie at travelling distances of 112 km north-west from the town of Pithoragarh (N29°35': E080°13': 1815 m), 135 km north-east from Almora (N29°37': E079°40': 1650 m asl) and 46 km east of Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46': 975 m asl ). NOTE 5.1: »Emerging as a place of interest on the international tourism map, Patal Bhuvaneshwar is a wonder of the Nature« (BRINDHA 2003 on hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/23/stories/200305230… accessed 05.09.2004). NOTE 5.2: »Patal Bhuvaneshwar … has now been made public by the government and there is a KMVN [Kumaon Mandal Yatri Nivas] Rest House nearby« (BUTALIA 2005). NOTE 6.1: »Bhubaneswar with its cave« (ATKINSON 1882-1886 vol. 12; edited 1981 vol. 3, part 1, p. 232) is one of the best known attractions of the Gangoli pargana in Kumaon district. NOTE 6.2: »The only other interesting cave is at Patal Bhavaneshwar, near Gangolihat. I have marked its approximate position in map No 62c, with a circle. It is a big cave, with some fauna. Gangolihat is three marches from Almora + has a good DAK Bungalow. The stops are: Almora to Panuanaula 14 miles, Panuanaula [Panwanaula]to Naini 10 miles, Naini to Gangolihat 11 miles. Patal Bhavaneshwar is 3 miles from Gangolihat towards Berinag [Verinag]. The cave is used as a temple + there may be some difficulty ###### European going in it, but some judicious tipping of the priest might do the trick« (Deputy Commissioner 1941.10.01 letter answering to E. A. Glennie's "Memo 9218/orgl" of 1941 September 27). NOTE 7: Von Naini Tal »In Richtung nepalesischer Grenze führt die Route nach Almora und Jageshwar. […] In Patal Bhubneshwar erwartet Sie eine Seltenheit: in natürlichen Höhlen errichtete Tempel« (wanderreisen.de accessed 2005.10.06). KARNAVOR (1994, 1995: 26-27) advertises the south Indian god wallah Sai Baba in connection with Patal Bhubaneshvar and reports an altitude of 1200 m asl, a metre wide concrete path leading to site, a small platform with an edifice of a temple in front of a metre wide entrance with iron gate, a generator room, electric illumination, and an interior sooted by torches and pyre: »Since the entrance is very narrow, one has to crawl with the support rendered by he projecting stones. It is a real struggle to go through the passage which is almost vertical … Two types of people visit Patal Bhuvaneshvar. Some of them are not properly educated and reach there as curious tourists, interested in the geophysical aspects of the whole setup. Such visitors are [un-] fortunately very few … and do not affect the sanctity of the place. The second type … comes as pilgrims … prepared to worship Lord Shiv. The bliss [sic! for: mental masturbation] they enjoy and the personal experience they gain … may be proportional to their faith … divyadrishti (divine eyes) are necessary to witness all the scenes.« NOTE 8: Underground canyons are »… vadose canyons. These are cave passages, most commonly formed by continued floor entrenchment or incision, by a free flowing vadose stream. The passage width at any particular level is determined by the flow of the formative stream, the rate of its downcutting, and the effects of any subsequent collapse. Canyon height reflects the stream's downcutting history. It depends upon the vertical distance available for erosional descent to the local base level, and the time the erosional downcutting has been active, as well as upon the more obvious but less important influences of flow rate and erosional capacity. Vadose canyons commonly twist and meander sharply, while maintaining more or less roughly parallel vertical sides. In contrast to some meanders in surface situations, underground meanders must generally be imprinted on a bedding plane before entrenchment of the canyon begins« (LOWE & WALTHAM 1995: 7).NOTE 9: Sheshnag or »Sheesha, a thousand-headed serpent, also called Ananta (Eternity). Vishnoo is often represented as floating on the primeeval waters, reclining on Sheesha« (HERVEY 1853, 1: 101 note).NOTE 10: A relatively narrow rift passage of unidentified width descends 20 m to a former, now fossil river cave with active calcite formations. The passage dimensions range in width and height between 5 by 5 m and 2 by 12 m (Scherzer, Uwe 1991.08.18 Mss). NOTE 11: Moksha (Sanskrit) liberation from samsara -- a Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh belief according to which earthly life is cyclical; you are born again and again, the quality of these rebirths being dependent upon your "karma" (retributive justice for past deeds) in previous lives -- obviously a post-hunting-&-gathering way of thinking along the lines of cyclical processes in agriculture. NOTE 12: The so-called »burrow to Kashi and Puri« are two fabulous tunnels allegedly leading underground to »Kashi« (another name for Varanasi / Benares 25°20'N: 83°00'E) on the Ganga (Ganges River, Uttar Pradesh) and to Puri (N19°48': E085°51' Orissa State). NOTE 12: Swarga, »heaven of Indra« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 1112; 2009: 1214).NOTE 14: »Rameshwar« -- the town of Ramesvaram / Rameswaram (N09°17': E079°18') in Tamil Nadu. NOTE 15: "yagna" -- neither masochism nor subconcious attempts to suicide but »self-mortification« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 1112; 2009: 1214) to ignore and pervert that »the meaning of life is the life« (Heidegger). NOTE 16: Char Dham; the four ancient temples that mark the spiritual sources of four sacred rivers, namely Yamuna (Yamunotri, Jamnotri, Yamnotri N31°01': E078°27': 3185 m), Ganges (Gangotri N30°59': E078°56': 3042 m), Mandakini (Kedarnath, peak N30°44': E079°04': 3584 m), and Alaknanda (Badrinath N30°44': E079°29': 3133 m). NOTE 17: Swami Pranavananda has visited Patal Bhubaneshwar (Gangolihat) in the year 1937 rather during the very first days of October than in late September because a) 1937 was the year when he had travelled Almora by the Lipu Lekh pass to Kailas - Manasarovar and back to Almora (PRANAVANANDA 1949: XIX preface) b) refers to »Patala-Bhuvaneshvar« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 94) and »Khar Udhyar« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 97) in the chapter on the »General outline of the route [from Almora] to Kailas and Manasarovar via Lipu Lekh Pass« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 89-107) and b) had visited on 5th October 1937 the –>Khar Udyar or »Death Cave« (PANAVANANDA 1949: 97), which lies a few days on foot beyond Patal Bhubaneshwar.NOTE 18: »godmen -- commercially minded gurus« (LONELY PLANET, India 2001: 1043, 2005: 1107, 2009: 1209; LONELY PLANET, North India 2001: 892). NOTE 19: »export guru -- guru whose followers are mainly Westerners« (LONELY PLANET, India 2001: 1043, 2005: 1107).
Documents
Bibliography 23/03/2016- Atkinson, Edwin T 1882-1886 edited 1981; Brindha, G 2003; Butalia, Romola 2005; Ducluzaux, Bruno 1992a, 1992b, 1993c, 1993d, 1994e, 1997b; Juberthie Christian, Decu Vasile, Cazals Monique & Lebreton Bernard 2001; Karnavar, G K 1994, 1995; Mahabharata, s.a., circa -300 to 300; Pranavananda, Swami [alias: Somayajulu, Kanakadandi Venkata] 1949, 1983; Tewari, Vinod C 2012.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1500 (±200): The medieval Manasakhanda narrates the story of »Pátála-bhubaneswara« according to which »the Rishis asked Vyása to tell them of Pátála, how does Mahádeva live there in darkness and how large is it, and who are those who worship Mahádeva there and who are the chief of the gods of Pátálam and who first discovered that there was such a place as Pátála, and how can men go there without the sun or moon?« (ATKINSON 1882-1886, 11: 318 edited 1981, 2.1: 318). 1884 (±2): ATKINSON (1882-1886, 12 edited 1981, 2.1: 318 note) located »the shrine Pátála-bhubaneswara in patti Baráun and pargana Gangoli« and ATKINSON (1882-1886, 12 edited 1981, 3.1: 232) counts »the temple of Bhubaneswar with its cave at Beninág« (sic! qua: Berinag) among the best known temples of the »Gangoli« district.1937: Swami Pranavananda has probably visited and explored the Patal Bhubaneshwar (Gangolihat) in late September or, more likely, during the very first days of October (note 17). 1937: Swami Pranavananda has probably visited and explored the Patal Bhubaneshwar at Gangolihat in late September or, more likely, during the very first days of October 1937 because a) this was the first of the two years in which he had travelled Almora by the Lipu Lekh pass to Kailas - Manasarovar and back to Almora (PRANAVANANDA 1949: XIX preface) b) had visited on 5th October 1937 the –>Khar Udyar or »Death Cave« (PANAVANANDA 1949: 97) »very near the village of Sovla« (Sobala) and a few days on foot beyond Patal Bhubaneshwarc) refers to »Patala-Bhuvaneshvar« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 94) in the chapter on the »General outline of the route to Kailas and Manasarovar via Lipu Lekh Pass« (PRANAVANANDA 1949: 89-107). 1941.09.27: Glennie, Edward Aubrey seems to have asked the Deputy Commissioner, Almora, about natural caves there. 1941.10.01: An anonymous Deputy Commissioner, Almora (1941.10.01 Mss), informed Glennie about »Patal Bhavaneshwar.« 1989: Installation of an electric illumination (Scherzer, Uwe 1991.08.18 Mss). 1989: KARNAVOR (1994, 1995: 1, 4, 5), a willing helper of the Andhra Pradesh based godman (note 18) and self-styled »Lord of the Universe in the form of Sri Sathya Sai Baba« wanted to make believe that the export guru (note 19) »exposed« the cave in 1989 and »brought it to the light.« This attempt to establish yet another profitable source of income was regarded as »… probably the greatest of all blessings from Bhagwan Baba.« 1991 August: Uwe Scherzer visited, explored and mapped assisted by Dan Singh Bhandari (pujari, Patal Bhubaneshwar). Scherzer (1991.08 Mss: Tagebuch, quoted in Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills) expands: »After six hours of surveying the cave I felt a little bit chilly despite the comfortable 15°C. When I returned to the house of Mr. Dan Singh, he must have had anticipated my re-appearance for within seconds he offered me a nice and most wellcome cup of hot tea, complete with bisquits. But there were many more things he arranged for me: food, lodging, friendly hospitality and good company. Once more I'd like to tell him: Thank you so much!« 1992 March: Bruno Ducluzaux (Lyon, France) visited the cave and pilfered the cave survey of Uwe Scherzer acknowledging »Nive Scherzer« (DUCLUZAUX 1992a: 32; 1993d: 43) or nobody (DUCLUZAUX 1993c, 1994e, 1997b). 1994 May 7 to 8: KARNAVOR (1994, 1995) reports to have visited the religious industry outlet in the company of a kind of »professor« in addition to only nine others and a certain General Kanti Taylor. 1994: The Sri Patal Bhuvanswar Charitable Trust, a Sai Baba foundation, announced the intention to attempt establishing an ashram (religious hotel complex) at the site. 2005.10.31: Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach (2005.10.29 to 11.13 Mss: Tagebuch; 2005.12.01 Mss: Bericht) and Prof. Bahadur S. Kotlia in company with Hemu Upreti and one Kothasi, visited and explored, evaluating the suitability of secondary calcite deposits for paleoclimatological research.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | BUTNESHWAR GUPHA | ||
| 4.6 | BUTNESHWAR GUPHA - Sinkhole Cave | ||
| 5.6 | JARMIRKAT CAVE | ||
| 5.6 | MUKTESHWAR GUPHA | ||
| 8.0 | Shiva (Cave of) | ||
| 8.1 | BOGDULA GUPHA | ||
| 8.1 | BOGDULA GUPHA 2 | ||
| 8.1 | SALISHWAR CAVE | ||
| 8.2 | KOTESHWAR CAVE, Raiagarh |