CHAMBAL CAVERNS
25.000000,75.625000
Description
A series of sizeable "choolis" (whirlpools, up to 12 m deep), occasionally interconnected through natural bridges, occur in the bed of the Chambal (note 1) or Charmati river upstream (south-west) of Kota (note 2). CAVE DESCRIPTION: »The whirlpools are huge perpendicular caverns, thirty and forty feet [9.15 or 12.2 m] in depth, between some of which there is underground communication; the orbicular stones, termed roris, are often forced up in the agitation of these natural cauldrons; one of them represents the object of worship at Bal-rori [note 3]. For many miles down the stream, towards Kotah, the rock is everywhere pierced by incipient choolis, or whirlpools, which, according to their size and force, are always filled with these rounded stones« (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 2: 573). CAVE LEGEND: The »huge caverns with underground communication on the craggy banks of the Charmati (Chambul)« (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 1: 38 note 1) are said to have been shelters of the legendary Pandava brothers of Mahabharata fame. NOT SEEN: SINGH, L R & SINGH, R P (1961): The ravines of the Lower Chambal Valley: A geographical study.- National Geographical Journal of India. ISSN 0874-0904f; ISSN 0027-9374 (Varanasi: National Geographic Society of India, Banaras Hindu University), Vol. 7, (no. 3, 1961): 152.
NOTE 1: »Chambal; A river of Central India and Rajputana, and one of the chief tributaries of the Jamuna. … In Rajputana [Rajasthan] the Chambal breaks through a scarp of the Patar Plateau, the bed getting narrower and narrower, and after a winding course or 30 miles it receives the Bamani at Bhainrorgarh. Some three miles [5 km] above the latter place are the well known cascades or chulis, the chief of which has an estimated fall of 60 feet [18.3 m]. Here whirlpools are formed in huge caverns, 30 and 40 feet in depth [9 and 12 m], between some of which there is communication underground. Continuing north-east … near Kotah city it is a broad sluggish stream, very blue in colour [indicating a high carbon dioxide content], flowing between magnificent overhanging cliffs and rocks rising sheer out of the water …« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 10: 134). NOTE 2: Kota (Kotah, Kotah City) N25°11': E075°50' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003), on AMS sheet NG43-11. NOTE 3: »Bal-rori [Balrori]« (TOD 1829) seems to be the Barolli Temple indicated near N24°59': E075°37'30” on AMS sheet NG43-15 Mandasaur (U502 series, 1959 edition).
Documents
Bibliography 24/03/2016- Imperial Gazetteer 1907-1909; Singh, L R & Singh, R P 1961; Tod, James 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1920, 1978, 1997.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1820.12.03: James TOD (1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 2: 573) passed by.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11.8 | Gapernath | ||
| 14.8 | Pataachar Caves | ||
| 49.1 | RANIJ-ki- BAORI | ||
| 49.1 | NAGAR SAGAR KUND | ||
| 57.0 | BUNDI (Cave in) | ||
| 59.4 | GARARDHA | ||
| 67.4 | KUA, Bundi | ||
| 97.5 | DARA ki CHATTAN | ||
| 214.2 | SHIVPURI SHELTER 1 |