CHANDRAPALLE CAVE
15.213300,77.817800
Description
A »about 25 m in a single fissure« (Perrin 2009.08.29 Mss), which has been considered to be »one of the largest caves in this region« (PRASAD 1996: 33), contains not only »permanent water pools« (PRASAD & VERMA 1986: 73-74; PRASAD 1996: 33) of unidentified size but also an unspecified kind of »stalagmitic floor« in addition to what looks like botryoidal speleothems identified as a »thin hard layer of lime growth« (PRASAD & YADAGIRI 75 figures 2, 3). ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for this cave which has been christened after the somewhat nearby village of Chandrapalle. SITUATION: Somewhere in the vicinity of Chandrapalle (N15°12'50”: E77°49'05”: circa 430 m asl Everest 1830), a village (with temple, post office and fort) on the western side of the Jaladurgam Reserved Forest on the Erramala Hills and in the upper reaches of the Kanuga vanka (locally, the valley floor is embraced by open scrub), which lies at travelling distances of 22 km along roads approximately SSW from Dhone (N15°25': E77°53') and 7 km NNW from Payasamrangareddipalle (note 1). PRASAD & YADAGIRI (1986: 73) place the entrance to the single »Chandrapalle Caves« (sic!) »about 24 m from ground level« (present valley floor?) and »about 12 km east of Peapally« (note 2) but there is no direct road and the linear distance is about 8.5 km approximately ESE. PRASAD (1996: 33) positions »Chandrapalle Cave« (sic!) »about 24 m up a cliff face« and »50 km south-southeast of Bangana Palle [note 3]. The cave is in Precambrian Cuddapah Limestones.« CAVE DESCRIPTION 1986: »The entrance of the cave is at a height of about 24 m from ground level. Cave [entrance?] is narrow about 1 m wide and 1 m high. After a distance of about 15 m, the cave [passage] becomes wider and the roof of the cave is well over 18 m in height. A stalagmitic floor with constant water pools is encountered« (PRASAD & YADAGIRI 1986: 73). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1996.1: »One of the largest caves in this region is the Chandrapalle Cave … The roughly 1 m wide cave entrance is ~24 m up a cliff face. The passage widens about 15 m into the cave and the roof is well over 18 m high. A stalagmitic floor with permanent water pools lies beyond« (PRASAD 1996: 33). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1996.2: »The roughly 1 m wide cave entrance is about 24 m up a cliff face. The passage widens about 15 m into the cave and the roof is well over 18 m high. A stalagmitic floor with permanent water pools lies beyond« (PRASAD 1996: 33). CAVE POTENTIAL: There is »no [penetrable] continuation even if the villagers said that one person went very far« (Perrin, J 2009.08.29 personal correspondence). CAVE LIFE - PALAEONTOLOGY: 2009.08.29: Jerome Perrin (2009.08.29 Mss) noticed not only »porcupine spines [quills] and smell, though we did'nt see the animal .« (Rodentia: Hystricidae: conf. Hystrix sp.) but also »a few bats« (Chiroptera).PRASAD & YADAGIRI (1986) and PRASAD (1996) report from »Chandrapalle Caves« the well preserved skull of a fossil bear, which was considered to represent the new species Ursus footei, distinct from the other two known Indian fossil species Ursus theobaldi from the Siwaliks of Kangra (32°06'N: 76°16'E) in Himachal Pradesh, and Ursus nomadicus from somewhere -- probably on open air river terraces on the Narmada (Narbada, Nerbudda) in »Central India.«
NOTE 1: Payasamrangareddipalle (N15°09'30”: E77°47': 350 m asl Everest 1830) is accessible by road (circa 16 km) from Rayalacheruvu (N15°03': E77°49': 390 m asl) initially north-west and later north. NOTE 2: »Peapally« (PRASAD & YADAGIRI 1986: 73; PRASAD 1996: 33) or Pyapali / Pyapalle N15°14': E77°44' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) and »Peapilly« (NEWBOLD, T J 1846e "Summary" 163) is indicated as »Pyapali« not only on the Survey of India sheet 57-E/12 (edition 1980) the AMS sheet ND43-04 Bellary (U502 series, 1961 edition) but also in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 108 A2) on the National Highway NH7 at road distances of 23 km approximately south-west from Dhone (N15°25': E77°53') and 21 km north-east from Gooty (N15°07': E77°38'). NOTE 3: »Bangana Palle« (PRASADA RAO 1996: 33), indicated as »Banaganapalle« (N15°18'45”: E78°13'30”: 225 m asl, Everest 1830, Survey of India sheet 57/i-3 edition 1983) and as »Banganapalle« (India Road Atlas, Eicher Goodearth 2006: 108 C2), is positioned as Banaganapalli, Banganapalle and Banganapilly in the vicinity of N15°19': E078°14' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) and lies 48 km in a direct line approximately WNW from Chandrapalle (N15°12'48”: E77°49'04” Everst 1830).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1969, circa: »It was only in 1969, Prasad and Verma [1969 Mss] carried out systematic surveyes of these [Kurnool Caves] … the fossil bear … was recovered from this cave [Chandrapalle Caves] by [an unidentified person related to] the Archaeology Department of Andhra Pradesh« (PRASAD & YADAGIRI 1986 for 1980-1981: 73-74; PRASAD 1996: 33).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 | LANGU GAVI | ||
| 3.8 | GOPAMA GAVI | ||
| 6.9 | PANCHALINGALASWAMI GUHA, Pasumanpalli | ||
| 7.1 | KURUVA BALI GAVI | ||
| 12.2 | Kona Rameshvaram Daddi Guha | ||
| 12.8 | MUNAGAMANU GAVI | ||
| 14.4 | JUVVIMANI GAVI | ||
| 14.7 | KAMBHAGIRISWAMI HOLE | ||
| 21.9 | SIDDHULA GUHA, Dhone taluk |