TIMTA CAVE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A relatively narrow but otherwise unspecified cave entrance (unidentified shape, unidentified dimensions, unidentified orientation, unidentified characteristics) is said to give access to a temple cave sacred to an unidentified goddess or god, which -- the cave -- is not only said to be at least 50 m long (perhaps 50 feet = 15 m) but also to contain a cave chamber with secondary calcite formations (note 1). SINHA et al. (2005) report to have sampled out of these speleothems one specimen to … present a high-resolution d18O record from a stalagmite recovered from Timta Cave (29°50'17”N, 80°02'01”E; 1900 m elevation) … located in the Pithoragarh district … the western Himalayas [note 2] of India. TIWARI, M et al (2009: 522) confirms that Timta cave, Pithoragarh district, western Himalya. A stalagmite collected from this cave was dated by U-Th mass spectrometric method (Sinha et al 2007). IDENTITY: Timta Cave (SINHA, A et al 2005) is possibly the same as the Chulerasim near Chaukhutiawhich TEWARI, V (2012: 81 abstract only) just about mentions as a site from which Himalayan speleothem deposits … have been studied (note 3). ETYMOLOGY: Unless Timta (SINHA, A et al 2005) is a corruption of -tirtha- (note 4), no autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what seems to have been named after one village of Timta. SITUATION: The so-called Timta Cave (SINHA, A et al 2005) is said to lie at travelling distances of 112 km north 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 from Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46': 975 m asl). The coordinates provided by SINHA et al (2005: 813) for the Timta Cave indicate a spot about 2 km in a direct line west of Chaukori (note 5), a small town west of the Ramganga River and on a tributary from the north to the river Surja. About 35 km in a direct line further south, however, one village of Timta is indicated near (±1 k) N29°32': E080°06': 750 m asl (±150 m) on AMS sheet NH44-10 Almora (U502 series, 1958 edition) at a spot which lies close to confluence of the rivers Sarju (Saryu) and Ram Ganga (Ramganga) and at linear distances of about 12.5 km approximately WSW from Pithoragarh (N29°35': E080°13': 1815 m asl) and 11 km south of Naini (N29°38': E080°07'). CAVE CLIMATE: The surface air temperature ranges 6–18°C [between 6°C and 18°C], mean annual temperature 15°C, rainfall 132 cm (SINHA et al. 2005: 813, 814). Little doubt remains that the reputedly high relative humidity (90%) and a near-constant cave temperature of 15°C in the air inside the cave is either entirely based on assumptions or results from one single measurement.which TEWARI, V (2012: 81 abstract only) just about mentions as a site from which Himalayan speleothem deposits … have been studied (note 3). ETYMOLOGY: Unless Timta (SINHA, A et al 2005) is a corruption of -tirtha- (note 4), no autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what seems to have been named after one village of Timta. SITUATION: The so-called Timta Cave (SINHA, A et al 2005) is said to lie at travelling distances of 112 km north 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 from Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46': 975 m asl). The coordinates provided by SINHA et al (2005: 813) for the Timta Cave indicate a spot about 2 km in a direct line west of Chaukori (note 5), a small town west of the Ramganga River and on a tributary from the north to the river Surja. About 35 km in a direct line further south, however, one village of Timta is indicated near (±1 kwhich TEWARI, V (2012: 81 abstract only) just about mentions as a site from which Himalayan speleothem deposits … have been studied (note 3). ETYMOLOGY: Unless Timta (SINHA, A et al 2005) is a corruption of -tirtha- (note 4), no autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what seems to have been named after one village of Timta. SITUATION: The so-called Timta Cave (SINHA, A et al 2005) is said to lie at travelling distances of 112 km north 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 from Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46': 975 m asl). The coordinates provided by SINHA et al (2005: 813) for the Timta Cave indicate a spot about 2 km in a direct line west of Chaukori (note 5), a small town west of the Ramganga River and on a tributary from the north to the river Surja. About 35 km in a direct line further south, however, one village of Timta is indicated near (±1 kwhich TEWARI, V (2012: 81 abstract only) just about mentions as a site from which Himalayan speleothem deposits … have been studied (note 3). ETYMOLOGY: Unless Timta (SINHA, A et al 2005) is a corruption of -tirtha- (note 4), no autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what seems to have been named after one village of Timta. SITUATION: The so-called Timta Cave (SINHA, A et al 2005) is said to lie at travelling distances of 112 km north 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 from Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46': 975 m asl). The coordinates provided by SINHA et al (2005: 813) for the Timta Cave indicate a spot about 2 km in a direct line west of Chaukori (note 5), a small town west of the Ramganga River and on a tributary from the north to the river Surja. About 35 km in a direct line further south, however, one village of Timta is indicated near (±1 k) N29°32': E080°06': 750 m asl (±150 m) on AMS sheet NH44-10 Almora (U502 series, 1958 edition) at a spot which lies close to confluence of the rivers Sarju (Saryu) and Ram Ganga (Ramganga) and at linear distances of about 12.5 km approximately WSW from Pithoragarh (N29°35': E080°13': 1815 m asl) and 11 km south of Naini (N29°38': E080°07'). CAVE CLIMATE: The surface air temperature ranges 6–18°C [between 6°C and 18°C], mean annual temperature 15°C, rainfall 132 cm (SINHA et al. 2005: 813, 814). Little doubt remains that the reputedly high relative humidity (90%) and a near-constant cave temperature of 15°C in the air inside the cave is either entirely based on assumptions or results from one single measurement.