PATALA GANGA, Darguwan / Dargawan
24.439900,79.253600
Description
A succession of moderate descents into a main cave level immediately above low lateral chambers with pools (apparently stagnant in the dry season) of clear water (note 1). All cross-sections are very irregularly shaped. The rugged, soil and soot covered rock surfaces (pronounced by protruding silex nodules) and a complete lack of flow forms gives the impression of subaquaeous leaching of the Bijawar Limestone (Middle Proterozoic / Lower Gondwana). SITUATION: A dirt track motorable in the dry season (kachha road) leads from the road junction (chauraha) at Darguwan (note 2) to an almost bare, soil-covered plain which supports a few shrubs and very few trees. This barren area is called Sagunahai Protected Forest Survey of India sheet 54-P/7 (edition 1977). The rather inconspicuous cave entrance, invisible even from only 10 m away, opens in level ground (note 3) at the roots of a larger tree (probably ficus var.) which also had cast in March 2003 its shadow on a dry, cubic-meter sized, water tank erected on the surface of the ground and constructed from reinforced steel concrete. CAVE DESCRIPTION: An about 5 m long iron ladder drops from the entrance (1.2 by 1 m wide) to an upper chamber (8 m wide, 6 m high) from where a winding passage (on average 2 m in diameter, 25 m long) descends 15 vertical metres into a west-east running main chamber (10 m wide, 7 m high, 30 m long), which continues with a stooping section (1.5 m high and wide, 6 m long) to a second, circular chamber (8 m in diameter, 3 m high). Here, a short passage (2 by 2 m large, 8 m long) leads to a third chamber (4 m wide, 6 m high, 15 m long) characterised by a natural bridge (the relic of an undercut calcite floor) and a massive terminal collapse without an air draught. The garland of chambers alternating with passages is generally west-east aligned. Several squeezes to the south and south-west give access to low but wide lateral chambers with silent pools of crystal clear water, the Patal Ganga itself (note 4) with floating calcite rafts. Clusters of calcite crystals were once gained (excavated?) from »level of the rise and fall of the water« (note 5). CULTURAL HISTORY: Patala Ganga (Darguwan) is a religious site sacred to Hindus. No shoes are permitted to the woeful or cripple-footed Westerners inside the temple cave (note 6). At the side of the first (and largest) pool are put up four small statues cut from white marble. A triple statue shows (from left to right) a standing Shiva, a sitting Ganesha, and a standing Parvati sharing a common plinth. Adjacent to the left rests a fourth, broken statue (a Devi?).A continuous cover of soot on the exposed rock and soil surfaces indicates numerous visitors who have used open flames for illumination.MEDLICOTT (1860: 33) noticed a cave legend: »Major Ellis … told me of a tradition current among the natives, that some princes [the Pandava brothers?] had in ancient times concealed themselves in this cave, the myth being attested by the existence now in a fossil state of the rice which the refugees had in store. It was easy to see from the specimen Major Ellis showed to me that at least this part of the story was an invention, the grains are about the proper size, but they have the edges and angles of crystals instead of the rounded form of rice, and in the lump, instead of lying together in confusion, as they must have been moulded from rice, their crystalline growth is easily seen, they adhere to each together in stems and branches in a very regular manner. The stuff is found under the floor of the cave at about the level of the rise and fall of the water which lies in the deeper parts of the chambers.« CAVE LIFE: White coloured (pigmented, not translucent) crayfish (Crustacea), uncommon in shape and behaviour and of various sizes in the 10 millimetre range, were seen on 11th March 2003 'swimming' awkwardly across the loose muddy floor near the shore of the first and largest pool (note 7).
NOTE 1: MEDLICOTT (1860: 33): »The cave … is entered by a small opening marked by no external feature in the surface of a very gently rising ground. There is a vertical descent for about 15 feet [4.57 m] when the cave continues in a winding irregular manner, a succession of chambers and passages each lower than the proceeding.« NOTE 2: »One might expect anywhere here to get an isolated patch of limestone (MEDLICOTT 1860).« The Survey of India sheet 54-P/07 (edition 1977) indicates »Darguwan« near N24°26': E079°15' and adjacent east of road from Chhatarpur (64 km) south to Sagar (92 km), and 12 km along the road west of –>Bhimkund. So far, I saw the name of the village spelled as Dargawan GLENNIE (1945.12.01 unpublished; 1956: 9) subscibed by CRAVEN (1969) and JUBERTHIE et al. (2001: 1785); AMS sheet NG44-13 Tikamgarh (U502 series, 1962 edition); India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 55 F2) Darguwan Survey of India toposheet 54-P/7 (edition 1977) Dergoan MEDLICOTT (1860: 33) Durgwan KHER (1997: 154). NOTE 3: MEDLICOTT (1860: 33) confuses by placing his cave »east of Dergoan« and »at the base of one of the separating ridges« —a situation fitting for –>Bhimkund, which MEDLICOTT (1860), however, does not mention at all. NOTE 4: The Sanskrit "patal ganga" means »river of the yonder world« and translates into underground river. NOTE 5: MEDLICOTT (1860: 33): »Major Ellis … told me of a tradition current among the natives, that some princes [the Pandava brothers?] had in ancient times concealed themselves in this cave, the myth being attested by the existence now in a fossil state of the rice which the refugees had in store. It was easy to see from the specimen Major Ellis showed to me that at least this part of the story was an invention, the grains are about the proper size, but they have the edges and angles of crystals instead of the rounded form of rice, and in the lump, instead of lying together in confusion, as they must have been moulded from rice, their crystalline growth is easily seen, they adhere to each together in stems and branches in a very regular manner. The stuff is found under the floor of the cave at about the level of the rise and fall of the water which lies in the deeper parts of the chambers.« NOTE 6: Glennie (1945.12.01 Mss: Letter to Resident, Central India Agency) and GLENNIE (1956, 9-10) reckoned »the cave … may be of special interest since the description shows that it contains permanent water in its lower parts« and was eager to get specimens of cave fauna from »the cave near Dargawan« (sic!) and –>Bhimkund but failed to retrieve any by mail (Egerton 1946.04.16, 1946.09.22). JUBERTHIE et al. (2001: 1785) do not mind and refer to a certain »Glennie« (i.e. GLENNIE 1956: 9-10) without knowing why. NOTE 7: ROBERTS (1897 edited 1898: Forty-one years in India.- chapter 11 note 8: »No Native … keeps his shoes on when he enters a room, unless he intends disrespect.«
Documents
Bibliography 27/03/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: The cave, situated in a dry area, must have been known to humans since millenia. Before 1860 Major Ellis, Assistant to the Governor General's Agent at Nagod (Nagode) drew the attention of Henry B. MEDLICOTT (1860) to the cave. 1945.12.01: E. Aubrey Glennie (1945.12.01: MSS letter to Resident, Central India Agency) requests information on a cave at »Dargawan« from the Political Minister, Panna State. 1946.04.16: W. le B. Egerton (1945.04.16: MSS Letter to Glennie, E. A.) replies that the »Dargawan caves« are accessible. 1946.09.22: W. le B. Egerton (1946.09.22: MSS Letter to Glennie, E. A.) replies that there is nobody to collect cave fauna. 2001.01.16: H. D. Gebauer and Werner Busch, chauffeur-driven by Asharam Raikwar, enquired about the whereabouts of the cave. 2003.03.11: H. D. Gebauer and Thomas Matthalm, again chauffeur-driven by Asharam Raikwar (Khajuraho) and in company with Kamta Prasade Laledavade (Khajurahoo), fed by the family of Manoj Kumar Raikwar (Malehra), and guided by Bhagirath Yadev (Darguwan) avoided, if possible, the cobra resting in the cave entrance, explored barefoot, mapped and took photographs.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.9 | ARJUNKUND, Dhangawan | ||
| 5.6 | SADWA GUFA | ||
| 9.2 | DALIPUR CAVE OR SPRING | ||
| 12.1 | RANIKHERA CAVE 1 | ||
| 12.1 | RANIKHERA CAVE 2 | ||
| 12.1 | RANIKHERA CAVE 3 | ||
| 12.1 | PUKHARIA CAVE | ||
| 12.6 | BHIMKUND, Chhatarpur - Bajna | ||
| 12.6 | BHARWANI CAVE |