MUTRU MAHADEV GOFFAR
31.156700,76.961700
Description
The Nagdwar at Arki is a modified natural sacred cave (temple cave) dedicated to Matru Mahadev or the Shiva at Matru / Mutru, and contains venerated linga (stalagmite speleothems). ETYMOLOGY: The compound noun "nagdwar" (of Sanskrit origin) means door, gate or entrance (and hence cave) of the [mythical] serpent or dragon. This title allures to an ancient snake legend and usually indicates a traditional cult spot. »Matru Mahader« (PRICE 1988b: 33) corresponds to the »Mutru Mahadev« (BANDE 2001) and to the »Nagdwar« of Conway (1971 unpublished: Map of Caving District Arki), CHABERT & CONWAY (1972: 73), and Glennie, Edward Aubrey (1972a Mss). SITUATION 2001: Somehwere below the village of Arki (N31°09': E76°58'): »If Lutru Mahadev has chosen to stay at that unapproachable height, Mutru Mahadev loves his cool, shaded cave in a thickly wooded valley just across the bazaar. The cave is small and has water constantly dripping in it. The rock-formations inside present the replica of the legendary abode of Shiva at Kailash. The place is serene and a walk downhill is worth the labour of climbing uphill« (BANDE, U 2001). SITUATION 1971: Conway, J (ca. 1971 s.a. "Map of Caving District Arki" without coordinates) indicates »Nagdwar« just north of –>Baili Sehlot and about 2 km in a direct line NNW of Arki (31°09'N: 76°58'E: 1045 m). The three caves »Dawaraf« [Dawaras], »Lutru« and »Nagdwar« (Matru Mahadev) had been reached by a »climb on foot for about one mile« (one or two kilometres) from an unspecified starting point on an unidentified »road« (Conway, J in CHABERT & CONWAY 1972: 73) which was understood to run without explainable orientation from one unspecified place to another. SITUATION 1972: Glennie, Edward Aubrey (1972a Mss): »North Latitude 31°15.40': East Longitude 76°57.70' [unspecified geodetic datum probably Everest 1830, format DD°MM.MM']: 4850 feet« corresponding to N31°15'25”: E76°57'42”: 1478 m asl (probably Everest 1830). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1959 (PRICE 1988b: 33 after SUD 1959 edited 1981: 55): »Another cave« apart from –>Lutru Mahadev. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1971: »We also found [sic! were guided to] four more caves [note 1] in this same valley [i.e. Arki], all 100 to 200 feet [30.5 to 61 m] long« (HALL, C 1971: 6). One of »two more shafts in the area were explored but did not yield a continuation and the area [sic! expedition caving team] was exhausted« (HODGSON, D 1971b: 3). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1972: Nagdwar is one of the three cave names (besides –>Lutru and –>Dwaraf) of which the British Speleological Expedition to the Himalayas 1970 learned from an unacknowledged person representing the »Government of Himachal Pradesh« (John Conway in CHABERT & CONWAY 1972: 73). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1982: »If I remember, we did not pay to much attention to these caves, as they were very small and mostly horizontal« (John Conway, undated circa 1982.09.15 personal correspondence).
NOTE 1: These unspecified »four more caves« (HALL, C 1971: 6) are probably –>Dwaras, –>Jakholi, –>Lutru Mahadev and »Nagdwar« or Mutru Mahadev (Matru Mahader).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.6 | LUTRU MAHADEVA CAVE | ||
| 0.6 | Arki Resurgence | ||
| 0.9 | KOTLA CAVE (Glennie 1937) | ||
| 1.0 | DUNGA DORA | ||
| 1.7 | JAKHOLI CAVE | ||
| 3.6 | SHALAGHAT, Solan (Cave at) | ||
| 6.1 | DAWARAS | ||
| 6.4 | Saug Goffar | ||
| 8.3 | PAJYARE RA KOTLA 2 |