KUPATASWAMI CAVE, Sandur
15.083300,76.550000
Description
»There are several other caves in this division of the Sandur hills. In two of them, known respectively as the Kupatasvami and Guptasvami caves, are said to be images of black stone« (FRANCIS, W 1904: 321 footnote 2). IDENTITY: Unknown. Compare the caves of –>Guptaswami and –>Kumarswami. ETYMOLOGY: Kuptaswami (note 1) or Kupatasvami (FRANCIS, W 1904: 321 footnote) and Kuptasvami (CRAVEN, S A 1969: 25) may refer to a dove or pigeon (note 2) but seems to translate rather as »Master Beheader« and looks a lot like another name for –>Kumarswami, the heavenly decapitator (note 3). SITUATION: Unidentified. FRANCIS, W (1904: 321 footnote 2) places the entrance to the »Kupatasvami cave« at an unspecified location somewhere »in this division of the Sandur hills« and thus, apparently, somewhere in the vicinity of the temple to –>Kumaraswami situated »near the top of the hills almost due south of Sandur« (FRANCIS, W 1904: 320) and thus on the south-western of the two parallel ridges forming the Sandur Hills. CRAVEN, S A (1969: 25) refers to an unspecified »Francis (1894)« and places the »cave called Kuptaswami« at an unspecified location somewhere »in the area« of »Sondur« or Sandur (note 4).
NOTE 1: "Swami" is not only a word used as »a respectfull address« but also signifies, especially in southern India, »a Hindu idol, especially applied to to those of Shiva and Subrahmaniyam« (YULE & BURNELL 1886 ed. 1903: 883) or »Subrahmanya, another name for Kartikiya« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 1112) and the same as »Comara or Kartica Swami, the Hindu Mars« (NEWBOLD, T J 1838: 144). NOTE 2: "kupata" (FRANCIS, W. 1904: 321 footnote 2), if pronounced "kapata" (with the letter "a" as in 'far' or the letter "u" as in 'hut') is reminiscent of kapota (Sanskrit) pigeon, dove (Rigveda); pigeon (Pali). kapotaka (Sanskrit) small pigeon, small dove (Mahabharata); small pigeon; grey (Pali). kapoti (Pali) pigeon. kapotika (Pali) small pigeon (KALYANARAMAN, S 1998: 1282). NOTE 2: Kuptaswami or »Master Beheader« looks a lot like another name for –>Kumarswami, the divine decapitator, who is renowned for having –>Tarkasura's head cut off -- as it is shown at the »temple of Comara« (see: Cave of –>Kumaraswami) where »in front of the Gopar [gopuram] is seen a small octangular column of hewn stone, and at its base lie three trunkless stone heads and an armless hand. The central and largest of the heads is supposed to have erst graced shoulders of the Rakas or giant Tarkasura, slain by Comarswami« (NEWBOLD, T J 1838: 144). NOTE 3: Sandur N15°05': E76°33' (Survey of India sheet 57-A/12, edition 1978) with bus stand and PS (police station) near (±200 m) N15°05'03”: E076°32'57”: circa (±10 m) 562 m asl (Everest 1830, Survey of India 57-A/08 edition 1976).