RAGKOT, Dindigul (Cave in the)
10.361800,77.964500
Description
»Under the northern edge of this hill [and fort of Dindigul] there is a remarkable natural cavern, inhabited by Mahomedan fakeers. A dark narrow passage penetrates from hence towards the interior of the rock, and a local tradition is related of forty-three fakeers who quitted the world by this passage [keyword: exitcave], and never returned« (HAMILTON, W 1828, 1: 519) ETYMOLOGY: "Dindu" is an "asura" or demon, and "kal" in English means rock. The fort is locally called something like "Rag Kot" (January 2002). SITUATION: Ragkot (note 1) occupies the upper part of a wedge- shaped hill that rises 100 or 130 m above the town of Dindigul at 270 m asl. The northern gate (±7.2 m 10°21'42”N: 77°57'52”E: 330 m asl WGS84, Gebauer, H D 2002.01.17) of the fort lies two or three kilometers east of the KSTC (Kerala State Transport Corporation) bus stand.
NOTE 1: In 1992, the fort had been managed by the Archaeology Survey of India (opening hours 09h00 to 16h00) and the warden had been instructed to distinguish visitors on a racist basis where "crorepathis" (billionaires), who have an Indian look about them, may enter for a nominal fee while non-Indian looking students are to be stripped of substantial sums.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18.1 | PUSHPAVANESVARA ROCK-CUT SHRINE | ||
| 59.9 | ANDARMATAM NATURAL CAVERN | ||
| 72.4 | KULATHUR CAVERNS | ||
| 81.3 | KUDUMIYANMALAI CAVERN | ||
| 81.3 | MELAKKOIL ROCK TEMPLE | ||
| 81.3 | KUNNANDARKOIL CAVE TEMPLE | ||
| 87.1 | SHIVA, Tirumayam (Cave of) | ||
| 87.1 | VISHNU, Tirumayam (Cave of) | ||
| 87.3 | SITTANNAVASAL ROCK CAVE |