PANDAVA CAVE, Saputara
20.666700,73.750000
Description
The »… more adventurous can trek down from Saputara to … the legendary Pandava Caves« (note 1), which are advertised in tourist information leaflets ( (SAPUTARA AND DANGS, s.a. = ca. 1998) as a sight-seeing spot. The »caves« possibly consist of one (or several) man-made rock chamber(s) or rock shelter (?) originating from differential weathering of stratified volcanic traps.SITUATION: At an unspecified location somewhere in the vicinity of Saputara, a hill station (note 2) on the Ahwa Plateau (note 3), folded into the densely wooded Dangs Forest hills (note 4) of the Sahayadri range (note 5). "Saputara" means »Abode of Serpents« and a snake image on the banks of Sarpagana (or: Sarpaganga?) river is worshipped by Adivasis on festivals like Holi. The airport nearest to Saputara is Bombay (also: Mumbai, 255 km) and the nearest railway station Waghai (51 km away; N20°46': E073°29' on AMS sheets NF43-13 and NF43-14, and in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 81 G2) on the Billimora - Waghai narrow gauge section of the Western Railway. Private or State Transport Corporation buses connect to various centres in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Distances along the road: Ahmedabad 409 km, Nasik (Nashik) 80 km, Surat 135 km, Baroda / Vadodara 300 km (GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 1992; SAPUTARA s.a., circa 1998).
NOTE 1: The Pandavas are five sons of king Pandu and nephews of Dhritarashtras (blind king; father of the Kauravas): Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva; the "good" in the Mahabharata, the Hindu epic focussing on the exploits of Krishna and describing the battle of Kurukshethra between the Pandavas and Kauravas. The Mahabharata is thought to have been composed some time around the 1st millennium BC (before current). By about 400 BC the Mahabharata had evolved into a far more complex creation, with substantial narrative and instructive additions, of which the most important and famous is the Bhagavadgita (in short: Gita), probably dating to the 4th or 3rd century BC, where Krishna gives advise to Arjuna before a great battle). The story centers on conflict between the good Pandavas (heroic gods exiled to forest and sheltered in caves) and bad Kauravas (demons), the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra. Overseeing events is Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu), who has taken on human form. Krishna acts as charioteer for Arjuna, the Pandava's military expert for long-range missile tactics (bow and arrows), who eventually triumphs in a great battle with the Kauravas. NOTE 2: Saputara has been developed into a hill resort with unavoidable amenities like boat club, theatres, parks, hotels and swimming pools: Even in the hottest summer days the temperature does not exceed 28°C. NOTE 3: Ahwa N20°45': E073°41' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NF43-14 and in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 81 G2). NOTE 4: The Dangs N20°45': E073°45' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003). NOTE 5: The Sahayadri (also: Sahyadri) range lies in the southern tip of eastern Gujarat on the border to Nasik district (Maharashtra state).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41.4 | MANGI TUNGI | ||
| 82.2 | GALNA CAVES | ||
| 149.2 | NAGAD CAVES | ||
| 152.7 | MACHHINDRANATH CAVE, Toranmal | ||
| 152.7 | NAGARJUN CAVE, Toranmal | ||
| 194.6 | GHATOTKACHH CAVE | ||
| 218.0 | Bagh Caves | ||
| 238.9 | BHIMKUND, Dahod, Dohad | ||
| 253.5 | Champa Baoli |