CHAKHU BHAKHU PWA
27.650000,85.295800
Description
An unspecified cave entrance (unidentified shape, unidentified dimensions, unidentified orientation, unidentified peculiar characteristics) gives access to an estimated 120 m or, if you prefer, »potentially some thousands of feet« of »alternating crawlways and breakdown-choked chambers« (MUNTHE et al. 1975: 23). »A labyrinthic [labyrinthine] maze of very narrow passages partly filled with the river gravel and sand« (CÍLEK et al. 1989: 4). IDENTITY: PAVEY (1976: 17) item 21. ETYMOLOGY: The cave name »Chakhu Bhakhu Pwa« (MUNTHE et al. 1975: 23) is said to translate as Sparrow Pigeon Cave (note 1). SITUATION: MUNTHE et al. (1975: 23) locate their cave (note 2) expressively »in the west wall« of the Chobhar Gorge and thus on the orographically right bank of the Bagmati River where the –>Chakra Tirtha Gupha is found. On the other hand, MUNTHE et al. (1975: 23) may have meant the west-facing (eastern) wall opposite across and on the orographically left bank of the Bagmati River. CULTURAL HISTORY - cave legend: LEWIS (1989: 37-38) recalls the tradition of a lama from Tibet, who came to get an initiation of the Tantric deity Meka Samvara, and met a certain vajacarya in the village of Cobhar: »After having pleaded for three continuos years his teacher disappeared [keyword: exitcave]. The lama asked the teacher's wife and was directed to Cakunti Bakunti [sic!] in the Cobhar gorge. He missed his teacher when he passed by him in the form of a herd of deer and he missed him again in the form of a flock of ducks. But he finally got him, when he materialised in the form of singing and dancing young women.«
NOTE 1: »Chobhar Gorge … approximately three miles [about 5 km] south-west of Kathmandu … is incised in steeply south-dipping Chobhar Limestone. Both walls are honeycombed with solution pockets and cave entrances, collectively refered to as Chakhu Bhakhu Pwa (Gupha or orar [sic! qua: otar] is Nepali (Gurkhali) for cave) … [in] Newari, meaning Sparrow-Pigeon Caves« (MUNTHE et al. 1975: 23). On the other hand, Nepali (KRÄMER 2007) Purbutti (KIRKPATRICK, W J 1811) Newar (KIRKPATRICK, W J 1811)chakku, knife chakhô, sweet dhukur, pigeonpakku, butter-fried meatpaknu, ripen, ripe, boiledpako, aged, experienced pakko, ripe nungo, ripe parewa, [young] pigeon purewa, pigeon busk-hoonpwa, opening, hole. NOTE 2: »We partially explored one cave in the west wall, penetrating approximately 400 feet [an estimated 120 m] of alternating crawlways and breakdown-choked chambers. Most of the passages seem to be controlled by bedding planes and a nearly east-west joint set, with larger chambers being developed at their intersections. No secondary calcite deposition was noted, the cave's decoration being limited to religious statuary« (MUNTHE et al. 1975: 23).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | CAVE UNDER CRASHER (aa -) | ||
| 0.1 | CHAKRATIRTHA - PARAHAMSA GUFA | ||
| 0.6 | Ganeshwar Bitrag Shikara Gufa | ||
| 1.1 | BAGH CAVE | ||
| 1.1 | MANJUSRI CAVE | ||
| 1.1 | BARAHI CAVE | ||
| 1.1 | NAYA CAVE | ||
| 3.9 | BASBARI | ||
| 3.9 | BASBARI 2 |