PIALEH (Grotte)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The sacred Grotte Pialeh (note 1) is a spacious temple cave and consists of a modified natural chamber with lots of unexplored continuations. SITUATION: In Nuristan (note 2) at a location about 10 m above the waters of a torrent (something like an seasonal / periodic white water stream) in a limestone hill of what Lindberg called the massif du Kouh Pialeh associated with a certain Ziarat Mir Alam (note 3) near the village of Wadawu (note 4) which itself lies at one hour's walking distance (in a direct line 2.8 km ENE, nowadays negotiable by a motorable road) from Nengarach (note 5) above the left (western) bank of the river Alingar (Alingar Rud, Darya-i-Alingar, Darya-ye Alingar, Alingur). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A spacious chamber, approximately 40 m wide, up to 10 m high, and 80 m long, continues in the distal end into several passages, small chambers, clogged chimneys and difficult squeezes. Crawling up, one reaches heights above the main chambers vault but there are also passages and hambers below. CAVE CONTENTS: On the left-hand side of the main chamber rests a pile of rocks brought by pilgrims, and a pool of water on the right. There are isolated stalagmites, colums, cauliflower concretions (botryoidal speleothems), mostly small stalactites, and stalagmitic masses on the floor. The cave floor consists of earth, rubble, boulders, and very little bat guano. Suintements [water originating from oozing, percolation, or condensation] is found in many places. CAVE CLIMATE: On 27th January 1958 the air in the cave felt warm in comparison with the outside temperature which was perhaps 5 to 6°C. CAVE LIFE: LINDBERG (1958: 135-136) reports to have collected from the cave Coleoptera (Tenebrionida), Lepidoptera (-Noctuelles-), Arachnida (Araneida) and bats (Chiroptera); from the pool Nematoda, Acanthocephala (larvae), and Mollusca; from the soil near the entrance: Oligochaeta, Mollusca, Isopoda, Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Blattida, Gryllida, Hemiptera heteroptera, Coleoptera (Carbiqua), and Diptera (larvae). JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 1745-1746) list Oligochaeta: Lumbrichidae: Allobophora caliginosa SAVIGNY; Arachnida: Aranea: Tegenaria domestica CLERK; Vertebrata: Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae: Rhinolophus blasii PETERS.hambers below. CAVE CONTENTS: On the left-hand side of the main chamber rests a pile of rocks brought by pilgrims, and a pool of water on the right. There are isolated stalagmites, colums, cauliflower concretions (botryoidal speleothems), mostly small stalactites, and stalagmitic masses on the floor. The cave floor consists of earth, rubble, boulders, and very little bat guano. Suintements [water originating from oozing, percolation, or condensation] is found in many places. CAVE CLIMATE: On 27th January 1958 the air in the cave felt warm in comparison with the outside temperature which was perhaps 5 to 6°C. CAVE LIFE: LINDBERG (1958: 135-136) reports to have collected from the cave Coleoptera (Tenebrionida), Lepidoptera (-Noctuelles-), Arachnida (Araneida) and bats (Chiroptera); from the pool Nematoda, Acanthocephala (larvae), and Mollusca; from the soil near the entrance: Oligochaeta, Mollusca, Isopoda, Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Blattida, Gryllida, Hemiptera heteroptera, Coleoptera (Carbiqua), and Diptera (larvae). JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 1745-1746) list Oligochaeta: Lumbrichidae: Allobophora caliginosa SAVIGNY; Arachnida: Aranea: Tegenaria domestica CLERK; Vertebrata: Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae: Rhinolophus blasii PETERS.