SHANTI GUPHA, Hemja / Hengja

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An unspecified cave entrance (unidentified shape, unidentified dimensions, unidentified orientation, unidentified characteristics) in an unspecified kind of rock is said to give access to an unspecified cave, which is said to house bats. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what bat watchers called World Peace Cave (DANIEL 2007: 7) or simply Peace Cave (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL 2006: 35 table 1 item 7; WASTI & ACHARYA 2011: 332 table 1 site 5). Since the two caves –>Mahendra Gufa and –>Birendra Cave in the Pokhara Valley are called after members of the formerly royal family, not only the strange Crazy Cave (PHUYAL 2007: 28) but also the Peace Cave or Worldpeace Cave may have been named in honour of other royals of Nepal (note 1).SITUATION: Probably some 5 km or 10 km along the road approximately north-west of the Pokhara town centre (Mahendrapul) and in the north-east facing flank of the Sarangkot Hill (note 1) which forms the interfluvial, WW-ESE trending spur which separates the Harpan Khola and the Phewa Tal (Pokhara Lake) from the valley of the Yamdi or Yangdi (note 2). Here, the entrance to this cave seems to lie near the base of the Sarangkot spur and above the orographically right (southern) bank of the Yamdi / Yangdi, in the vicinity of the village of Kaski (note 3) and in the area administered by the V.D.C. (village development council) of Hemja, Hengja and Hyangjya (note 4). SITUATION 2011: Peace cave (Hemja - 2, Kaski [lies] … at base of Sarangkot Hill range across the Yamdi river (WASTI & ACHARYA 2011: 332 table 1 site 5). SITUATION 2007: From the IOF (Institute of Forestry) at Pokhara, the World Peace Cave … [can be reached by an] about 20 km drive from the campus and 15 minutes walk (DANIEL 2007: 7). SITUATION 2006: Peace Cave (Hemja 2) situated by the Yamdi River. 15 min walk from motor road (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL 2006: 35 table 1 item 7). POSITION 2008: ADHIKARI (2008: 45) provided for Peace Cave, Hemja 2 theobviously erroneous GPS position Latitude 28°11'22” and Longitude 83°57'32” [unidentified geodetic datum, unspecified precision error] (ADHIKARI, Hari 2008: 45 table, site no. 7 after Sujas 2005 instead PHUYAL, Sujas Prasad 2005) which indicates a spot that lies not only from Yamdi opposite across both the Sarangkot Hill and the Phewa Tal but also in the area between the Pokhara -dam-side- and the –>Patale Chhango sinkhole. POSITION 2011: WASTI & ACHARYA (2011: 332 table 1 site no. 5) provided an obviously erroneous GPS position for the –>Chindanda Cave instead for Peace Cave (Hemja - 2 Kaski) (note 5). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2006: Peace Cave (Hemja 2) … previously unexplored. Interesting cave for both cave and bat study (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL 2006: 35 table 1 site no, 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2008: Peace Cave, Hemja 2 … [is an] accessible cave roost (ADHIKARI, Hari 2008: 45 table, site no. 7 after Sujas 2005 instead PHUYAL, Sujas Prasad 2005) in the sense of cave with a bat roost of which eiter the cave, the bat roost, or both are accessible. CULTURAL HISTORY - Bat conservation: A bat brochure was published in Nepali language … in collaboration with Self Help Environment Awareness Camp (SHEAC), Pokhara. Brochures were distributed among people around Bat Cave [Chamere Gufa, Battulechaur], Mahendra Cave, Crazy Cave, Birendra Cave, Putli Cave, Sita Cave, Gupteshwor Cave and Peace Cave (PHUYAL 2007: 28). CAVE LIFE: Four species of bats (Chiroptera) have been caught at the so-called World Peace Cave … They were Rhinolophus affinis, Rousettus leschenaulti, Hipposideros armiger and Miniopterus sp. (DANIEL, B. Ayyachamy 2007: 7). During “Field Techniques for Research and Conservation of Volant and Non Volant Small Mammals” at Pokhara Institute of Forestry, Dr. Paul A. Racey (Chair, IUCN SSC Chiroptera specialist Group) and Dr. Sripathi Kandula (Scientific chair of CCINSA from Madurai Kamaraj University) identified Rhinolophus affinis, Rousettus leschenaulti, Hipposideros armiger,Miniopterus species in World peace cave … (ADHIKARI, Hari 2008: 46).er the cave, the bat roost, or both are accessible. CULTURAL HISTORY - Bat conservation: A bat brochure was published in Nepali language … in collaboration with Self Help Environment Awareness Camp (SHEAC), Pokhara. Brochures were distributed among people around Bat Cave [Chamere Gufa, Battulechaur], Mahendra Cave, Crazy Cave, Birendra Cave, Putli Cave, Sita Cave, Gupteshwor Cave and Peace Cave (PHUYAL 2007: 28). CAVE LIFE: Four species of bats (Chiroptera) have been caught at the so-called World Peace Cave … They were Rhinolophus affinis, Rousettus leschenaulti, Hipposideros armiger and Miniopterus sp. (DANIEL, B. Ayyachamy 2007: 7). During “Field Techniques for Research and Conservation of Volant and Non Volant Small Mammals” at Pokhara Institute of Forestry, Dr. Paul A. Racey (Chair, IUCN SSC Chiroptera specialist Group) and Dr. Sripathi Kandula (Scientific chair of CCINSA from Madurai Kamaraj University) identified Rhinolophus affinis, Rousettus leschenaulti, Hipposideros armiger,er the cave, the bat roost, or both are accessible. CULTURAL HISTORY - Bat conservation: A bat brochure was published in Nepali language … in collaboration with Self Help Environment Awareness Camp (SHEAC), Pokhara. Brochures were distributed among people around Bat Cave [Chamere Gufa, Battulechaur], Mahendra Cave, Crazy Cave, Birendra Cave, Putli Cave, Sita Cave, Gupteshwor Cave and Peace Cave (PHUYAL 2007: 28). CAVE LIFE: Four species of bats (Chiroptera) have been caught at the so-called World Peace Cave … They were Rhinolophus affinis, Rousettus leschenaulti, Hipposideros armiger and Miniopterus sp. (DANIEL, B. Ayyachamy 2007: 7). During “Field Techniques for Research and Conservation of Volant and Non Volant Small Mammals” at Pokhara Institute of Forestry, Dr. Paul A. Racey (Chair, IUCN SSC Chiroptera specialist Group) and Dr. Sripathi Kandula (Scientific chair of CCINSA from Madurai Kamaraj University) identified Rhinolophus affinis, Rousettus leschenaulti, Hipposideros armiger,Miniopterus species in World peace cave … (ADHIKARI, Hari 2008: 46).