TUKCHE CAVES
28.712500,83.642500
Description
No »caves« (note 1) in the speleological sense of the word but a single row of about ten or 15 man-made rock chambers in a dilapidating state of repair (note 2) are excavated from semi-consolidated fluvial accumulations of Quaternary age. The rock-cut chambers once might have been used for storage or troglodyte dwelling. SITUATION: A few metres above the public square of Tukche and very close to the main Thakkhola trail, which passes here on the right (eastern) bank of Kali Gandaki valley.
NOTE 1: Listed as Tukche Cave N°5 by PAVEY (1976b: 8). The karstologist WALTHAM (1971e: 49) regarded them as »rock shelters modified by man.« NOTE 2: The cultural historian and tibetologist MEISLER (1994 in: DECLEER 1994c: 51) found that every one of them was only a few metres deep and contained nothing besides broken remains of »tsha-tsha-s [tsa-tsa] … beat caves, too shallow to sit in [to practice Buddhist meditation retreat], too close to the road too.«
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | DAMBUSH KHOLA (Cave in the) | ||
| 0.5 | DAMBUSH KHOLA ROCK SHELTER 1 | ||
| 0.5 | DAMBUSH KHOLA ROCK SHELTER 2 | ||
| 1.1 | LARJUNG - MARPHA (Cave between) | ||
| 1.6 | TUKCHE BOULDER CHOKE CAVE | ||
| 2.4 | CHOKHOPANI CAVES | ||
| 2.6 | CHUKSANG CAVE | ||
| 2.6 | GOMPA U | ||
| 2.6 | PYUNG KYU U |