NAGIREDDYBADDE
15.433300,78.161100
Description
Caves and rock shelters occur north-west of the village of Gollagutta (note 1) not only on the eastward flowing nala (streambed, thalweg) of the Muchhatla vagu (note 2) and in the valley of the locally east-south-east trending Gollagutta valley (compare the caves at –>Gollagutta) but also in the picturesque, north-south aligned limestone gorge or »small canyon« (Perrin 2010.02.02 Mss) along which the road is laid which runs from Betamcherla (N15°27': E78°09') south and south-east to Banganapalle / Banaganpalle (N15°17'30”: E78°14'). ETYMOLOGY: The Telugu "badde" means cliff (or gorge, ravine) but the Gondi "bodu" means »crest, ridge.« Venugopal Rao & Rao (1993 Mss: 2) explain that »the cavernous cliffs on either side of the road are locally known as Nagireddy badde (hence Nagireddy Badde caves).« SITUATION 1884: »… westward of Gorlagootla … One of them [caves] was said to occur in the valley of Gorlagootla stream [note 3], and will probably be found in connection with a very fine group of limestone cliffs standing on the north side of the stream. The other [cave], of which the locality was pointed out to me, is situated in [the Nagireddybadde] a picturesque ravine which one passes on the left hand side [west] when crossing the small ghat which leads from Gorlagootla [Gollagutta generally north-west] to Betumcherru [Betamcherla]« (FOOTE 1884a). SITUATION 1993: »The caves north-west of Gorlagutta [Gollagutta] occur along an eastward flowing nala along which the Banaganapalle - Betamcherla road is laid. The cavernous cliffs on either side of the road are locally known as Nagireddi badde (hence Nagireddy Badde caves). … Further north of the village [of] Gorlagutta along the northern flank of the E-W trending limestone ridge, small unnamed caves have been located. These are also found to be insignificant from [a] palaentological point of view« (Venugopal Rao & Rao 1993 Mss: 2). SITUATION 2010: Perrin (2010.02.02 Mss) discovered in a »small canyon followed by the road« from Betamcherla to »Banganappalle« the –>New Caves (Perrin 2010.02.02 Mss). POSITION: The karstified gorge or »picturesque ravine« (FOOTE 1884a) and »small canyon« (Perrin 2010.02.02 Mss) is shown between N15°26°: E78°09' and N25°25': E78°10' (Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 57-i/3 (edition1983). Venugopal Rao & Rao (1993 Mss: 10 locality list) position »Nagireddybadde« at N15°26'00”: E78°09'40” (unspecified geodetic datum probably Everest 1830). DESCRIPTION: The "ghat" (pass, passage) flanked by the Nagireddybadde of Cliffs of the Primeordeal Serpents' Chief is possibly the relic of a senile cave (with all of its ceiling gone) which exposes daylight-lit and phototropic speleothems and flowstone formations »Most of these [Nagireddy Badde] caves are [of] smaller dimensions, collapsed at the entrance and not significant from [a] palaeontological point of view, as the sediments inside these caves are rather thin or absent. Dripstone structures [speleothems] are seen at places along the cliffs and surrounding the cave mouths« (Venugopal Rao & Rao 1993 Mss: 2). CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art: I wonder if it had been in the Nagireddybadde that Gudrun Corvinus (1972 in KENNEDY 1977: 102 figure 4) had taken the photograph showing »Two male figures« about a span (20 cm) tall and titled »Rock shelter wall painting along Betamcherla - Kurnool road, Kurnool district, South India.«
NOTE 1: The village of »Gorlagootla« (FOOTE 1884a: 33, 34) or »Gorlogunta« (FOOTE 1885: 235) and »Goorlagootla« (CRAVEN 1969: 23) is indicated as »Gollagutta« near N15°23'45”: E78°11'45”: 280 m asl (Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 57-I/03 (edition 1983) on the road from Betamcherla (N25°27': E78°09' Everest 1830) south-east and south to Banaganapalle (N15°18'45”: E78°13'30”: 225 m asl, Everest 1830). PRASAD (1996: 30 figure 1 »Map showing cave areas around Betamcherla, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, S. India«) indicates »Gollagutta« with a character-Omega-like cave symbol. NOTE 2: Caves on the Muchhatlu vagu are –>Boya Dari, –>Chintamanu Gavi (Passimani vanka; also: Chintamani Gavi, Chintamani Gavi Cave), –>Errabadde Gavi 1, –>Errabadde Gavi 2, –>Errabadde Gavi 3, –>Jangalu Gavi (Jan Galu Gavi), –>Muchchatla Chintamanu Gavi, and –>Nemmicheli Gavi (Nemmala Silla Gavi, Nemmalasilla Gavi). NOTE 3: The »Gorlagootla stream« (FOOTE 1884a: 33-34) is one of the two streams flowing (or not) near the village of Gorlagutta. The larger of the two streams is the Muchchatla Vagu that arrives from beyond Muchchatleswara Temple (N15°24'30”: E78°06'45”: 400 m asl, Everest 1830, SI sheet 57-I/03 edition 1983) and flow eastwards till it meets near N15°24'55”: E78°10'15”: 301 m asl (Everest 1830) and 3.25 km along the road from Gollagutta (Gorlagootla, Gorlagutta) generally WNW to Betamcherla.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1884 spring: Robert Bruce FOOTE (1884a) had been pointed out an unspecified cave (no name mentioned »situated in a picturesque ravine which one passes on the left hand side when crossing the small ghat which leads from Gorlagootla [Gollagutta] to Betumcherru« (Betamcherla). 1996, December: It was not possible, in spite of (or, perhaps, due to) the help of M. Narayana Reddy (retired Special Police Officer, Nandyal), to trace, identify, or visit the site (sites) --in an unsafe area? 2010.01.03: Jerome Perrin (2010.02.02 Mss) discovered on »03 Jan 2010« in the »Betamcherla region« the »New Caves« (Perrin 2010) or »Road Cave« (Dar, Perrin et al. 2011.02.02 Mss table: C-22) in a »small canyon followed by the road« from Betamcherla to »Banganappalle« (Banaganapalle).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3 | NAGIREDDYBADDE CAVE (Perrin 2010) | ||
| 0.6 | PEDDA PAVURALLA BADDE GAVI | ||
| 1.6 | KOTTALA GAVI | ||
| 1.8 | NEMMICHELI GAVI | ||
| 1.8 | NEMMICHELI GAVI (Perrin 2010) | ||
| 1.8 | KOTTALA (Cave near) | ||
| 1.8 | GOKARABADDHA GAVI | ||
| 2.0 | MUCHCHATLA CHINTAMANU GAVI | ||
| 2.2 | GURRUM PATINATADE |