KUKKUTAPADAGIRI, Gurpa, 2nd (Cave on)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The upper one of a pair of modified natural rift caves (apparently originating from gravitational mass wasting) which are used as temple caves sacred to Hindus and Buddhists on Gurpa Hill.CAVE DESCRIPTION: Babu Rakhal Das Banerji (in: BANERJI & BLOCH 1906) describes cave and approach from the platform at the upper end of Cave of –>Kukkutapadagiri (Gurpa) 1: The path is along boulders of stone polished to the smoothness of marble by the action of rain-water [more likely: by micro-organisms] up to an incline of 60° with no hold for assistance, for at this eight vegetation consists of sharp, thorny grass and thin reeds. After a climb of more than 50 ft. [15 m], another platform is reached. Here, another tunnel is reached running north to south across the whole width of the mountain, a length of about 30 ft. [9.1 m]. The tunnel is formed of huge piece of stone leaning on one another, thus forming a sort of archway 4 ft. [1.2 m] in height at the entrance, gradually widening in circumferenc —the height at the end of the cave or tunnel being nearly 30 ft. [9 m]. The tunnel ends in a steep precipice about 500 ft. [150 m] high. At the edge of the tunnel there is a rectangular tank with a single step running along its four side (8' x 5' = 2.4 x 1.5 m). The tank is dry and there is no possibility of its ever being filled with rain-water. Further noted is the rumour of a skeleton, the possibility of the tank representing a sarcophagus (of Kasyapa?), and Buddhist remains: sculptures, stupas, inscriptions.