YAGANTI, 3rd (Cave at)
15.350000,78.139700
Description
The south-facing cave entrance (up to 10 m wide and 3 m high) is walled off and gives access to a relatively low (decreasing from 1.2 m to 0.4 m in height), about 25 m long and north-south trending cave passage (generally 2 m or 3 m wide) in the back of modified natural temple cave with plastered walls and a tiled floor, which can be considered as a sacred show cave. The cult-spot is not only characterised by an atmosphere enriched with the parfume of rotten milk and rancid butter combined with decomposing faeces (mostly bat guano) but also attractacts (at least in December 1981) dare devils, professional saddhus and pious pilgrims in search of enduring lethargy or a quick recreational adventure. ETYMOLOGY: The »third cave« of the »three caves at the Yegunta pagoda in the ravine« (FOOTE, R B 1884a: 33) was locally said to be known as »Brahma Gavi« (1981.12.25 personal communication) and dedicated to the formless Hindu god Brahman (note 1), The One, the ultimate reality, the source of all existence and support of the phenomenal universe. The sages of the Upanishads teach that Brahman is the ultimate essence of material phenomena (including the original identity of the human self) that cannot be seen or heard but whose nature can be known through self-knowledge (atma jnana). According to Advaita doctrine, a liberated human being (jivanmukta) has realised brahman as her or his own true self (atman). SITUATION: At the easternmost corner of the south to south-west facing cliff rising above Yaganti or, to be precise, above the Sri Yaganta Eshwaram Temple (N15°21'00”: E78°08'23” Everest 1830), which lies at a travelling distance of 3.5 km along the road north-west from Patapadu (road fork N15°19'43”: E78°09'32” Everest 1830), a village 7 km along the road from Banganapalle (Banaganapalle N15°19°: E78°13'30”) east towards Pyapalli (Pyapali, Pyapalle N15°14': E77°44'). CAVE DESCRIPTION: At the arching, partly walled entrance, a hermit's cell offers a retreat fit for professional beggar pilgrims. Only the first third of the cave is developed in limestone. The "lobby" (entrance chamber, 3 to 4 m wide and 1.8 to 1.2 m high) is limited by a low stalgmite boss (speleothem) with associated 'nandi' bull. Already here, the ceiling and the right-hand (eastern, valley facing) wall of the cave consist of breccious conglomerate and 10 m further in, the entire cave is walled by this stuff. Robert Bruce Foote took a close look at the western cave wall (upon entering on the left-hand side) as it exposes »a considerable mass of reddish stalagmite breccia. The very clear and well-displayed face of this mass of breccia shows thousands of included fragments of shaly limestone; but after a careful examination I could not detect a single trace of bone« (FOOTE, R B 1884: 33). HUMAN USE: Out of the three caves above the Sri Yaganta Eshwaram Temple, in short: Yaganti, the Brahma Gavi is said to be the most famous among devotees. From an aesthetic point of view, it is a rather ugly cave but the plastered and white-washed walls combined with the tiled floor render it a comfortable phlegmatics asylum. CULTURAL HISTORY: Internet websites narrate a tale according to which the »… natural caves at Yaganti such as Rokalla cave, Venkateswara cave, Sanka cave, and Veera Brahmam caves add beauty and serenity to this holy place. Potuluri Veera Brahmam has written his monumental work, Kalagnanam in this cave only« (note 2). CAVE LIFE: The cave contained in December 1981, 1983, and 1996 not only moist and lively bat guano but also several hundred bats (Chiroptera). Dr. Dieter Kock, Museum König, Bonn (2002.05.16 personal correspondence) identified the specimen, which I had collected in December 1981, as »Hipposideros speoris (SCHNEIDER 1800): Cave "Brahma Gavi", 15.21.00.N - 78.08.20.E, 300 m a.s.l., above Sri Yagunta Eshwaram temples, Yaganti, Banaganpalle Taluq, Kurnool Distr., Andhra Pradesh State, south-central India, 30.I.1982, 1 male (in alc.), H. D. GEBAUER leg. & ded.25.IV.2002) 100s in the cave.«
NOTE 1: Brahman is "nirguna" (without qualities), as opposed to all the other Hindu gods, which are manifestations of Brahman and therefore "saguna", with qualities. Brahman plays an active role only during the creation of the universe as one of the Trimurti, trinity, literally: triple form; a concept in Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the transformer.NOTE 2: tourismsouthindia.com/andhra-pradesh-travel (accessed 22.12.2004) or incredibletourism.com/andhra-pradesh-travel (accessed 2007.12.14) praise »natural caves at Yaganti« and list, among others, a »Rokalla cave« and a »Venkateswara cave« but I suspect that these two "caves" are rather two niches inside the centrally located –>Yaganti Cave 2 or Vishnu Gavi than two distinct caves. Venkateshwara (Venkateswara) is an epithet of Vishnu.
Documents
Bibliography 05/07/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1981.12.25: H. D. Gebauer and A. Abele mapped the sacred cave barefeet in bat shit. 1985.12.03: »Another funny thing is a mendicant (sadhu) told me that one of the thee caves you surveyed in Yaganti -- Brahma Gawi -- extends very long and that he once went as far as 9 miles [14 km] inside. His assertion was so firm before any look that I wanted to take a chance of 0.1% -- in case you could not squeeze in through a hole -- and visited the cave. [The] … distance was 48 m with almost 20 m crawling in the end. Both of us entered. The Saddhu admitted it was up to this place he had been ealier and he had thought it was 9 miles long« (M. Narayana Reddy 1985.12.05 Mss personal correspondence).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YAGANTI, 2nd (Cave at) | ||
| 0.1 | YAGANTI, 1st (Cave at) | ||
| 0.1 | Ulavalagondi 2 Crevice | ||
| 0.4 | YERRA ZARI GAVI | ||
| 0.9 | MOGASARAYANAGONDI CAVE | ||
| 1.0 | YAGANTI SECOND RAVINE CAVE (Foote 1884a: 33) | ||
| 1.2 | YERRA ZARI SPRING & CAVE | ||
| 1.9 | Ulavalagondi 1 Crevice | ||
| 2.0 | YAGANTI SINK, Katikavanikunia |