ANDHARI, Daulatabad
19.933300,75.208300
Description
The most popular and entertaining of the –>Daulatabad Undergrounds is man-made »pitch black spiralling tunnel« ascends estimated 30 or 40 vertical metres from the plains at the level of the fort Amberkot (Amarkot, Amberkot) at Daulatabad (note 1) to the top of Devagiri / Deogiri hill. ETYMOLOGY: "Andhari" from "andha", dark (note 2) + "dhari", passage is a descriptive name for the »dark alley« (SMITH, G 1882: 359) »underground passage that leads to the top« (MATHE, M S & PATHI, T V 1992: 20) »pitch black spiralling tunnel« (LONELY PLANET, India 1997: 862) »cut through the interior of the body of the hill« (HAMILTON, W 1828, 1: 526). SITUATION: »10 m. N.W. [16 km north-west] of Aurangabad« (SMITH, G 1882: 358). DESCRIPTION 1818: »In its natural state it must have sunk in a declivity to the plain, but it has been rendered by the hand of man perpendicular for one hundred and eighty feet in height all around. The ditch is fifty feet deep, cut out of the solid rock. The only entrance to this wonderful instance of human labour is over abridge … having crossed you enter a place excavated in the mountain, and passing through another you ascend a spiral set of steps, about two hundred in number, and issuing out of a trap door made of iron, once more breath fresh air. […] The inhabitants reside in several caverns in the mountain which is plentifully supplied with water …« (DOWLUTABAD 1818). DESCRIPTION 1828: »Doulatabad … After passing a ditch, the ascent is through an excavation in the heart of the rock, and at first so low that a person is obliged to stoop nearly double; but after a few paces in opens into a high vault, lighted by torches, out of which the ascent is by a winding passage gradually sloping cut through the interior of the body of the hill. The passage is about twelve feet [4 m] high, and the same in breadth, with a regular rise. At certain distances from this gallery are trap doors, with flights of small steps to the ditch below, only wide enough to admit a man to pass, also cut through the solid rock to the water's edge and not exposed to the fire of assailants unless they gain the very crest of the the glacis. There are likewise other passages and recesses for depositing stores. After ascending the main passage for about ten minutes, it opens into a hollow of the rock about twenty feet [7 m] square« (HAMILTON, W 1828, 1: 526-527). DESCRIPTION 1851, March: »Passing through a massive gateway which led into the town, we entered the fort by a similar approach, and crossing the moat by a narrow bridge we plunged into a dark hole directly opposite; then passing by torchlight through some small caves which were entered by very low portals, we began to ascend the inclined plane which wound up the interior of the rock, and which gradually became steeper till it ended in a flight of steps, our guides lighting us on our uncertain path, until we emerged into daylight by a large iron trap-door, pierced with innumerable small holes, the object of which, as well as of a groove in the rock communicating with the subterranean passage, was to enable the garrison, by filling the passage with smoke and flame, to suffocate and blind the besiegers should they ever succeed by any accident in penetrating thus far -- in itself, as it seemed to me, a very improbable contingency. We clambered up the face of the rock to its summit, whence we had an extensive view of the arid plains of the Deccan« (OLIPHANT, L 1852, chapter XVIII). DESCRIPTION 1882: »Daulatabad, 10 m. N.W. [16 km north-west] of Aurangabad, the ancient Tagara, and the famous Deogarh or Deogiri stronghold of the Hindoo rulers of the Dekhan, to which Tughlak Shah's son, the mad emperor Muhammad, strove to transfer the capital from Delhi, giving the place its new name; this is an isolated conical rock of granite (500 ft.) [152 m] scarped to from 80 to 120 ft. [24 m to 36.5 m] all round, and ascended only through a narrow pass hewn in the rock and leading to a vault from which a dark alley winds upwards« (SMITH, G 1882: 358-359). DESCRIPTION 1908: »The fortress is built upon a conical rock, scarped from a height of 150 feet [45.7 m] from the base. The hill upon which it stands rises almost perpendicularly from the plain to a height of about 600 feet [183 m]« (IMPERIAL GAZETTER (1907-1909, 11: 201). DESCRIPTION 1992: »Passing through the Kalakot complex one comes upon the sight … of a rock-hewn ditch some 50 feet [15.25 m] in depth and 30 feet [9.15 m] in width. … a rather rickety iron bridge spans the void. On reaching the other side, one has to pass through a gallery along the face of the hill and then enter a dark tunnel that gives access to the open courtyard fronting the underground passage that leads to the top. … It is really dark inside. Steps are cut in the rock so as to form a rough and ready staircase to go up, but these are of uneven width and height, and the passage has to be tackled with the help of artificial light. This subterranean passage is indeed mysterious and in spite of several individual attempts, all its mysteries are not yet known. It turns and twists, opens out on a rough window, next comes a landing stage which leads to another and smaller passage. At a place midway between the two are there are holes, now covered with grills. An adventurous youth had recently descended in it and gone down to some thirty feet and found that it eventually opened out into the ditch (MATE 1989: 214). In all probability, it was a trap set for enemy intruders. …this tunnel is the only access to the top, that is, the citadel. And that tunnel is totally inaccessible. Climbing to a height of a hundred feet [30.5 m] or more through the passage one comes on a slightly level area which has a small Ganesh shrine on it …« (MATHE, M S & PATHI, T V 1992: 20-21). DESCRIPTION 1997: »The final ascent to the top goes through a pitch black spiralling tunnel …« (LONELY PLANET, India 1997: 862). DESCRIPTION 1999: »Part of the ascent to the top goes through a pitch-black spiralling tunnel …« (LONELY PLANET, India 1999: 913, 2005: 730). DESCRIPTION 2005: »Andhari and Zig-Zag Passage … As we cross the bridge we enter the original fort of Deogiri … Immediately we come across an underground passage completely carved out of rock. It's entrance is like a cave. It is a starting point of the steep zig-zag underground passage. This ascending path is nearly 50 metre long having staeps inside. This whole passage is called here Andhari. As we enter this Andhari we experience the real meaning of darkness. While crossing this passage Mashal (Torch of flame) is used from the earlier times to the present day. While in this passage we realize how Andhari is the appropriate name of this passage [note 2]. In addition to pitch darkness, several deceptive devices used in this Andhari are simply astonishing. A small opening for light & air could mislead the enemy to fall straight into the moat. If one stood bewildered inside, stones were pelted from above. The last device was the large hot pan kept on the exit of the passage« (DESHPANDE & SAWANT 2005: 21, two photographs on page 22). DESCRIPTION 2006: CEBALLOS BETANCUR, K (2006: 77) draw the attention of the labyrinthine world to the Daulatabad fort were they noticed not only labyrinths but also bats: »In Aurangabad … sahen wir das Fort von Daulatabad mit seinen Labyrinthen und Fledermäusen.« CAVE LIFE: CEBALLOS BETANCUR (2006: 77) noticed bats (Chiroptera).
NOTE 1: Daulatabad or Deogiri near N19°56': E075°14' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) or near N19°57': E075°13' (Everest 1830, IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 11: 200) is indicated as »Daulatabad 2594« (790.7 m asl) on AMS sheet NE43-03 Aurangabad (U502 series, 1960 edition) and »Daulatabad« with a symbol for "fort" on the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 82 C4). NOTE 2: "andha" (Sanskrit) means »darkness; nook« in the Mahabharata and is used to say »blind« in the Rig Veda. The Bengali "edho" signifies »covered, concealed« (TURNER, R L 1966: A comparative dictionary of the Indo-Aryan languages.- Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | KACHERI BAWADI | ||
| 0.0 | DEVAGIRI, Daulatabad (Cave on the) | ||
| 0.0 | SARASWATI BAWADI | ||
| 0.0 | KADA BAWADI | ||
| 0.0 | SHAKKAR BAWADI | ||
| 0.0 | JANARDAN SWAMI (Cave of Shri) | ||
| 0.0 | RASAI MATA (Cave of Shri) | ||
| 10.2 | KAILASH CAVE, Ellora | ||
| 10.2 | DASHAVATARA CAVE, Ellora |