SITA CAVE, Lekhnath

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An unspecified cave entrance (unidentified shape, unidentified dimensions, unidentified orientation, unidentified characteristics) in an unidentified host rock is said to lead to the accessible cave roost (ADHIKARI 2008: 45 table) of bats inside a cave which was initially characterised as simple and easy for caving (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL 2006: 35) but five years later simply as easy for caving (WASTI & ACHARYA 2011: 333 table 1 site no. 9). SITUATION: About 8 km in a direct line approximately ESE from Pokhara Mahendrapul and in the vicinity of the village of Leknath / Lekhnathchok (note 1), above the orographically left (locally eastern) bank of the Bijayapur Khola and thus above the orographically left (locally northern) bank of the Seti River (Seti Gandaki Khola). SITUATION 2011: Lekhnath - 14 Chainpur … at the base of Chainpur hill near settlement (WASTI & ACHARYA 2011: 333 table 1 site no. 9). SITUATION 2007: … Sita cave located at Lekhnath [note 1] municipality-14 of Pokhara Valley PHUYAL 2007: 28). SITUATION 2006: Sita Cave (Lekhnath 14) … by farm land near a motor road. Belongs to individual farmer (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL 2006: 35) but we can safely assume that not exactly the motor road belongs to individual farmer but rather the farm land and the cave. POSITION 2005: Not seen: POSITION 2008: Sita Cave, Lekhnath 14, latitude 28°14'50”: Longitude 84°0'19” (unidentified geodetic datum, unspecified precision error, ADHIKARI 2008: 45 table S.N. 1 after Sujas 2005 instead PHUYAL, Sujas Prasad 2005). POSITION 2011: Sita cave Lekhnath - 14 Chainpur, Lat-Long 28°14'50” 85°0'19” (unidentified geodetic datum, unspecified precision error, WASTI & ACHARYA 2011: 333 table 1 site no. 9) is erroneous. CAVE DESCRIPTION: Sita Cave (Lekhnath 14) is not only as an accessible cave roost but also previously unexplored and simple and easy for caving (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL 2006: 35). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Unidentified local residents subscribe to a believe according to whih young adults occasionally use caves for social gatherings and perform at the Sita cave curious rites in the course of which even thick pieces of wood or bundles of billets are often lit in Sita cave during these occasions (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL (2006: 35-36). On the other hand, it were identified non-local residents who performed at least once a rite in the course of which a bat brochure was published in Nepali language … in collaboration with Self Help Environment Awareness Camp (SHEAC), Pokhara in the course of which the same brochures were distributed among people around Bat Cave [Chamere Gufa, Battulechour], Mahendra Cave, Crazy Cave, Birendra Cave, Putli Cave ]Putali Gufa], Sita Cave, Gupteshwor Cave [Gupteshwar Gupha, Chhorepatan] and Peace Cave [Shanti Gupha, Hemja 2] (PHUYAL 2007: 28). CAVE LIFE - bats (Chiroptera): Sita Cave, Lekhnath, has been identified as an accessible cave roost of bats (ADHIKARI, Hari 2008: 45 table after Sujas 2005 instead PHUYAL, Sujas Prasad 2005).h young adults occasionally use caves for social gatherings and perform at the Sita cave curious rites in the course of which even thick pieces of wood or bundles of billets are often lit in Sita cave during these occasions (PHUYAL & DHOUBADEL (2006: 35-36). On the other hand, it were identified non-local residents who performed at least once a rite in the course of which a bat brochure was published in Nepali language … in collaboration with Self Help Environment Awareness Camp (SHEAC), Pokhara in the course of which the same brochures were distributed among people around Bat Cave [Chamere Gufa, Battulechour], Mahendra Cave, Crazy Cave, Birendra Cave, Putli Cave ]Putali Gufa], Sita Cave, Gupteshwor Cave [Gupteshwar Gupha, Chhorepatan] and Peace Cave [Shanti Gupha, Hemja 2] (PHUYAL 2007: 28). CAVE LIFE - bats (Chiroptera): Sita Cave, Lekhnath, has been identified as an accessible cave roost of bats (ADHIKARI, Hari 2008: 45 table after Sujas 2005 instead PHUYAL, Sujas Prasad 2005).