KALUGUMALAI (Caves on the)
9.150000,77.716700
Description
What appears to represent four modified natural caves with man-made, rock-cut beds (note 1) chiselled out of massive granite rock, reported KONOV (1907 after V. Venkayya, edited by J.H. Marshall) from the hill Kalugumalai (kalugu = eagle, malai = hill). Compare the cave of –>Subrahmanya (Kalugumalai). SITUATION: Somewhere in the vicinity of the village of Kalugumalai (note 2), which currently lies in the north-westernmost corner of Tuticorin district (renamed Thoothukudi or Tattukkudi, the former Tirunelvely or Tirunelveli and Tinnevelly).
NOTE 1: Vijaya Sherry Chand (Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Gujarat) on iimahd.ernet.in/~vijaya/sit.htm (accessed 2008.06.01) tells us that »Jain monks … used kal-stones for dindu-pillows or bed« where the Tamil "kal" means »stone« and "dindu" is a »bed«.Tamil "panchapandavarpadukkai" (Pancha Pandavar Pandukkai) or »beds of the Five Pandava brothers« are reported from many places, including –>Anaimalai, –>Kongar Puliyangulam / Puliyankulam Palli, –>Marugaltalai Cave and –>Tiger Cave (Kovilpatti). NOTE 2: Kalugumalai N09°09': E077°43' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) or at N09°08': E077°42' (Everest 1830 coordinates, IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 14: 321) is shown on AMS sheet NC43-12 Rajapalaiyam (U502 series, 1955 edition) and in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 119 E4) at travelling distances of about 20 km approximately west-southwest from Kovilpatti (N09°10': E077°52'), about 18 km east from Sankarankovil (Sankaranainer Koil, Sankaranayinarkovil, Sankaranayinarkovyil, Sankaranayinnarkovil N09°10': E077°33') and about 60 km approsimately north from Tirunelvely (also: Tinnevelli, Tinnevelly, Tirunelveli) at N08°44': E077°42' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) or at N08°44': E077°41' (Everest 1830 coordinates, IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 23: 379).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | SUBRAHMANYA, Kalugumalai (Cave of) | ||
| 16.6 | TIGER CAVE, Kovilpatti | ||
| 37.2 | THALAIYANAI MALAI (Caves on the) | ||
| 63.7 | PERAYUR 1 (Cave at) | ||
| 66.8 | T-KALLUPATTI ROCK SHELTER | ||
| 67.6 | PERAYUR 2 (Cave at) | ||
| 68.1 | PERAYUR 4 (Cave at) | ||
| 68.6 | PERAYUR 3 (Cave at) | ||
| 83.4 | VIRAPATTI SHELTER |