GAURIMUNDI (Cave at)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An allegedly 1.5 km long -cave- (or so) of which a certain Ganesh Bahadur Tamang, a local, claimed that he and his hunting mates often sneaked inside the tunnel looking for porcupines. -We walked for nearly two hours inside the hole, but returned after we didn't find the end of the tunnel,- Tamang [is said to have] said (note 1). SITUATION: Rajendra Manandhar (2007.12.05) located this tunnel … at the foothills of Bhirkuna area of Gaurimudi VDC [village development council], some 40 kilometers from district headquarters Charikot (kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=130426 posted 2007.12.05). This location -- apparently somewhere in Dolakha district (note 2) -- is problematic insofar as a travelling distance of 40 km in an unspecified direction from Charikot (note 3) can take one anywhere while places called Bhirkuna or Gaurimudi are neither indicated on the relevant Central Service Map (1989 sheet 22 Dolakha 1: 125'000) nor on AMS sheet NG45-02 Mt. Everest (U502 series, 1959 editio). CAVE DESCRIPTION: An opening (cave entrance) that seemed narrow leads to a wide pathway a little further from the entrance where one has to walk stooping for five minutes from the entrance to find a second narrow hole [constriction] beyond which stone-built stairs are present. Thirty minutes straight from the stairs, one can find a Chautara (public resting place) along with shelter holes. -We also found a pond nearly the size of a room after walking for five minutes below the Chautara,- Tamang said, fascinated by the finding. Tamang said that though his team didn't venture beyond the pond, he had also heard elderly villagers talking about water spouts inside the tunnel. Dal Bahadur Tamang, an elderly person from one of the villages stressed that his forefathers might have built the cave in prehistoric times. -The pores in the walls are built probably to let air ventilate inside the tunnel so that persons inside could easily breathe (note 5). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Accordin to MANANDHAR (2007.12.05) this cave is used as a porcupine hunting ground while legislators in their youth walk through the dark tunnel while herding goats and exercise gaping at enigmatic places inside the cave. CAVE LIFE: MANANDHAR (2007.12.05) mentions porcupines (Hystrix var.).). CAVE DESCRIPTION: An opening (cave entrance) that seemed narrow leads to a wide pathway a little further from the entrance where one has to walk stooping for five minutes from the entrance to find a second narrow hole [constriction] beyond which stone-built stairs are present. Thirty minutes straight from the stairs, one can find a Chautara (public resting place) along with shelter holes. -We also found a pond nearly the size of a room after walking for five minutes below the Chautara,- Tamang said, fascinated by the finding. Tamang said that though his team didn't venture beyond the pond, he had also heard elderly villagers talking about water spouts inside the tunnel. Dal Bahadur Tamang, an elderly person from one of the villages stressed that his forefathers might have built the cave in prehistoric times. -The pores in the walls are built probably to let air ventilate inside the tunnel so that persons inside could easily breathe (note 5). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Accordin). CAVE DESCRIPTION: An opening (cave entrance) that seemed narrow leads to a wide pathway a little further from the entrance where one has to walk stooping for five minutes from the entrance to find a second narrow hole [constriction] beyond which stone-built stairs are present. Thirty minutes straight from the stairs, one can find a Chautara (public resting place) along with shelter holes. -We also found a pond nearly the size of a room after walking for five minutes below the Chautara,- Tamang said, fascinated by the finding. Tamang said that though his team didn't venture beyond the pond, he had also heard elderly villagers talking about water spouts inside the tunnel. Dal Bahadur Tamang, an elderly person from one of the villages stressed that his forefathers might have built the cave in prehistoric times. -The pores in the walls are built probably to let air ventilate inside the tunnel so that persons inside could easily breathe (note 5). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Accordin). CAVE DESCRIPTION: An opening (cave entrance) that seemed narrow leads to a wide pathway a little further from the entrance where one has to walk stooping for five minutes from the entrance to find a second narrow hole [constriction] beyond which stone-built stairs are present. Thirty minutes straight from the stairs, one can find a Chautara (public resting place) along with shelter holes. -We also found a pond nearly the size of a room after walking for five minutes below the Chautara,- Tamang said, fascinated by the finding. Tamang said that though his team didn't venture beyond the pond, he had also heard elderly villagers talking about water spouts inside the tunnel. Dal Bahadur Tamang, an elderly person from one of the villages stressed that his forefathers might have built the cave in prehistoric times. -The pores in the walls are built probably to let air ventilate inside the tunnel so that persons inside could easily breathe (note 5). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Accordin). CAVE DESCRIPTION: An opening (cave entrance) that seemed narrow leads to a wide pathway a little further from the entrance where one has to walk stooping for five minutes from the entrance to find a second narrow hole [constriction] beyond which stone-built stairs are present. Thirty minutes straight from the stairs, one can find a Chautara (public resting place) along with shelter holes. -We also found a pond nearly the size of a room after walking for five minutes below the Chautara,- Tamang said, fascinated by the finding. Tamang said that though his team didn't venture beyond the pond, he had also heard elderly villagers talking about water spouts inside the tunnel. Dal Bahadur Tamang, an elderly person from one of the villages stressed that his forefathers might have built the cave in prehistoric times. -The pores in the walls are built probably to let air ventilate inside the tunnel so that persons inside could easily breathe (note 5). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Accordin to MANANDHAR (2007.12.05) this cave is used as a porcupine hunting ground while legislators in their youth walk through the dark tunnel while herding goats and exercise gaping at enigmatic places inside the cave. CAVE LIFE: MANANDHAR (2007.12.05) mentions porcupines (Hystrix var.).