PANIGUNDUR

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A west-facing, about 23 m wide and more than 5 m high cave entrance (note 1) without identified shape gives access to a cave of which few has become known: It contains cave passages, of which one eventually connects to the Cave Pearl Avenue in –>Mondil Kol, the 8th cave entrance to the –>Morasora Rongkol (note 2), an other cave passage called Fish Creek, a part lateral to one surveyed a day earlier, a three-dimensional maze, and a cave gallery that somehow leads from a Bat Chamber north to one Shaking Henry Chamber (note 3). ETYMOLOGY: Only four different spelling versions were recorded or have been created between February 2003 and 2005: The -Pani Gundul- (Bengali, -water pools-) of Ping R. Marak (Rongdangkai village, 2003.02.11 personal communication) and Mr. Boden (Jack in all trades, 2003.02.13 personal communication) appears to correspond to a village that was abandoned long before 2003 but is indicated as -Panikunda- (Bengali, Hindi, -water pools-) near N25°12'35”: E091°01'2” (Everest 1830) not only on the Survey of India sheet 78-O/04 (edition 1912) but also on the AMS sheet Tura (NG-46-09, U502 series, 1959 edition). It is also positioned, again as Panikunda (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003), near N25°12': E091°02' (WGS84). Jantschke, H (2005.04.20 personal correspondence) told me that the spelling Panigundur has been somehow been verified in in the field with an unspecified verification method. SITUATION: Above the western (orographically right) bank of the Morasora River and at an unspecified walking distance from the village of Rongdangkai (Rongdanggai) downstream from the bridge on the road from Maheshkhola Bazar - to Khanjoy. CAVE DESCRIPTION: None reported. SPELEOMETRY 2003 (Brooks 2003.02.19 Mss): 629.31 m long. SPELEOMETRY 2005 (Brooks 2005.10.05 Mss): Pre 2005 length 629.00 Survey 2005 241.68 Total 870.68 Vertical Range. CAVE LIFE: Oppliger (2005.02 edited 2010.07 Mss) associates with Panigundul, which may be Panigundur (or not), notonly the skulls and other bones of dead bats (Chiroptera) but also a living bat colony (day roost) of more than 200 individuals of Hipposideros lankadiva (note 4).” (Everest 1830) not only on the Survey of India sheet 78-O/04 (edition 1912) but also on the AMS sheet Tura (NG-46-09, U502 series, 1959 edition). It is also positioned, again as Panikunda (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003), near N25°12': E091°02' (WGS84). Jantschke, H (2005.04.20 personal correspondence) told me that the spelling Panigundur has been somehow been verified in in the field with an unspecified verification method. SITUATION: Above the western (orographically right) bank of the Morasora River and at an unspecified walking distance from the village of Rongdangkai (Rongdanggai) downstream from the bridge on the road from Maheshkhola Bazar - to Khanjoy. CAVE DESCRIPTION: None reported. SPELEOMETRY 2003 (Brooks 2003.02.19 Mss): 629.31 m long. SPELEOMETRY 2005 (Brooks 2005.10.05 Mss): Pre 2005 length 629.00 Survey 2005 241.68 Total 870.68 Vertical Range. CAVE LIFE: Oppliger (2005.02 edited 2010.07 Mss) associates with Panigundul, which may be Panigundur (or not), notonly the skulls and other bones of dead bats (Chiroptera) but also a living bat colony (day roost) of more than 200 individuals of Hipposideros lankadiva (note 4).