CACHAR CAVE (Smaller)

(Sonai - IN)
24.500000,93.000000
Grottocenter / carte

Description

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 24/03/2016

A natural, sacred cave with an entrance in the base of a circular collapse doline leads to a descending rift passage, which is suspected to function as an insurgence (sink, sinkhole) draining eastwards to the river Barak or one of its tributaries. SITUATION: The temple cave lies somewhere in the vicinity of –>Yoni Dvara (or: Larger –>Cachar Cave) in the Bhuban Hills (Bhoban / Bhuvan Pahar), Cachar district, Assam. CAVE DESCRIPTION: Frank Ede had »…visited the smaller cave first [see also –>Yoni Dvara: Bhuban Pahar]. It is approached by a rough rocky path terminating in a hollow or punch bowl which has been formed by the collapse of the rock in the form of a circle, by reason of the removal or shifting of the underlying strata to a lower level by the action of water or some other agency. The cave or pipe descends from the bowl very rapidly for some distance, then rises and forms a saddle, again descends very rapidly and finally empties itself into the Barak or one of its tributaries. We were unable to find its outlet, as it becomes far too narrow to allow a man to pass. In the rains the cave must be more or less full of water, which can only get away very slowly (through cracks and fissures forming minor potholes) until it rises above the level of the saddle, when it has a much freer outlet and flows away fairly rapidly. We were not able to find any stone implements, or bones, fossil or recent, in this cave. In some places the rocks were rounded and coated with pearly sinter. With the exception of a few bats, it is doubtful if this cave was ever inhabited by man or beast« (EDE 1902: 36-37). CULTURAL HISTORY - pseudo-scientific bullshit: »In the North Cachar Hills [sic! qua: Cachar Hills] two caves representing the earlier patterns of tribal architecture was noticed by E.D.E. Frank in 1902« (SINGH, G P 2008: 202). CAVE LIFE: EDE (1902: 37) noticed the presence of a few unspecified bats (Chiroptera).

Documents

Bibliography 24/03/2016
  • Ede, Frank 1902; Singh, G P 2008.

History

EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1900-1901: Frank EDE (1902) appears to have visited and partly explored the two sacred Cachar Caves (see also –>Yoni Dvara: Bhuban Pahar) "with rope ladders, etc" during the dry season (winter) of 1900-01. His written account was communicated by the Anthropological Secretary on 1901.05.01 at a meeting of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Park Street, Calcutta). An abbreviated version of the paper was published 1903 in the 1902 Journal (vol. 71, part 3, no. 2, pages 36-37). Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 24/03/2016

Caves nearby

Distance (km)NameLength (m)Depth (m)
0.0YONI DVARA, Bhuban Pahar
15.9THINKRA (Cave below)
24.3BINNAKANDI TUNNEL
36.5LONGKAIPHUM, Longkaiphun (Cave near)
44.7CHANDIKA WELL, Kacha Kanthi
60.7TONGLON CAVE
67.6THANGJING HILL (Caves on)
75.1RANACHANDI ROCK TEMPLE
75.1MAHUR TUNNEL