KOTTALA POLIMERA GAVI
15.427800,78.194400
Description
NOTE 1: Concerning the »bone tool industry« (THIMMA REDDY, K 1980) disinterred at the Kottala Polimera Gavi, »Reddy [sic!] does not mention the doubts expressed by Lydekker and Allchin and Allchin over the porcupine influence on the Billa Surgam assemblage, and while it is conceivable that some of the bones were the product of human activities, it has been argued based on review of artefact drawings that animal contributions were likely« (HASLAM, M. et al. 2010: 13).
A 3 m high and 0.75 m wide cave entrance in a canyon overlooking a valley opens in a cliff horizontally structured by protruding layers. The larger part of about 30 m of unmapped zigzagging rift cave passage, which is narrowing down to a width of 0.4 to 0.45 m, is negotiated by crawling on the belly and by worming on one's shoulder. A relatively small, about 3 m by 2 m wide chamber opens at 20 m to the right-hand side, and a second cave chamber to the left is found on the hand side some 5 m further in. SITUATION: At a walking distance of about 2 km north-west of –>Billa Sorgam and 3 km from the village of Kanumakindi Kottala: At the border (in Telugu: polimera) of the village area. CAVE POTENTIAL: A breathtakingly narrow rift (grade 5 to 6 squeeze) continues unexplored.
Documents
Bibliography 02/04/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1884: FOOTE, Robert B. (1884a: 30-31) drew attention to »smaller caves equally promising with large ones … north of the hamlet of Kotal, which [the caves] should be explored« in the archaeological sense of the word by excavation. 1970ies: K. THIMMA REDDY (1980: 210-211), Department of Anthropology, Andhra University, Waltair, commenced archaeological investigation: »Excavation of this cave was a very difficult and painstaking process. The original plan of excavation in the chamber was abandoned because of the very narrow passage and presence of snakes. It was therefore decided to clear the passage at the entrance to obeserve the nature of the cave sediment and of associated archaeological and osteological remains [note 1]. The passage was excavated for 4 m from the entrance.« 1981.12.26: H D Gebauer (book), Andre Abele (compass and clinometer) and Werner Busch (tape) stumbled across the cave and instantly mapped to commence speleological exploration.