GUNA CAVE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 01/05/2016

A cluster of gravitational rifts close to the 120 m high cliff's edge at the sight-seeing spot »Pillar Rocks« 7.4 km along the road west of Kodaikanal. The area has been fenced off by the District Forest Office to prevent urban tourists from accidentally exploring these vertical cracks within an unexpectedly short time before their premature end. Conducted tours, however, still include the Guna Cave or Devil's Kitchen and guide the visitor to one side of a fence. ETYMOLOGY: »This is again a stupid thing [that] happened after a Tamil film --Tamil Nadu is devastated by cinemas and cinema fellows. At Kodaikanal, the pillar rocks are extremely popular among the tourists -- right from the origin of Kodaikanal. Once a Tamil film was shot in this location and the name of the film was "Guna". Actually speaking, this not at all a cave. It is a gorge between two tall rocks -- with lots of darkness inside. So the useless cinema fellows gave the name Guna Caves. Of course it is an interesting place to visit …« (Raj, A D Edward 2002.07.02 personal correspondence). Rumours like »body of Bombay business man recovered from of 500 m below« are spread by local tour operators while the attractive sightseeing spot is advertised in tourist information leaflets and brochures: UDHAGAMANGALAM, COONOOR, KOTAGIRI, KODAIKANAL (1987) records the Pillar Rocks full of caves and chasms for the adventure lover. KODAIKANAL (1994, 1999) and HILL STATION HOLIDAYS (2001) still mention the Pillar Rocks but lists neither caves nor adventures. CAVE POTENTIAL: At a theoretical depth potential of 1400 m, the vertical rift caves near the Pillar Rocks are possibly the deepest of the Indian Subcontinent. CAVE LIFE: A number of bats (Chiroptera), great enough to spread a distinctive smell, hint to rift pot walls covered in various stages of fresh and decomposing bat piss and guano.