USUR HILL CAVE (Congreve 1879) (Cave on)

Vellore (Vellore - IN)
12.883300,79.066700
Grottocenter / carte

Description

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 03/07/2016

An unspecified »cave« (note 1) with a lingam (note 2) reports CONGREVE, H (1879: 164) from »the side of the Usur hill« (note 3). This »cave« (or so) may be a temple cave (a natural or modified natural sacred cave or rock shelter) or 'cave temple' (a man-made rock chamber used for religious purposes).

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 03/07/2016

NOTE 1: Manfred Moser (Regensburg) forwarded the reference to »Harry [sic!] Congreve, vol. 4, page 164« (1998.08.10 personal correspondence) and to »Congreve, Lt.-Col. Harry [sic!] , Madras Army 1811-187#« (2005.07.24 personal correspondence). This is Lieutenant Colonel Henry CONGREVE (1879 for 1878-1879): On druidical and other antiquities between Mettapoliam in Coimbatore and Karnul on the Tungabhadra.- Madras Journal of Literature and Science: New Series [later: Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society] (Madras, Nungumbaukum: Asiatic Society), vol. 24 ("of the year 1878" edited 1879), pages 150-168. NOTE 2: CONGREVE, H (1879: 164) provides not the slightest clue upon which one could surmise wether this lingam (without any description whatsoever) is an artificial idol, a put up piece of allochthonous stone, or a natural, stalagmite (speleothem) of autochthonous origin. NOTE 3: Usur (in Dantewara district, Chhattisgarh / ex- Madhya Pradesh) N18°29': E080°44' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NE44-06 and on the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 95 E3) in the Alabeka Hills.

Documents

Bibliography 03/07/2016

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