KOTTALA (Cave near)
15.443100,78.174700
Description
A more than 10 m wide and up to 6 m high cave entrance, guarded by cliff bees (Apis dorsata) dwelling at unreachable heights, gives access to a daylight lit antechamber with a sooted ceiling and some attached birds nests. The bat guano covered floor is turned into a turmoil by archaeological excavations, and at the walls a kind of lichens survive in the twilight. Three passages go off the antechamber. The northern passage ends at about 15 m at a wall of rocks, probably piled up during excavations. The central passage ends after 8 m at a narrow cleft with decomposing flowstone. The southern passage is the longest. Gaining in height it turns around corners, becomes dark and houses a dense crowd of bats (keyword cave life: Chiroptera). At the end of the excavations, a 7 m long crawl leads to a terminal trial pit which was strewn with porcupine prickles on 26th December 1981. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what has been referred to by the name of the nearby populated place Kanumakindi Kottala near N15°26'20”: E78°10'45” (Everest 1830, Survey of India sheet 57-I/03 edition 1983)Kinda Kanama Kottala (HASLAM, M et al. 2010: 1 after ALLCHIN, F R & ALLCHIN, B 1962: 302-304)Kotal (FOOTE, R B 1884a: 30) Kottala (DUTT, N V B S 1981: 1; PRASAD 1996: 30 figure 1). SITUATION: About 100 m further up the valley from –>Kottala Gavi. The approximate location is indicated with a cave symbol north-west of »Kottala« (note 1) on the »Map showing cave areas around Betamcherla, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, S. India« (PRASAD 1996: 30 figure 1). POSITION: Near (unspecified precision error circa ±3.6 km) N15°25': E078°15' (unidentified geodetic datum, Dar, Perrin et al. 2011.02.02 Mss table 1: C-16). CAVE POTENTIAL: »From the situation of the Billa Surgam caves with regard to the hills adjoining and to the stream flowing through the series of cañons, I consider the prospect of really valuable finds very good, and would strongly urge a continuation of the exploration in an exhaustive manner. The brightness and comparative dryness of the caves must have made them very suitable retreats for savage men as well as for cave-loving animals; while the peculiar character of the material washed in has clearly been very favourable to the preservation of bones. The smaller caves are equally promising with large ones, and there are several rock shelters in other limestone scarps, and especially in one north of the hamlet of Kotal, which should be explored. It is by no means unreasonable to hope that remains of palaeolithic man might occur in them, for I picked up an oval quartzite implement on the talus on the north side of the valley lying between the Billa Surgam ridge and that north of Gorlagootta« (FOOTE, R B 1984a: 30-31).
NOTE 1: The village of »Kinda Kanama Kottala« (HASLAM, M et al. 2010: 1 after ALLCHIN, F R & ALLCHIN, B 1962: 302-304), in short »K. Kottala« or simply »Kottala« (DUTT, N V B S 1981: 1; PRASAD 1996: 30 figure 1) and »Kotal« (FOOTE, R B 1884a: 30), is indicated as »Kanumakindi Kottala« near N15°26'20”: E78°10'45” (Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 57-I/03 (edition 1983) about 3 km in a direct line ESE of Betamcherla (N15°26'50”: E078°08'55” Everest 1830). »K. Kottala« is not to be confused with »H. Kottala« (in full: Hanumantharaya Kottala or Hanumantha Raya Kottala) indicated as »Hanumantarayakottala« near N15°26'28”: E078°07'11”: 432 m asl (Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 57-i/03 (edition 1983) about 4 km in a direct line WSW of Betamcherla (N15°26'50”: E078°08'55” Everest 1830).
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. 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.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3 | KOTTALA GAVI | ||
| 1.3 | BILLA SURGAM | ||
| 1.4 | PEDDA PAVURALLA BADDE GAVI | ||
| 1.5 | BILLA SURGAM: U-SHAPED CAVE | ||
| 1.5 | BILLA SURGAM 5: North Chapel | ||
| 1.6 | BILLA SURGAM 6: Chapter House | ||
| 1.6 | BILLA SURGAM, cave under present study | ||
| 1.6 | BILLA SURGAM 1: Charnel House | ||
| 1.6 | BILLA SURGAM 4: South Chapel |