CHINTAMANU GAVI, Passimani vanka
15.415300,78.120000
Description
A row of six cave entrances (generally less than 1 m high and wide) give access to some 100 m of rift cave passages at an elevation of 15 vertical metres above the valley floor on the locally southern to south-eastern (orographically right) bank of the Passimani vanka ETYMOLOGY: The Telugu "passimani vanka" (also: Pasibanda vaga / vagu) translates as »gorge of the tamarind tree« (Tamarindus indica).SITUATION: According to GPS readings (H.D. Gebauer, 1996 December, 4-channel GPS), the Chintamanu Gavi in the Passimani vanka lies at a linear distance of 4.8 km approximately south-west (217°) of Betamcherla (note 1). SITUATION 2: PRASAD (1996: 30 location map) indicates the location of »Muchchatla Chintamani Gavi (Excavated cave)« (note 2) about a kilometre or two north of the stream bed of the »Muchchatla vagu« or Muchchatla vaga (note 3) and about a kilometre or two west or south-west of the road from Betamcherla (N15°27': E78°09') approximately south-west and via Gollagutta (N15°23'45”: E078°11'45” Everest 1830) to »Bangana Palle« (Banaganapalle N15°18'45”: E078°13'30” Everest 1830, Survey of India 57-I/03 edition 1983). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The cave consists of generally small, sometimes interconnected and exclusively relic passages of phreatic origin, which rarely meet a maximal width and height of 1.5 metres. The cave development is influenced by an interband of marly limestone. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1996: »… Muchchatla and the Chintamani Gavi … were explored by Murthy (1974, 1975) and Prasad and Yadagiri (1986). The caves are 15 m up a 35 m escarpment. The stalagmitic floors have an assortment of limestone slabs and boulders as well as weathered shale. The caves are small and narrow, ranging from 0.5 m to 1.5 m wide. Narrow entrances restrict movement. However, average passage is 9 m high, on two sides, and has galleries 15 m long, which narrow down to corridors less than 1.5 m wide« (PRASAD 1996: 32). CULTURAL HISTORY - archaeology: Pieces of broken pottery and remnants of dry walls in two or three of the (altogether six) entrance areas indicate human activity, which Rama Moorthy and one Rangya, guides from the village of H. Kottala, Hanumantha Raya Kottala or Hanumantarayakottala (note 4) ascribed in December 1966 to »bootleggers.« These, however, are suspected to have been archaeologists from the Deccan College Postgraduate Research Institute (Pune / Poona) cooperating with Quaternary geologists from the Geological Survey of India (Southern Circle, Hyderabad). MURTY (1974, 1975), PRASAD & YADAGIRI (1986) and PRASAD (1996) report floors covered, before excavation, with excreta of bats, and sediments shallower than those in the –>Billa Surgam Caves. The succession (from top to bottom) was 0.25 m clay, followed by 0.35 m clay with limestone blocks, and 0.5 m red marl on massive limestone. Based on the artifacts, the lithic industry from Chintamani / Chintamanu Gavi indicates the utilisation of flakes, blades, cores, and hammer stones. The bone tool assemblage is made up of chisels, scrapers, and barbs. They exhibit an Upper Paleolithic tradition and the layers do not show any typological or evolutionary variation. CAVE LIFE: The floor is covered with bat guano (Chiroptera). Negotiation requires dedication.
NOTE 1: Betamcherla (±200 m) N15°26'59”: E78°08'51” (WGS84, Gebauer, H D 1996.12.14, unreliable 4-channel GPS) or, at the railway station N15°26'50”: E78°08'55”: 362 m asl (Everest 1830, Survey of India sheet 57-I/03 edition 1983). NOTE 2: PRASAD (1996: 30, figure 1: Map showing cave areas around Betamcherla, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, S. India) indicates the symbol for a "mine" (crossed hammer and pick-axe) to show the location of »Muchchatla Chintamani Gavi (Excavated cave)« where not the cave itself but it's contents were excavated to archaeological and palaeontological evidences away. NOTE 3: »Muchchatla vaga« (PRASAD 1996) is indicated as »Muchchatla vagu« on the Survey of India sheet 57-i/03 (edition 1983) and shown to join near N15°24'55”: E078°10'15”: 301 m asl ( Everest 1830, Survey of India 57-I/03 edition 1983) the Reguvanamu vagu. NOTE 4: The village of »H. Kottala« (Hanumantharaya Kottala, Hanumantha Raya Kottala) is 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. »H. Kottala« is not to be confused with the village of »K. Kottala« (Kanumakini Kottala) near N15°26'20”: E078°10'45” (Everest 1830) 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).
Documents
Bibliography 25/03/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1996.12.16: H. D. Gebauer, Werner Busch, Iolanda Galetti, Renate Kalmbach, Uwe Kalmbach, Rosario Ruggieri, and Vittorio "Vito" Santoro mapped and explored, guided by M. Narayana Reddy (retired Special Police officer, Nandyal), who arranged for being guided by Rama Moorthy (Hanumantha Raya Kottala village), who himself was guided by a certain "Rangya" of a social class not priviledged to own a surname.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | MUCHCHATLESWARA GAVI | ||
| 1.3 | SUNNAPURALA VANKA GAVI, 1st | ||
| 1.3 | SUNNAPURALA VANKA GAVI , 2nd | ||
| 1.3 | SUNNAPURALA VANKA GAVI, 3rd | ||
| 2.8 | BOYA DARI | ||
| 3.0 | MUCHCHATLA CHINTAMANU GAVI | ||
| 3.2 | GURRUM PATINATADE | ||
| 3.3 | GOKARABADDHA GAVI | ||
| 3.3 | NEMMICHELI GAVI |