PEEDAM CAVE
8.750000,77.500000
Description
What either consists of a wide mouthed, spacious cave with dark narrow chambers in unspecified rock (laterite?) adjacent to a riverbed at an elevation above 1000 m asl (note 1) or consists of an unused building in the forest interior (note 2) reports VANITHARANI (2005a: 7) as a habitat of the rare Salim Ali's fruit bat. Compare the caves near –>Injikuli in certain Pothigai Hills (not identified). ETYMOLOGY: -pedam- (VANITHARANI 2005a) is reminiscent of the Sanskrit / Hindu pitha (peeta, peetha, pita; seat) and suggests considering that -Peedam Cave- may consists of a sacred temple cave or of a man-made structure representing a cave (cave temple). SITUATION: At an unknown location somewhere in the Kalakad Mundantharai Tiger Reserve in the southern part of the Western Ghats. VANITHARANI (2005a: 7) places Ambalam Cave somewhere in the Agasthiyar Hill complex. CAVE LIFE: VANITHARANI (2005a: 7) reports from Peedam Cave the presence of Salim Ali's bat (Chiroptera: Megachiroptera: Pteropdiae: Latidens salimalii Thonglongya 1972).diae: Latidens salimalii Thonglongya 1972).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2002.06.23: One or several full fledged persons representing the Bat Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Sarah Tucker College, Tirunelveli collected specimens of Salim Ali's fruit bat in the Peedam Cave (VANITHARANI 2005a: 7).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | VELLIMALAI, Kalakad - Mundanthurai (Caves at) | ||
| 0.0 | JAMBULINGAM KUGHAI | ||
| 0.0 | NAGAPOTHIGAI CAVE | ||
| 0.0 | AMBALAM CAVE | ||
| 0.0 | VUDUMBUKAL CAVE | ||
| 0.0 | ARANGADU CAVE | ||
| 18.3 | INJIKULI, Pothigai Hills (Cave near) | ||
| 20.2 | TIRUNELVELI WELL - TUNNEL | ||
| 25.3 | SENGALTHERI CAVE |