AA CAVE (Bonsels 1916)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An unidentified, sort of shallow cave that had been, in February or March 1912 complete with tiger (BONSELS 1916 edited 1920: 30). SITUATION: At an unknown location with relatively -dreadful mountain gorges- in an area that lies at a travelling distance of very slow -two mornings- of three or four hours on foot or on horse back (note 1) from a place called Bitschapur (note 2) on the Deccan towards Mangalore (N12°52': E74°53') on the Malabar coastPossibly within (or in the vicinity of) the Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka (Kodagu ex Coorg district or Dakshin Kannada district) and at the edge of the Kumardary (BONSELS 1916 edited 1920) or Kumaradhari River basin (note 3). CAVE DESCRIPTION: Halfway up a rocky wall or cliff, where a horizontal notch --as if wave-cut at the edge of the sea-- forms a sheltered ledge, which is partly occupied by a few dwarf palm and aloë plants, and appears to give access to a row of -half-domed- niches (note 4). I n front f the largest of these, there is balcony / terrace about as wide as the shadow of a lime tree (Tilia platyphyllus up to 25 m high, Tilia cordata up to 20 m high). CAVE LIFE: Before the onset of the monsoon in 1912 and probably in February or in March, BONSELS (1916 edited 1920: 30) narrates to have seen here a tiger (note 5).An unidentified, sort of shallow cave that had been, in February or March 1912 complete with tiger (BONSELS 1916 edited 1920: 30). SITUATION: At an unknown location with relatively -dreadful mountain gorges- in an area that lies at a travelling distance of very slow -two mornings- of three or four hours on foot or on horse back (note 1) from a place called Bitschapur (note 2) on the Deccan towards Mangalore (N12°52': E74°53') on the Malabar coastPossibly within (or in the vicinity of) the Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka (Kodagu ex Coorg district or Dakshin Kannada district) and at the edge of the Kumardary (BONSELS 1916 edited 1920) or Kumaradhari River basin (note 3). CAVE DESCRIPTION: Halfway up a rocky wall or cliff, where a horizontal notch --as if wave-cut at the edge of the sea-- forms a sheltered ledge, which is partly occupied by a few dwarf palm and aloë plants, and appears to give access to a row of -half-domed- niches (note 4). I n front An unidentified, sort of shallow cave that had been, in February or March 1912 complete with tiger (BONSELS 1916 edited 1920: 30). SITUATION: At an unknown location with relatively -dreadful mountain gorges- in an area that lies at a travelling distance of very slow -two mornings- of three or four hours on foot or on horse back (note 1) from a place called Bitschapur (note 2) on the Deccan towards Mangalore (N12°52': E74°53') on the Malabar coastPossibly within (or in the vicinity of) the Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka (Kodagu ex Coorg district or Dakshin Kannada district) and at the edge of the Kumardary (BONSELS 1916 edited 1920) or Kumaradhari River basin (note 3). CAVE DESCRIPTION: Halfway up a rocky wall or cliff, where a horizontal notch --as if wave-cut at the edge of the sea-- forms a sheltered ledge, which is partly occupied by a few dwarf palm and aloë plants, and appears to give access to a row of -half-domed- niches (note 4). I n front f the largest of these, there is balcony / terrace about as wide as the shadow of a lime tree (Tilia platyphyllus up to 25 m high, Tilia cordata up to 20 m high). CAVE LIFE: Before the onset of the monsoon in 1912 and probably in February or in March, BONSELS (1916 edited 1920: 30) narrates to have seen here a tiger (note 5).