MATANGAPARVATA (Cave on)
15.331500,76.468500
Description
NOTE 1: The Matangas (literally: elephants) were native tribes who evolved as a caste long before the end of the Vedic period (JHA, V 1970 Varnasamkara in the Dharma Sutras: Theory and practice.- Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, vol. 13: 1-3). They may have worshipped the elephant. As the Matangas were looked down upon, this could be the reason why the elephant is not mentioned in the pre-Christian sacred literature (THAPAN, Anita Raina 1992: The cult of the sacred elephant.- Social Science Probings (People's Publishing House), vol. 9, nos. 1-4: 33). Much later, however, The Matsya Purana mentions a goddess called Matangi, who was the tutelary deity and consort of the elephant deity of the Matanga tribe (AGRAWALA 1970: Ancient Indian folk cults.- Varanasi, pages 21-23). NOTE 2: The hill, facing the main temple to Virupaksha in Hampi, culminates near N15°19'53.5”: E76°28'06.6” (WGS84) at approximately 600 m asl (estimated). The main access is from the south but there are other paths which climb from the east and west. NOTE 3: In South India, a low-caste woman entitled Matangi is unmarried and holds her office for life. During a festival for the village goddess, she represents the goddess. Possessed by the goddess, she will dance wildly, use obscene language, drink intoxicants, spit on spectators and pushes people around with her backside. She seems to take special delight in abusing members of the high castes (KINSLEY 1986: 163). »Her eyes roll in intoxication, and she reels about like an impassioned elephant« (DANIELOU, Alain: Hindu Polytheism.- New York 1964: Pantheon Books: 283-284; KUMAR, Pushpendra: Shakti cult in ancient India.- Banaras 1974: Bhartiya Publishing House: 159; RAWSON, Philip: The art of Tantra.- London 1974: Thames & Hudson: 130). NOTE 4: "parvata" (Sanskrit), "parbata" (Pakrit, Pali), "gudda" (Kannada), "konda" (telugu), hill, mountain. NOTE 5: »Standing on the summit of it one can enjoy the grandeur of the capital up to where the eyes can carry the view« (FILLIOZAT, Vasundhara 1997 edited 2001: 80 note 1). NOTE 6: Hampi N15°20': E76°28' (Everest 1830, IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 24: 310) or at N15°20': E76°28' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) falls on the Survey of India sheet 57-A/07, on AMS sheet ND43-03 Hubli (U502 series, 1960 edition) and on the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 107 F2). Useful location maps of Hampi and environs provide FILLIOZAT, Vasundhara (1997 edited 2001 with coordinates) and LONGHURST (1917 several reprints).
Numerous entrances (14 surveyed) at various heights face in every imaginable direction (except vertically down) and lead to India's most extensive but only partly mapped and explored talus cave, which, in parts sacred, features a three dimensional maze and consists of »fissures roofed by precipitated blocks, or spaces left between great superimposed masses of rock, and not, as in limestone, laterite, &c., galleries, or caverns in the substance of the rock itself« (NEWBOLD, T J 1845c: 518-519). The complex system of interstices and chambers is formed between the gravitationally dislocated granite boulders, which built up Matangaparvata (Matanga Gudda), »Matunga Hill« (LONELY PLANET, India 1997: 956 map) or Elephant Hill (note 1), a prominent hillock (note 2) crowned by a cult spot and temple (rooftop near N15°19'53.5”: E76°28'06.6” WGS84: circa 600 m asl) dedicated to the goddess Matanga (note 3). ETYMOLOGY: No specific (autochthonous, indigenous or locally known) name has been identified for the complex of talus cave entrances and cave passages called after the hill (note 4) referred to as to be completed Martanga Parvatam FOOTE, R B (1895: 17) Matanga Gudda Matanga Parvatam Matangaparvatam GEBAUER & ABELE 1983: 8, 9 cave plan, 10, 11) Matunga Hill LONELY PLANET, India (1997: 956 map) FILLIOZAT, Vasundhara (1997 edited 2001: 80) LONGHURST (1917, several reprints). SETTING: »The view from the top of Martanga Parvatam, a temple-crowned hill, occupying nearly the centre of the famous old Hindu capital, is one of great but strange beauty [note 5]: across a perfect maze of wild rocky hills and huge tors to the west, north, and east, while to the south, across a rich undulating plain, rise, wall-like, the –>Sandur hills, culminating at this end in the bold peak of Jamba Nath konda (2,980 feet [908.3 m] high). Just a little north of the Martanga hill lies a deep and narrow gorge through which the Tungabhadra now flows northward, while both to the west and east its clear waters flow in a variety of broad or narrow reaches and add greatly to the beauty of the scene. The contrast between the bareness of the block-covered hills and the luxuriant vegetation in the narrow valleys between them is a very striking feature« (FOOTE, R B 1895: 17). SITUATION: The gap stuffed hillock rises above the right (southern) bank of Tungabhadra River and lies about a kilometer in a direct line east-southeast of the Virupaksha temple at village of Hampi (note 6). POSITIONS: On the roof of Matanga temple I read the GPS position (±3.4 m) N15°19'53.5”: E76°28'06.6” (WGS84, 12-channel GPS, February 2004). DUBOIS (2004: 11), however, arrived at the interesting coordinates »76°25 / 15°15« (without format, perhaps 76.25°: 15.15°, unidentified geodetic datum, ignored precision error, unspecified source of inspiration / information). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1981a: »12.12.81 … Auf dem Berg, wo der kleine Tempel steht, fanden wir viele Versturzhöhlen, Granitblöcke, Granitblöcke, und Granitblöcke so groß wie mehrgeschossige Häuser. … 13.12.81 … Die Felsen waren ein wahres Labyrinth von Gängen. Hier könnte man Kilometer vermessen. Überall gab es Scherben und Knochen von Tieren. Die Temperatur beträgt ca. 25°C« (Abele, A. in: GEBAUER & ABELE 1983: 155). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1981b: At 284 m of surveyed cave passages (287 m survey length), known 14 entrances give access to the cave on Matanga Hill and leave only about a third of this surveyed interior in complete darkness. In case there is a floor, it is buried in dry sand or exposes rounded granite surfaces (Gebauer, H D in: GEBAUER & ABELE 1983: 10-11). SPELEOMETRY: 287 m survey length, 284 m passage length, 1'750 cubic metres, 3'997 square metres ground plan, average profile size 6.16 square metres. CULTURAL HISTORY: No local name is known of the extensive talus cave system, which, so far, is only partly explored and surveyed. There are a few daylight-lit entrance areas, partly modified by man, with some religious connotation but the cave system as a whole seems to be more or less unknown to the local population and is entirely ignored by the crowds of passing pilgrims and tourists who are doomed to rush exclusively to the prescribed official destinations. Nevertheless, human traces are found inside the cave (GEBAUER & ABELE 1983: 10-11) since much of the cave is lit to a certain extend by daylight entering from the numerous entrances, of which at least two (in the upper part of the hill) are modified with doors set in facade walls or in small erected buildings. Apart from possibly ancient (palaeolithic?) rock art (an engraved "game of draughts" (about 30 cm in square) near survey station 1/0, the most unexpected find was a knee-high, stepped pyramid (cast from cement?) that was found leaning and partly buried in sand and dust between survey stations 1/5 and 1/6. DUBOIS (2004: 11-12) admits to adher to a quick and easy generated believe according to which the cave was not only used as a temple cave for relatively long periods of unspecified extent but also is thought to contain unspecified statues of Shiva and Ganesh (without any description whatsoever) in addition to a so-called "offering table" sculpted from comparatively massive granite: »Cette grotte est un lieu de culte fréquenté depuis de longues périodes. Au-dessous d'une entrée une scupture en ronde bosse représente Shiva, il est reconnaissable par ses attributs : quatre bras, dans une main une tête coupée, sur le front un troisième œil, etc. Dans un autre grotte sanctuaire, l'entrée est soulignée par un encadrement en pierre de taille. Dans une petite salle on aperçoit un bloc sculpté représentant une divinité très populaire du panthéon de l'hindouisme : Ganesh (sild de Shiva) très aisément reconnaissable par son corps humain à tête d'éléphant. A proximité une table massive à offrande.« CAVE POTENTIAL 1981a: »Hier könnte man Kilometer vermessen [One could measure kilometres here]« (Abele in: GEBAUER & ABELE 1983: 155). CAVE POTENTIAL 1981b: »A complete survey of the cave is still to be made« (Gebauer in: GEBAUER & ABELE 1983: 11). CAVE POTENTIAL 1982-2013: The cave is limited by the hillock's dimensions and pukka exploration is likely to result in pushing the currently surveyed cave passages (287 m long, 43 m deep) to a passage length above a kilometre and a vertical range surpassing 100 m in vertical depth. All one needs are two or three curious cave explorers who are not handicapped by prejudices governing conventional sports cavers and adventure tourists in search of recreational expedition caving. In addition to the cave(s) on Matangaparvatam itself, there are numerous known, named or nameless and unexplored talus caves and talus cave complexes in the –>Vijayanagar area. Most of them wait for exploration not only from a speleological but also from an archaeological point of view. CAVE CLIMATE: Temperatures in the air measured on 13th December 1981 around 25°C (personal observation). CAVE LIFE: In December 1981 (GEBAUER & ABELE 1983: 11) potentially letal cliff bees (Apis dorsata) dwellt at sites sheltered from rain and guarded some of the cave entrances. Bones (Primates: monkey or ape) and quills of porcupine (conf. Hystrix) seen Inside the cave may be interpreted to indicate animal visits.
Documents
Bibliography 24/04/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1981.12.13 - 14: H.D.Gebauer, Andre Abele and Werner Busch mapped and explored 288 m of passage length to a vertical range of 43 m in the lower part of the hill, leaving countless leads unvisited. 2003 autumn (?) or 2004 spring (?): Albert DUBOIS (2004: 11-12) visited an upper part of the cave.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | Hampi-Vittala Tunnel | ||
| 0.6 | NIGONDIN RIVER'S SIDE (Cave at) | ||
| 0.8 | SUGRIVA CAVE, Hampi 3 | ||
| 0.8 | SUGRIVA CAVE, Hampi, 2nd | ||
| 0.8 | Hampi Cave | ||
| 0.8 | SUGRIVA CAVE, Hampi | ||
| 0.9 | HIMALAYAN CRYSTAL CAVE, Hampi | ||
| 1.6 | PRASANNA VIRUPAKSHA | ||
| 1.7 | Hampi Rock-cut Shrine |