LOHRI CAVE
24.700000,83.066700
Description
The possibly sacred »Lohri Shelter« (COCKBURN 1883b:125) or »Lohri Cave« (COCKBURN 1883c: 62) contains drawings (rock art) in red pigment (ochre, hematite) depicting an iron-headed spear in addition to a non-metal weapon (COCKBURN 1883c: 62, plate VIII.B). SITUATION: Less than »three miles« (about 5 km, probably on horseback) in an unspecified direction from the town of Robertsganj (note 1) in Mirzapur district and, perhaps, in the vicinity of a populated place called Lohri. CULTURAL HISTORY: The site seems to be associated -- but this is mere guesswork -- with Lohri (note 2), the Hindu festival of fecundity on Uttara Punyakala day or »peak of darkness« at the end of the sun's southward journey (winter solstice) during the lunar month of »Pausa« or »Poush« (note 3). CULTURAL HISTORY -- rock art: »I take the liberty of sending the [Asiatic] Society a fragment of sandstone from Lohri Cave near Robertsgunge [sic!] bearing the pigment in a tolerable state of preservation. It is a portion of a so-called ring marking (concentric circles with avenues)« (COCKBURN 1884: 141). SMITH (in COCKBURN 1899: 9 note 1, figure 2 on plate opposite page 89) shows a »man with torch encountering a panther at night. From Lohri Cave.«
NOTE 1: IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, XXI: 302) positions the tahsil (administrative subdivision) of Robertganj tahsil between N23°52': E082°32' and N24°54': E083°33'. E. Aubrey Glennie (personal notes held by the BCRA library, Matlock, Derbyshire) positions Robertganj near N24°40'40": E083°11' (Everest 1830) but nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) near N24°42': E083°04' (WGS84). NOTE 2: Every year on 14th January (in leap years on 15th January), at the astronomical peak of winter, the sun swings back from a descent to the tropic of cancer in the southern hemisphere during the Dakshinayana period and commences ascending to the tropic of capricorn in the northern hemisphere (Makar Rashi) for the Uttarayana period. In India, this time coincides with one of the harvest seasons. The is called by various names in different regions, such as Makar Sankranti, Makara Sankranthi, Sankranti, and Makara Sankraman or Pongal (rice boiled in milk) in South India and Lohri in North India. DECCAN HERALD (Bangalore, 13 January 2007: 7): »In Karnataka, people celebrate the festival by distributiing a mixture of sesame seeds, gram, copra and jaggery to neighbours and friends. Farmers decorate oxen and take out a procession in the villages. Similarly in Maharashtra, people distribute laddus made of sesame and sugar among friends.« DECCAN HERALD (Bangalore, 13 January 2007: 11) gives a photograph (showing Sikhs) titled: »Men toss puffed rice and popcorn into a fire to celebrate Lohri in Amritsar.«NOTE 3: »Pausa« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 1046) or »poush« on various internet websites (forwarded by Rainer Straub, accessed 2005 December) and in the DECCAN HERALD (Bangalore, 13 January 2007: 7).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9 | GHAT CAVE | ||
| 1.9 | PANCHMUKHI SHELTER | ||
| 1.9 | SYMBOL CAVE | ||
| 5.8 | ROUP SHELTER | ||
| 9.8 | KANDAKOT SHELTERS | ||
| 10.2 | LEKHANIA SHELTERS | ||
| 11.8 | SORHOW CAVE / SORHOW GHAT CAVE | ||
| 16.1 | Murkha-ka-Dari | ||
| 18.7 | HARNI HARNA CAVE |