HANUMAN CAVE, Ayodhya
26.750000,82.166700
Description
A kind of hole is said to lead to »a cave … with a narrow entrance, but so spacious and full of turnings within that a man may well loose himselfe there, if he take not better heed …« (Finch 1610 in: PURCHAS 1625). ETYMOLOGY: The so-called »cave« (Finch 1610 in: PURCHAS 1625) or »foramen [aperture, hole, opening]« (Tiefenthaler ca. 1775 in BERNOULLI 1785 plate XIV) is said to represent the very exit cave into which »Ramtschanda« (note 1) or Rama Chandra (Ramachandra) in short: Rama, or Ram, the hero of the Ramayana (note 2) entered and disappeared. SITUATION 1775: »Eine Meile von Bangla [N26°47': E082°08'] liegt Goptargarh, ein mit Bäumen bepflanzter schattichter Ort auf einem sanften Hügel am südlichen Ufer des Gagra; an den vier Ecken sind kleine Thürme von Erde errichtet. In der Mitte sieht man eine Oeffnung in der Erde, worüber ein kleines Gewölbe erbauet ist; daneben steht ein starker bejahrter Tamarinden Baum; umher sind bedeckte Gänge. In diese Grube soll Ram, nachdem er den Riesen Ravan erlegt, und von Lanka zurückgekommen, hinabgestiegen und verschwunden seyn; daher sie auch Guptàr, oder die Verschwindung genannt wird« (BERNOULLI 1785: 307 after P. Tiefenthaler, S.J., ca. 1775: Descriptio Indiae). SITUATION 1999: Within the Ramkot in Ayodhya (N26°48': E82°12'), which itself lies 6 km west from Faizabad (N26°47': E82°08'), along the National Highway NH28 about halfway between Lucknow and Gorakhpur, and by train about halfway between Lucknow and Varanasi. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1610: »… Oude. Heere (at the mound known as Ramkot or Rama's fort) are also the ruines of Ranichand(s) castle and houses, which the Indians acknowled(g)e for the great God, saying that he tooke flesh upon him to see the tamasha (Hindi: a show or spectacle) of the world. […] Some two miles on the further side of the river is a cave of his with a narrow entrance, but so spacious and full of turnings within that a man may well loose himselfe there, if he take not better heed; where it is thought his ashes were buried. Hither resort many from all parts of India, which carry from hence in remembrance certaine graines of rice as blacke as gun-powder, which they say have beene reserved ever since« (FINCH 1610; edited by PURCHAS 1625, 1626; edited by FOSTER 1921, 1925, edited 1985: 176). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1775: »Goptàr Ghált -- id est locus in quo Ràmtschandem evanuisse dicunt: Foramen unius plami altitudine, quatuor digitorum latitudine, in quod Ramtschandem, sese immisse et evanuisse asserunt« (Joseph Tieffenthaler, 1710.08.27 - 1785.07.05, in: BERNOULLI, J 1785, 1 plate XIV) or, in my opinion, Hidden Passage -- this is the place where Ramchandra is said to have disappeared: A span-deep hole, four fingers wise, into which Ramchandra allegedly entered and vanished (note 3). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1999: As matters »other Attractions« at Ayodhya, »… the Hanumangadhi [also: Hanumangarhi] is dedicated to Hanuman, who is believed to have lived in a cave here while guarding the Janam Bhumi. It was built within the thick white walls of a fortress […] Ayodhya bus station is about 300 m from the Hanumangadhi in the direction of Faizabad« [N26°47': E82°08']« (LONELY PLANET 1999: 465; the "cave" is neither mentioned in earlier nor later LP editions).
NOTE 1: Father "P." [Padre] Tiefenthaler's plan of »Goptar Ghalt« (BERNOULLI 1785 plate XIV) is captioned »Goptàr Ghált, id est locus in quo Ràmtschandem evanuisse dicunt« (Goptar Ghat, where Rama Chandra / Ramchandra is said to have disappeared) and draws the a attention to a nearby »Monumentum novum quod in memoriam Ràmtschandi, hic hiatu terrae absorpti, erectum fuit« (new monument, which is erected here to commemorate the gorge / crevice / throat / chasm / gulph where the earth swallowed him. NOTE 2: Ram (Rama) is not only the name of three distinct incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu but also the mythical seventh incarnation as a noble, pious, brahman-respecting, obedient and in all aspects irreproachable Prince Ramachandra of Ayodhya (Oudh), whose spouse Sita got abducted by the demon king Ravana before she was set free after many adventures and a long battle narrated in the Ramayana, a probably 4th century BC epic in Sanskrit verses, ascribed to the sage Valmiki (Balmiki). NOTE 3: BERNOULLI, J (1785, 1: xxiii), however, translates Father Tiefenthaler's Latin by »Goptar ghalt, oder richtiger Goptar ghat, der Ort, wo Ramtschand verschwunden seyn soll: Ein Loch, eine Palme hoch und 4 Finger breit, in welches Ramtschand hineingedrungen seyn soll, um nie wieder zu erscheinen« -- or something along the lines of "Goptar ghalt, better: Goptar ghat, the place where Ramtschand would have disappeared: A hole, one palm deep and four fingers wide, into which Ramtschand would have entered never to appear again".
Documents
Bibliography 29/03/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1610 (between April and December) William Finch (edited by PURCHAS 1625, 1626; FOSTER 1985: 123) noticed the cave associated with Rama Chandra. 1767: Father "P." [Padre] Joseph Tiefenthaler (1710.08.27 Bozen, Tyrolia - 1785.07.05 Lucknow) visited »Goptar Galth« on the south bank of the river »Ghagra« (Ghaghra), was shown the the impenetrable crack leading to the exit cave of Ram, and measured with the help of a simple quadrant the northern latitude »26 Gr. 29 M.« or N26°29' (BERNOULLI 1785: 182 after Tiefenthaler, circa 1775: Descriptio Indiae)
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 86.0 | SHRAVASTI GULI | ||
| 124.4 | GODAWARI KUNDA | ||
| 157.7 | CHILLIKOT (Cave of) | ||
| 160.4 | HARE KRISHNA PAHAR GUFA | ||
| 161.1 | CHAMERE GUFA, Dangdeukhuri | ||
| 168.7 | DHOBAN WATER TUNNEL | ||
| 179.1 | RIDI ODAR | ||
| 180.7 | SIDDHESHWAR GUFA, Ridi | ||
| 180.9 | KANCHI KO KHOPI |