POCHOLA (Cave near)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Few has become known of a cave, which has been reported (note 1) to start with a crawl-sized cave entrance leading to a left-hand turn beyond which the cave is reputed to gain in size and to continue, across stairs down and later ascending to an even larger cave passage, where two unfathomable but possibly measurable and descenable potholes have to be jumped over to reach two or three ways on and a comparatively big hall in which all electric torches (flashlights) fail due to mysterious electric disturbances, which may include cheap Chinese batteries. SITUATION 1: That cave is situated somewhere in Batagram Tehsil and Batagram is a town at the Karakorum Highway, about 85 km north of Manshera [note 2] and 50 km [sic! more likely: 15 km] (or so) to the south of Thakot bridge, where the KKH crosses the Indus. It is also a Tehsil and a district (Müller, H-J 2006.09.18 Mss). SITUATION 2: Thecave in Batagram Union Council, NWFP [North-west Frontier Province] … is located near Pochola villag, which is on the main KKH [Karakorum Highway] 7 km from Batagram [note 3] and 18 km before Thakot [note 4], where the KKH crosses the Indus. From the village, a serpentine road is winding up the mountain-side for 1.5 km, 4x4 strongly recommendable, until it ends at a house. From there it is footing for about 15 minutes to the cave entrance (Müller, H-J 2006.10.09 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A hole just big enough to crawl in, about 7 feet long, … where the cave sharply turns to the left for what appears to be another men's lenght, from there it is supposed to open to sitting position, and stairs (!) are supposed to lead down and on can go upright. Then the cave opens wide, one can move on and finds two holes which are being described as wells with an unfathomable depth. Those have to be jumped over, then eventually one gets to a division into two (or three?) branches. Somewhere further on there is supposed to be what is described as a big hall. There -- and here it gets altogether mystcal -- is supposed to be some electrical or whatever disturbance causing all electrical lights to fail (note 5). (Müller, H-J 2006.10.09 Mss). CAVE POTENTIAL (Müller 2006.10.09 Mss): All in all I think that the cave must be interesting. I would love to go inside but think it would be safer to have someone around who would know what to do in case of problems. Unfortunately I will only be around until December. But my colleague Mr. Rashid Akhund will be here. His relatives live near the cave, also one relative is the Nasim of this Union Council, so there would be no problem of access and backup. CULTURAL HISTORY (rock art): Close to the entrance Müller (2006.10.09 Mss) saw rock paintings, alas partially smeared over or erased by some ignorants, apparently during the last 20 years or so. I would imagine that these paintings are old, depicting animals, houses, a temple., which is on the main KKH [Karakorum Highway] 7 km from Batagram [note 3] and 18 km before Thakot [note 4], where the KKH crosses the Indus. From the village, a serpentine road is winding up the mountain-side for 1.5 km, 4x4 strongly recommendable, until it ends at a house. From there it is footing for about 15 minutes to the cave entrance (Müller, H-J 2006.10.09 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A hole just big enough to crawl in, about 7 feet long, … where the cave sharply turns to the left for what appears to be another men's lenght, from there it is supposed to open to sitting position, and stairs (!) are supposed to lead down and on can go upright. Then the cave opens wide, one can move on and finds two holes which are being described as wells with an unfathomable depth. Those have to be jumped over, then eventually one gets to a division into two (or three?) branches. Somewhere further on there is supposed to be what is described as a big hall. There -- and here it gets altogether myst, which is on the main KKH [Karakorum Highway] 7 km from Batagram [note 3] and 18 km before Thakot [note 4], where the KKH crosses the Indus. From the village, a serpentine road is winding up the mountain-side for 1.5 km, 4x4 strongly recommendable, until it ends at a house. From there it is footing for about 15 minutes to the cave entrance (Müller, H-J 2006.10.09 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A hole just big enough to crawl in, about 7 feet long, … where the cave sharply turns to the left for what appears to be another men's lenght, from there it is supposed to open to sitting position, and stairs (!) are supposed to lead down and on can go upright. Then the cave opens wide, one can move on and finds two holes which are being described as wells with an unfathomable depth. Those have to be jumped over, then eventually one gets to a division into two (or three?) branches. Somewhere further on there is supposed to be what is described as a big hall. There -- and here it gets altogether myst, which is on the main KKH [Karakorum Highway] 7 km from Batagram [note 3] and 18 km before Thakot [note 4], where the KKH crosses the Indus. From the village, a serpentine road is winding up the mountain-side for 1.5 km, 4x4 strongly recommendable, until it ends at a house. From there it is footing for about 15 minutes to the cave entrance (Müller, H-J 2006.10.09 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A hole just big enough to crawl in, about 7 feet long, … where the cave sharply turns to the left for what appears to be another men's lenght, from there it is supposed to open to sitting position, and stairs (!) are supposed to lead down and on can go upright. Then the cave opens wide, one can move on and finds two holes which are being described as wells with an unfathomable depth. Those have to be jumped over, then eventually one gets to a division into two (or three?) branches. Somewhere further on there is supposed to be what is described as a big hall. There -- and here it gets altogether myst, which is on the main KKH [Karakorum Highway] 7 km from Batagram [note 3] and 18 km before Thakot [note 4], where the KKH crosses the Indus. From the village, a serpentine road is winding up the mountain-side for 1.5 km, 4x4 strongly recommendable, until it ends at a house. From there it is footing for about 15 minutes to the cave entrance (Müller, H-J 2006.10.09 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A hole just big enough to crawl in, about 7 feet long, … where the cave sharply turns to the left for what appears to be another men's lenght, from there it is supposed to open to sitting position, and stairs (!) are supposed to lead down and on can go upright. Then the cave opens wide, one can move on and finds two holes which are being described as wells with an unfathomable depth. Those have to be jumped over, then eventually one gets to a division into two (or three?) branches. Somewhere further on there is supposed to be what is described as a big hall. There -- and here it gets altogether mystcal -- is supposed to be some electrical or whatever disturbance causing all electrical lights to fail (note 5). (Müller, H-J 2006.10.09 Mss). CAVE POTENTIAL (Müller 2006.10.09 Mss): All in all I think that the cave must be interesting. I would love to go inside but think it would be safer to have someone around who would know what to do in case of problems. Unfortunately I will only be around until December. But my colleague Mr. Rashid Akhund will be here. His relatives live near the cave, also one relative is the Nasim of this Union Council, so there would be no problem of access and backup. CULTURAL HISTORY (rock art): Close to the entrance Müller (2006.10.09 Mss) saw rock paintings, alas partially smeared over or erased by some ignorants, apparently during the last 20 years or so. I would imagine that these paintings are old, depicting animals, houses, a temple.