SHIVA, Tolapuri Birek (Cave of)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 23/05/2016

A modified natural sacred temple cave is indicated as »Cave Dwelling« near the right (eastern) edge of the Survey of India sheet 45-B/15. SITUATION: At a linear distance of about 2 km east-north-east of the fort above Jodhpur City, and on the western slope of hill overlooking a village called by a local informant Tolapuri Birek, a suburb of Chand Pol (silver gate). CAVE DESCRIPTION: Most of the cave consists of a 50 m wide and 8 m high rock shelter at an elevation of approximately 30 m above the adjacent plain. A large white washed building, visible from far away, dominates and occupies most of the opening at the bottom of a vertical to overhanging rock face of horizontally deposited and cross-bedded sandstone marked with frequent laminar partitions rich in mica. The apparent building, however, is just a wall in front of several partitions segmenting the shelter into distinct compartment. Almost the entire floor is covered with nicely fitting sandstone slabs. In the core of the shelter extends a wide and shallow cave, much modified by man, for 14 m into the rock face. This "cave" is a temple dedicated (in 1999) to Shiva and houses, among other religious paraphernalia, two linga of most probably allochthonous origin. At the time of the visit (1999 January 06), the site was occupied only by a pujari, Shree Maharaj Om Kardash, and a layman but the "cave dwelling" must have seen more busy times: Most of the chambers were empty and several fire places were found in a dilapidating state of repair. Both shelter and cave, nowadays some 30 m above the valley floor, give the impression of having originated from lateral erosion (fluvial action). In the same rock face but some 100 to 200 m south (near ±125 m N26°18'06": E072°59'59': 485 m asl WGS84, GPS Garmin 4), face shallow overhangs and roundish holes (tafoni?) east-southeast to east at various levels and look like aeolian surfaces. CAVE LIFE: On 6th January 1999 there were about 10 or 20 relatively small bats (Chiroptera) with long tails.