NAGABUSHI GONDI CAVE
15.275000,78.100000
Description
Two north-facing and »wide« cave entrances have »a roof height of about 8 m« and give access to more than 35 m of cave passages (up to 3.7 m wide), which arrive from a »number of small, interconnected passages in the south-western portion of the cave« (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92: 2). This apparently horizontal relic of a formerly phreatic, approximately north-draining cave passage, is complete with a 0.5 thick calcite floor (flowstone speleothem) burried under some 2.7 m of palaeontologically barren sediment: »In spite of the relatively larger dimensions of the cave and signs of recent inhabitation in the form of surface pottery, the cave has not yielded any fossil remains except for a few bone pieces of recent origin« (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92 Mss: 2). ETYMOLOGY: »Nagabushigondi« appears to be a person's name (note 1). SITUATION 1: »West of Ramaram« (note 2), the »… cave is located on the southern bank of an east flowing nala [no name mentioned] about 2 km south-west of Ramaram village. It is situated at a height of about 80 m on a steep cliff of the massive middle member of the Narji limestone« (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92: 1, 2). SITUATION 3: »Ramaram (Nagabushigondi) cave … lies on a cliff about 2 km west of Ramaram« (VENUGOPAL RAO & RAO 1993: 295). POSITION 1: Rao & Venugopal Rao (1994 Mss 1991-92: 6) position »Nagabushigondi« at the probably estimated position N15°16'30”: E78°06'00" (ignored horizontal precision error, unspecified geodetic datum probably Everest 1830). POSITION 2: The polar coordinates »2 km [in a direct line] south-west of Ramaram village« (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92: 2) indicate a spot near N15°16'10”: E78°06'25” (Everest 1830). POSITION 3: The polar coordinates »2 km [in a direct line] west of Ramaram village« (VENUGOPAL RAO & RAO 1993: 295) indicate a spot near N15°16'55”: E78°06'05” (Everest 1830). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1: »There are two wide openings to the cave, both having a roof height of about 8 m: At about 25 m from the entrance, the main passage narrows down to a slit like constriction hardly leaving room for crawling. Further south, this constriction becomes wider and extends up to 31 m as a wide gallery with [a] number of small interconnected passages in the south-western portion of the cave.The excavation pit was sunk at the south-western end where the main gallery is the widest (3.7 m) and where all the narrow ramifications [abandoned inlets?] open out. The main gallery as well as the passages are covered with uniformly thick black clay. The excavation pit (2.73 m deep) ended in a hard stalagmite without reaching the bedrock [note 3]« (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92: 2). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2: »Ramaram (Nagabushigondi) cave is the second biggest of the Ramaram group of caves. … The cave mouth is is a small horizontal [sic! more likely: vertical] slit-like opening into an east-west tunnel-like wide structure [note 4]. The cave extends 30 m towards the south without much ramification. The excavation pit was put in the wide main gallery on the southern side. The cave floor is covered by a thick travertine deposit [buried flowstone speleothem] followed up by 50 cm of roof collapse debris. These are overlain by 5.3 cm thich grey silt horizon. The ubiquitous red clay horizon seen in other caves, is conspicuously absent. The grey silt is devoid of any faunal remains« (VENUGOPAL RAO & RAO 1993: 295).
NOTE 1: So far, I found this item spelled or transcribed as Nagabushi Gondi cave (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92: 1) Nagabushigondi cave (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92: Contents, 2) Nagabushigondi (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92: 6) Ramaram (Nagabushigondi) cave (VENUGOPAL RAO & RAO 1993: 295). NOTE 2: Ramavaram is shown near N15°16'55”: E78°07'17”: 235 m asl (Everest 1830, Survey of India sheet 57-i/03 edition 1983) at a spot which lies at a travelling distance of 8.5 km along a »gravelled« road north from Owk N15°12'30”: E78°07'00” (±250 m): 204 m asl (Everest 1830, Survey of India 57-I/04 edition 1983). Rao & Venugopal Rao (1994 Mss 1991-92: 6) position »Ramaram« (sic!) about a kilometre off at N15°17'30”: E78°07'30” (unspecified geodetic datum probably Everest 1830). NOTE 3: Though the bedrock had not been reached, Rao & Venugopal Rao (1994 Mss 1991-92: 2) decided that the »stalagmitic material accumulated due to drip stone formation« is exactly 0.53 cm thick, rests on a »base not seen« and represents a »hard rock with calcareous encrustations« of which nothing is known except that it gives the impression of having a »colour varying between white and brown.«NOTE 4: Judging from the cave plan (Rao & Venugopal Rao 1994 Mss 1991-92 plate), the statement saying that »the cave mouth is is a small horizontal slit-like opening into an east-west tunnel-like wide structure« probably translates into "a north-facing entrance into a rift cave passage, which arrives from the south. The cross-sections are best projected onto a vertical, east-west plane."
Histoire
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1992 March to May: C.V.N.K. Rao & Ch. Venugopal Rao (1994 Mss 1991-1992: 1) carried out excavations in »two caves, namely the Ulavalagondi crevice situated west of Patapadu and Nagabushi Gondi cave located west of Ramaram. The physical target achieved under this item during 1991-92 include reconnaissance survey of 60 L.km, excavations of 30 Cu m in two caves and collection of 100 samples. … Field work was carried out between March to May 1992.« Rao & Venugopal Rao (1995 Mss 1992-1993: 1-2) confirm that »during 1991-92, excavations were carried out in two caves, namely the Ulavalagundi crevice situated west of Patapadu and Nagabushi Gondi cave located west of Ramaram.«
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 | RAMARAM NAGABUSHIGONDI CAVE 2 | ||
| 6.6 | JURRERU VALLEY ROCKSHELTERS | ||
| 7.3 | GOLLALERU UNDERCUT | ||
| 7.9 | Ulavalagondi 1 Crevice | ||
| 8.5 | MOGASARAYANAGONDI CAVE | ||
| 8.5 | YERRA ZARI SPRING & CAVE | ||
| 8.7 | YAGANTI SECOND RAVINE CAVE (Foote 1884a: 33) | ||
| 9.0 | YERRA ZARI GAVI | ||
| 9.3 | MUDDULETISWAMI GAVI |