KOTESHWAR CAVE, Raiagarh

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A joint controlled, north-east-facing cave entrance (0.5 m wide, 2 m high) gives access to a very dark and soot coated, modified natural temple cave (note 1), which is an estimated 40 m long and stuffed with -old- secondary calcite formations (speleothems, dry in August 1991), including stalagmites venerated as linga representing Shiva (note 2). The major part of the north-west - south-east trending cave is developed parallel to a cliff face. ETYMOLOGY: Koteshwar (Koteshvar) is an aspect of Shiva with his locks open and snakes around his neck. SITUATION: The temple cave lies about 3 km south-east of Raiaghar (note 4), a small village some 18 km by bus approximately north from Gangolihat. APPROACH: To reach the cave from the bus stop at Raiagarh, follow the road southward for 2 km. Where a larger footpath crosses the road, continue downhill till you reach a brook. Following this downstream leads directly to the Koteshwar [note 5] temple (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The building of Koteshwar temple was erected in a niche of an exposed rocky outcrop and in front of Koteshwar cave, putting the cave entrance indoors. Climbing up a flight of steps gains the entrance at about 3 m above the level of the ground. Niches have been erected to the left and right of the entrance which house copper plates depicting Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati in relief. Immediately behind the entrance (0.5 m wide, 2 m high) is a constriction too narrow to avoid contributing to the already well polished surface of the flanking rock. Having negotiated this site of human abrasion, one enters the soot-blackened trunk passage of the cave, a 20 m long, NNW-SSE trending rift entirely coated with dry, secondary calcite deposits just like the side passages arriving from the west. In the far south corner a plinth has been erected and serves worshipping Lord Shiva. Near the northern end of the main rift passage, a stairway eases ascending into a 10 m high chimey where lots of plant roots intrude the cave. Here, there is yet another group of venerated stalagmites [linga speleothems] beyond which a penetrable lead appears to continue but due to the presence of simply so many pilgrims in the cave --it was the pilgrimage season in August-- I refrained from entering and possibly disgracing this hole. As a result from visiting the cave for centuries with torches and kerosene lamps, the entire cave walls and ceiling is coated with black and greasy soot (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills) CULTURAL HISTORY: Koteshwar cave is advertised as a religious show cave (note 3) and represents the largest temple cave between Gangolihat (N29°40': E080°03') and Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46'), second only to Patal –>Bhubaneshwar. Erected in front of the cave is a temple building where Hindu priests live who take care of the religious show cave.. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The building of Koteshwar temple was erected in a niche of an exposed rocky outcrop and in front of Koteshwar cave, putting the cave entrance indoors. Climbing up a flight of steps gains the entrance at about 3 m above the level of the ground. Niches have been erected to the left and right of the entrance which house copper plates depicting Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati in relief. Immediately behind the entrance (0.5 m wide, 2 m high) is a constriction too narrow to avoid contributing to the already well polished surface of the flanking rock. Having negotiated this site of human abrasion, one enters the soot-blackened trunk passage of the cave, a 20 m long, NNW-SSE trending rift entirely coated with dry, secondary calcite deposits just like the side passages arriving from the west. In the far south corner a plinth has been erected and serves worshipping Lord Shiva. Near the northern end of the main rift passage, a stairway eases ascending into a 10 m high chimey where lots of plant roots intrude the cave. Here, there is yet another group of venerated stalagmites [linga speleothems] beyond which a penetrable lead appears to continue but due to the presence of simply so many pilgrims in the cave --it was the pilgrimage season in August-- I refrained from entering and possibly disgracing this hole. As a result from visiting the cave for centuries with torches and kerosene lamps, the entire cave walls and ceiling is coated with black and greasy soot (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills) CULTURAL HISTORY: Koteshwar cave is advertised as a religious show cave (note 3) and represents the largest temple cave between Gangolihat (N29°40': E080°03') and Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46'), second only to Patal –>Bhubaneshwar. Erected in front of the cave is a temple building where Hindu priests live who take care of the religious show cave.