GAURI KUND, Devika Valley (Cave at)
33.033300,75.333300
Description
»The sacred [river] Devika issues forth from a deep cave …« (GANHAR s.a., circa 1973: 82) in the sacred spring shrine Gauri Kund, which lies about 3 km west of the river shrine Sud Mahadev (note 1) in the valley of the river Tawi (the »Devika« of Ganhar) and on the right-hand side (east) of the road from Udhampur (N32°56': E75°08') to Srinagar (N34°05': E74°49'). ETYMOLOGY: I do not know if Gauri Kund is a pool called "gauri"due to it's colour "gauri" (white), or in honour of Gauri Devi, the mother goddess, or after the bovine, Bos gauris, (note 2). CAVE POTENTIAL: This sacred spring may represent an exsurgence cave as DIRECTOR, Jammu & Kashmir Circle (1972) reports the occurrence of Eocene nummulitic limestone of the Subatu facies (respectively altogether 280 million tons of limestone within the Salkhala, Panjal Traps and the Nummulitics) from Jangalgali (N33°02': E74°02', probably Everest 1830), Sar-Tathapani and Sud Mahadev.
NOTE 1: Sud Mahadev N33°01': E75°22' (nima.mil/geonames, accessed 16.11.2003) or »Soodh Mahadéo, the Hindoo place of pilgrimage, thirty-two coss from Jammoo [Jammu N32°44': E074°52'], to the north-east of Rihârsi [Riasi N33°05': E074°50']« (HERVEY 1853, 2: 62). NOTE 2: »The Gaur (Bos gauris) … bison of the Anglo-Indian sportsmen … is a magnificent animal, almost the finest, if not actually the grandest, of living bovines. Large bulls sometimes measure over six feet in height at the withers, whilst their horns are occasionally each three feet long and as much as eighteen to twenty inches round their base. Cows are smaller« IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 1: 231-232). 1681 »They have a beast called a gauvera, which much resembles a bull ; his back stands up with a sharp ridge, and his legs are white halfway« (KNOX (1681). 1833 »The gour, a species of bull, which, by its description (as taken from a young one), must be the noblest in appearance of all known animals, ranges the hilly portions of the jungles (of Borabhúm and Dholbhúm), defying pursuit« (TICKELL 1833: 583). 1840 »… a large and fierce animal, called a gaura, …This creature is probably, we may say certainly, extinct in Ceylon … but in several parts of the country, particularly in Lagalla, its former existence is vouched for by the names of places, as "the Gaura-field", "the Gaura-flat", &c.« (FORBES 1840, 2: 159). 2005 »gaur -- Indian bison« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005 glossary: 1107).
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24.1 | PINGALA DEVI (Cave of) | ||
| 25.3 | BUDHA AMARNATH, Ramban: Makarkot | ||
| 26.4 | MANSAR LAKE (Cave west of) | ||
| 28.5 | MUTTAL SPRING | ||
| 36.2 | GUPTA GANGA, Bhadrawah | ||
| 47.3 | KANGNEE ROCK SHELTER | ||
| 48.3 | SHALAMAR CAVES | ||
| 51.2 | TRISANDHYA DEVI TIRTHA, Dachan - Marwa | ||
| 54.8 | JAWAHAR ROAD TUNNEL |