MANGROL (Grotte de)

(Mangrol Taluka - IN)
21.133300,70.116700
Grottocenter / carte

Description

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 18/04/2016

A vertical entrance to an extensive stream cave with luke-warm water in the south-western part of the Saurashtra (Kathiawar) peninsula once has been reported (note 1) from a location 2 km in an unspecified direction from an unspecified spot in the town (nowadays inside the town?) of Mangrol (note 2) and 3.3 km from the shore of the Arabian Sea (note 3): »Having stripped to bathing trousers I descended the pit on shaky ladders in a poor state of repair and with flimsy and badly attached rungs. Having arrived at the bottom, I negotiated the greater part of my visit by walking in deep and lukewarm water (in April during the hot season) but for a short distance swimming was necessary. The underground passages, natural excavations from the rock, are remarkable and communicate with a spring of considerable flow used for irrigation« (note 4). CAVE LIFE: LINDBERG (1949a: 40, 45) collected numerous Harpacticoids but also Cyclopeds and other Crustacea. CHAPPUIS (1950) describes a solitary female Nitocra spinipes (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) collected by Dr. Knut Lindberg from »Caverne Mangrol.«

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 18/04/2016

NOTE 1: »Dans la partie ouest de la péninsule de Kathiawar est située au bord de la mer la petite principauté de Mangrol, à capital du même nom ... La grotte est à environ 2 kilomètres de la ville et à 3 km 3 de la côte. On se dévêt, me et des caleçons de bain et on descend dans un puit sur des échelles branlantes en mauvais état (se méfier des barres pourries et mal attachées). Arrivée en bas, la plus grande partie de la visite de fait en marchant dans de l'eau tiède (en avril, saison de fortes chaleurs) assez profonde, mais sur un petite distance on ne peut avancer qu'en nageant. Les galleries souterrains, excavations naturelles dans le roc, assez remarquables, communiquent avec une source d'eau douce de débit considérable, dont on tire profit pour l'irrigation. J'ai recueilli plusieurs endroits dans l'eau de cette grotte d'assez nombreux Harpacticoïdes, mais aucun Cyclopide, ni autre Crustacé« (LINDBERG 1949a: 40). NOTE 2: IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 17: 180) identifies the seaport »Mangarol Bandar« with the Monoglossum of Ptolemy. The STC (State Transport Corporation) bus stand at Mangrol town is positioned near N21°07'16": E070°07'14" (WGS84, 4-channel Garmin, read on 1998.12.28). nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) positions Mangrol at N21°07': E070°07' (Lat. 21,1166667: Long. 70.1166667) and Mangrol Bandar at N21°07': E070°07' / Lat. 21,1166667: Long. 70.1166667' (WGS84).NOTE 3: Plotting Lindberg's distances on the 1: 250,00 scale AMS sheet Porbandar (NF42-11 edition 1956) I arrive at two points, which lie at linear distances of 3.3 km from the shoreline and 2 km (north and north-east) from Mangrol: a) N21°08'20": E070°06'50" (Everest 1830) and b) N21°07'40": E070°07'50" (Everest 1830). NOTE 4: CRAVEN (1969: 27) recorded »Lindberg (1949) visited a pothole, 2 kilometres from Mangrol and 3.3 kilometres from the coast. He descended a rotting ladder into a passage containing fresh water used for irrigation, through which he had to swim and wade.«

Documents

Bibliography 18/04/2016

Histoire

EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1944.04.10 (CHAPPUIS 1950) or 1944.04.11 (LINDBERG 1949a: 45): Knut Lindberg visited, entered and explored the cave. 1998.12.28: H. Daniel Gebauer, assisted by a scooter driver, failed to trace down the cave. Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 18/04/2016

Cavités proche

Distance (km)NomLongueur (m)Profondeur (m)
6.9LABUR KUVA
38.0SHIVA, Somnath (Cave of)
50.6GHOJHARA KA BHOIRU
56.9BHIMKUND, Girnar
56.9KHAPARA KHODIA
56.9NAVAGHAN KUVA
65.8BUDDHIST CAVES
70.5Dolatagadh Ka Bhoiru
168.2BHOIRA KA BHOIRU