KUNDA CAVE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The unspecified Kunda Cave (note 1) is, perhaps, a natural sacred cave (temple cave) but possibly consists -- but this is mere guesswork -- of a man-made rock chamber (cave temple), which features a relatively small cave entrance of stooping height which leads not only to a partly daylight-lit main chamber (of standing height) with an illegible, mysterious inscription (note 2) but also to two smaller sized, lateral chambers or niches that had been used as troglodyte meditation retreats. A lingam (indicating a Hindu cave temple sacred to Shiva) is said to have been put up somewhere inside and a stream (source of water) flows past the cave entrance. SITUATION: About half a mile (804.5 m) from the ruins of one Kunda palace (note 3) that lies at a distance of about three - four miles (5 or 6 km) in an unidentified direction from Kunda (note 4), a village in the Chatra district (note 5) on the Hazaribagh Plateau. Here, … the main centre of attraction for the illiterate public of places farand near is a Cave situated at a distance of about half a mile from the remains of the old Palace probably dug shortly after the building of the Palace [note 6]. A narrow path runs downwards from the southern portion of the palace and leads to the cave. A shallow stream, which can be crossed without letting the feet touch the water surface, washes the brace of the cave (coilnet.bitmesra.net/JharkhandTourism/Districts/Ch… accessed 2007.11.24). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The cave is a hollow [sic!] made at the base of a part of the hill, not so high. The entrance into the cave is very narrow and one cannot get inside without contracting one's body and bending one's head. There is a central hall inside the cave, not so high. To enable one stand erect, often used by visitors as resting floor. The small hollows connected with their only passage with this central hall, are completely dark [note 7]. A big Shivling is installed just at the middle of one of the hollows. … Inside the centralroom of the cave some thing has been written by carving over the walls not very indistinct though one cannot decipher it [script karren?] (coilnet.bitmesra.net accessed 2007.11.24). CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use: A big Shivling is installed just at the middle of one of the hollows. The other [hollow] one was used , people say, by a hermit, who lived there some fifty years ago, as the sleeping room. On the 14th of Phalgun [note 8] a large number of people come to offer holy water to lord Shiva. They sing holy songs and seasonal [sic! for: seasoned? ceremonial ! ] ones accompanied by musical instruments (coilnet.bitmesra.net accessed 2007.11.24).and near is a Cave situated at a distance of about half a mile from the remains of the old Palace probably dug shortly after the building of the Palace [note 6]. A narrow path runs downwards from the southern portion of the palace and leads to the cave. A shallow stream, which can be crossed without letting the feet touch the water surface, washes the brace of the cave (coilnet.bitmesra.net/JharkhandTourism/Districts/Ch… accessed 2007.11.24). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The cave is a hollow [sic!] made at the base of a part of the hill, not so high. The entrance into the cave is very narrow and one cannot get inside without contracting one's body and bending one's head. There is a central hall inside the cave, not so high. To enable one stand erect, often used by visitors as resting floor. The small hollows connected with their only passage with this central hall, are completely dark [note 7]. A big Shivling is installed just at the middle of one of the hollows. … Inside the centraland near is a Cave situated at a distance of about half a mile from the remains of the old Palace probably dug shortly after the building of the Palace [note 6]. A narrow path runs downwards from the southern portion of the palace and leads to the cave. A shallow stream, which can be crossed without letting the feet touch the water surface, washes the brace of the cave (coilnet.bitmesra.net/JharkhandTourism/Districts/Ch… accessed 2007.11.24). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The cave is a hollow [sic!] made at the base of a part of the hill, not so high. The entrance into the cave is very narrow and one cannot get inside without contracting one's body and bending one's head. There is a central hall inside the cave, not so high. To enable one stand erect, often used by visitors as resting floor. The small hollows connected with their only passage with this central hall, are completely dark [note 7]. A big Shivling is installed just at the middle of one of the hollows. … Inside the centralroom of the cave some thing has been written by carving over the walls not very indistinct though one cannot decipher it [script karren?] (coilnet.bitmesra.net accessed 2007.11.24). CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use: A big Shivling is installed just at the middle of one of the hollows. The other [hollow] one was used , people say, by a hermit, who lived there some fifty years ago, as the sleeping room. On the 14th of Phalgun [note 8] a large number of people come to offer holy water to lord Shiva. They sing holy songs and seasonal [sic! for: seasoned? ceremonial ! ] ones accompanied by musical instruments (coilnet.bitmesra.net accessed 2007.11.24).