KHED CAVES
17.716700,73.400000
Description
The three small man-made rock-cut chambers recorded by IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 15: 267) from somewhere east of Khed (note 1). They are somehow associated with the »Chiplun caves« (note 2), which »show that between 200 B.C. and A.D. 50 northern Ratnagiri [note 3] had Buddhist settlements of some importance« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 21: 248).
NOTE 1: Khed N17°43': E073°23' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NE43-09 Khed (U502 series, 1060 edition) and in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 90 B5). NOTE 2: Chiplun N17°32': E073°31' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NE43-10 and in the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 98 B1), lies about 23 km in a direct line SSE from Khed. NOTE 3: »Ratnagiri [district] is occupied almost entirely by the basaltic formation of the Deccan trap overlaid with laterite, except in the southernmost portion near Malvan [N16°04': E073°28'], where a substratum of gneiss and of Cuddapah beds [sandstones and limestones] appears from beneath the basalt and laterite. Tertiary beds containing fossil plants, the exact age of which is unknown, occur at Ratnagiri [town N16°59': E073°18']. … The chief trees of the district are teak, ain, kinjal, catechu [Areca catechu], shisham (Dalbergia Sissoo), mana (Lagerstroemia lanceolata), taman (Lagerstroemia Flos Reginae), and bamboo. From an economic point of view, the coco-nut palm is the most important tree in the district. … Game is scarce … The flying fox (or fruit bat) and musk rat are common everywhere …The climate of the district, though moist and relaxing, is on the whle healthy. Fifteen miles [24 km] from the coast extremes of cold and heat are experienced … The mean annual temperature of Ratnagiri town on the sea-coast is 83° [Fahrenheit = 28.3°C] and of Dapoli [N17°46': E073°11'], 57 miles [92 km] from the coast, 87° [30.6°]. At the former town the temperature falls as low as 61° [16.1°C] in January and reaches 83° [33.9°C] in May. … The fall of rain averages 100 inches [2.54 m] at Ratnagiri and is considerably greater inland than on the coast. The maximum is 166 inches [4.22 m] in the Medangarh petha, and the minimum 95 inches [2.4 m] in the Devgarh taluka. … The Chiplun and Kol caves show that between 200 B.C. and A.D. 50 northern Ratnagiri had Buddhist settlements of some importance … Ratnagiri also contains other Hindu and Musalman remains. The chief are the underground temple of Chandikabai« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 21: 246-248).
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33.2 | BRAMHA RISHI CAVES | ||
| 33.8 | ROBBERS' CAVE, Mahableshwar 2 | ||
| 33.9 | ROBBERS' CAVE, Mahableshwar | ||
| 37.1 | PANCHGANGA MANDIR SPRING | ||
| 38.3 | SHIVA, Mahabaleshwar (Cave of) | ||
| 39.2 | MAHABALESHWAR MANDIR | ||
| 39.3 | KOL CAVES, Mahad | ||
| 42.6 | PALA CAVES, Mahad | ||
| 47.8 | MEHERBABA CAVES, Panchgani |