BATATOTA LENA

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A relatively narrow cave entrance (STRINATI & AELLEN 1981: 459) or gash at the base of a cliff (BROOKS 1995) gives access to a horizontal succession of cave passages between dislocated boulders (STRINATI & AELLEN 1981: 459), which contain two chambers (BROOKS 1995; Brooks 1995 Mss, item 20), a thick guano deposit, bats (Michael Eckrich 1984 personal communication) and a pool of water (). ETYMOLOGY: The Sinhala -tota- signifies a ford (COOK 1931: 347). The cave itself is probably locally known as -Stripura- or -Istripura- cave. To distinguish it from the other –>Istripura caves, it is more often than not called after the village of Batatota below the mountain on which it is found. So far, I saw the name of this cave called, transcribed, spelled, edited, or printed as Batatota cave DERANIYAGALA (1965: 144 figure 21) Batatota, grotte de SIFFRE (1975: 36) Batatota-lena DERANIYAGALA (1965: 143); KUKLA (1958); SIFFRE (1975: 36) Batatotalena CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 243; 1983: 245) Batatotalea cave CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 244; 1983: 246) Batatota Subterranean Cavern BROOKS (1995: 22); Brooks (1995 Mss, no. 20) Stripura STRINATI & AELLEN (1981: 460) Stripura cave AELLEN et al. (2001: 1977) caverne Stripura SZYMCZAKOWSKI (1972: 170) grotta di Stripura BRIGNOLI (1972: 908, 917, 927) grotte de Stripura PAGES (1977: 687); SILHAVY (1973: 803; 1974: 25, 26) grotte de Stripura, Batatoa SILHAVY (1974b: 26) grotte de Stripura, Kuruwita SILHAVY (1974a: 805) Stripura Cave, Batatoa SILHAVY (1974b: 28) Stripura Cave, Battatota KUKLA (1958: 169) Stripura Cave, Kuruwita STRINATI & AELLEN (1981: 459) jeskyne Stripury KUKLA (1958: 168). SITUATION 1957: Not seen: GUNASEKERA (1957.02.27). SITUATION 1958: The more or less mysterious Stripura cave [is] in Battatota mountain near Adamspeak (KUKLA 1958: 167-168, 169 possibly after GUNASEKERA 1957.02.27) when the mysterious Batattota (sic!) refers to the village of Batatota (N06°50': E080°22') and the mystery of Adamspeak shines some light onAdam's Peak, the mountain (note 1). SITUATION 1965: DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1965: 143) places Batatota-lena near Sri Pàdhé (Adam's Peak) and under a large rock of this name on the road from Kuruvita or Kuruwita (note 2) to Eratne (note 3). SITUATION 1970: The cave entrance to Batatota Lena lies in one way or another near Kuruwita or so (STRINATI & AELLEN 1981: 459). SITUATION 1974: One of the two highly impressive caves (the other is –>Kosgalla Cave) near Ratnapura lies in the vicinity of Eratna (Eratne), near Batatota (note 4), and 12 miles (19 km north along the road) from the RH (Rest House) at the Gem Capital (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1983: 154) of Ratnapura (N06°40'58”: E080°23'57” WGS84). SITUATION 1984: Michael Eckrich (München: Zoologisches Institut, 1984 personal communication) marked the position of Batatotalena near N06°49'20”: E080°22'20” (Everest 1830, Survey of Sri Lanka sheet Hatton, One Inch series), north-west above road from Kuruwita north-east towards Eratne, and a a linear distance of about a kilometer approximately north of Batatota (N06°48'50”: E080°22'20” Everest 1830, Survey of Sri Lanka sheet Ratnapura, One Inch series). SITUATION 1995: BROOKS (1995: 22): Some 5 km away from the Batatomba Lena (sic!) which is known as –>Batadomba Lena. Brooks (1995 Mss no. 20) places the cave at the foothills of Sri Pada / Adam's Peak. It is found by taking the fair weather road from Kuruwita village up through the forest for 5 km towards Batatota village. From this point a footpath is followed steeply up through the forest, passing some houses, beyond which the path becomes very vague. The cave entrance lies at the base of a large and high cliff. Assistance from local people is useful in finding this cave. APPROACH: … proceed on the Kuruvita-Eratne road for about 6.5 kilometres until a rubber estate is reached. Turn right into a track through the estate. The cave lies about a mile along the track. The final stages involve a slight climb (CEYLON TRAELLER 1974: 244). POSITION: STRINATI & AELLEN (1981: 459) estimate a position somewhere between N06°46'30”: E080°21' and N06°50'00”: E080°23' (unspecified geodetic datum, probably Everest 1830) but hasten to explain that this position is probably not very accurate as the relevant toposheet had not been available during their excursion to this cave on 22nd January 1970. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1958a: Z mnoha neoverenych zprav je nejzajimavejsi popis jeskyne Stripury v hore Battatota v divocine Adamova stitu. Je to údajne 55 m dlouhá, 15 m siroka a 3,5 mvysoká prostora s ústím jen 90 cm vysokym a 180 cm sirokym (KUKLA 1958: 167-168 apparently after GUNASEKERA 1957.02.27). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1958b: The mysterious Stripura Cave in Battatota mountain near Adamspeak, more than 55 m deep is most probably the biggest of the pseudokarst abris used as Buddhist sanctuaries (KUKLA, J 1958: 169). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1961: Compare grotte près de –>Kuruwita (SIFFRE 1975). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1970: The relaively narrow entrance of the Stripura Cave at the base of a cliff leads to some 50 m of horizontal passages between dislocated boulders: Entrée étroite au pied d'une paroi de rocher. Grotte horizontale formée par une succession des passages parmi des blocs éboulés (STRINATI & AELLEN 1981: 459) CAVE DESCRIPTION 1974: Typical of the caverns in the mountain country, this cave contains a fairly large subterranean lake of cold, clear water. There is believed to be a siphon [sump, diving spot] under a rocky overhang which is submerged in this lake. This passage is believed to lead [via a fabulous tunnel] to another stretch of water beyond the main lake and thence to another [unspecified] cave mouth opening from the further side of the ridge (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 244; 1983: 246). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1995: This cave is not only said to be … known a Batatota Subterranean Cavern but also allows to narrate an expert's tale according to which an estimatee over 60 metres of large passage with to large chambers … formed in Gneiss, a rock that does not normally develop cave passage (BROOKS 1995: 22). According to Brooks (1995 Mss, no. 20), the entrance to this more or less large cave is a gash at the base of a large cliff. From the entrance the floor drops steeply down to a larger chamber, an estimated 15 m in diameter and 5 m high. On the far side of which a 10 m by 3 m triangular passage can be followed for 20 m to a slippery descent over guano covered boulders down into a second cave chamber (an estimated 12 m across and 5 m high), beyond which a triangular breakdown passage leads after 21 m to a so-called the end of the cave where rift / sloping bedding along the right hand wall of this final passage drops down to an unexplored underwater continuation or two. SPELEOMETRY: KUKLA (1958: 167-168) surveyed 55 m of cave passage: Je to údajne 55 m dlouhá, 15 m siroká a 3,5 m vysoká prostora s ústím jen 90 cm vysokym a 180 cm sirokym. On 22nd January 1970, STRINATI & AELLEN (198: 459) estimated an approximate length of 50 m which BROOKS (1995: 22) expanded to over 60 m of large passage and bettered into nearly 70 m of passage (Brooks 1995 Mss, no. 20). CAVE POTENTIAL: Since the allegedly … final passage drops to water (sump) where passage can be seen to continue underwater Simon J Brooks contradicts himself when narrating an expert's tale according to which … there are no prospects for further extension (Brooks 1995 Mss, no. 20; BROOKS 1995b) CULTURAL HISTORY - Archaeology: In 1940 the cave was archaeologically excavated (DERANIYAGALA, S U 1980: 172). CAVE CLIMATE: Temperature 24°C on 22nd January 1970 (STRINATI & AELLEN 1981: 459). CAVE LIFE: Michael Eckrich (1984, personal communication) told me there are many bats (Chiroptera) and a thick guano deposit in this cave. Brooks (1995 Mss) noted a relatively small colony of bats. AELLEN, SKET & STRINATI (2001: 1978) list Arachnida: Opiliones: Biantidae: Biantes aelleni Silhavy 1974; Arachnida: Aranaea: Nesticdae: Nesticus aelleni Brignoli 1972; Arachnida: Aranaea: Ochyroceratidae: Merizocera sp.; Insecta: Diplura: Japygidae: Parindjapyx aelleni Pages 1977; Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae Emesinae: Bagauda strinatii Villiers 1970; Insecta: Coleoptera: Cholevidae: Ptomaphaginus longitarsis Portevin Szymczakowski 1972. BRIGNOLI (1972) deals with spiders (Arachnidae: Aranaea) collected from Grotta di Stripura by Pierre Strinati & Aellen Villy. Page 909 mentions an immature specimen of Merizocera spp. (Ochyroceratidae). Pages 917-919 give a taxonomical description of Nesticus aelleni n.sp. and page 925 mentions a mutilated male specimen (lacking palpi) of an Heteropoda spp. (Eusparassidae). SIFFRE (1975: 38) surprises with reporting to have found in February or March 1961 in Batatota-Lena quills of porcupine (Hystrix) and a species of spider's nest (or a species of net's nest) formed by a kind of mondmilch of which one half was black coloured and the other white (note 5). SILHAVY (1974a: 80-807): Taxonomical description of Biantes aelleni (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Biantidae) collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from grotte de Stripura près de Kuruwita (sic). SILHAVY (1974b: 25) identifies a male specimen of Biantes aelleni Silhavy (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Biantidae) collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from grotte de Stripura près de Kuruvita (sic). SILHAVY (1974b: 26) identifies four male specimens of Strandia strinatii (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Leiobundinae: Garellinae) collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from devant grotte de Stripura, sur tronc d'arbre. SILHAVY (1974b: 26-28, line drawings) gives a taxonomical description of Strandia strinatii n.sp. (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Leiobundinae: Garellinae), collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from Batatoa [sic] in front of Stripura cave, on the trunk of a tree.STRINATI & AELLEN (1981) confirm to have collected bats (Chiroptera: Hipposideros sp., Rhinolophus sp.), Chlopoda, spiders, Opiliones, Acaria, Collembola, Diplura, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera. SZYMACZKOWSKI (1972: 170-172, fig. 5-12): Identifies and re-describes Ptomaphaginus longitarsis Portevin (Coleoptera, Cholevidae); PAGES (1977): Taxonomical descriptions of Parindjapy aelleni (Insecta: Diplura: Japygidae); VILLIERS (1970): Bagauda strinatii (Reduviidae, Emesinae, Hemiptera: Heteroptera).-807): Taxonomical description of Biantes aelleni (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Biantidae) collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from grotte de Stripura près de Kuruwita (sic). SILHAVY (1974b: 25) identifies a male specimen of Biantes aelleni Silhavy (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Biantidae) collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from grotte de Stripura près de Kuruvita (sic). SILHAVY (1974b: 26) identifies four male specimens of Strandia strinatii (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Leiobundinae: Garellinae) collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from devant grotte de Stripura, sur tronc d'arbre. SILHAVY (1974b: 26-28, line drawings) gives a taxonomical description of Strandia strinatii n.sp. (Arachnidae: Opiliones: Leiobundinae: Garellinae), collected by V. Aellen and P. Strinati (1970.01.22) from Batatoa [sic] in front of Stripura cave, on the trunk of a tree.STRINATI & AELLEN (1981) confirm to have collected bats (Chiroptera: Hipposideros sp., Rhinolophus sp.), Chlopoda, spiders, Opiliones, Acaria, Collembola, Diplura, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera. SZYMACZKOWSKI (1972: 170-172, fig. 5-12): Identifies and re-describes Ptomaphaginus longitarsis Portevin (Coleoptera, Cholevidae); PAGES (1977): Taxonomical descriptions of Parindjapy aelleni (Insecta: Diplura: Japygidae); VILLIERS (1970): Bagauda strinatii (Reduviidae, Emesinae, Hemiptera: Heteroptera).