MUNI GOFAR

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

One of the -caves- on –>Ramgarh Pahar consists of a monolithic rock chamber (used as a troglodyte retreat?) excavated from a solitary, isolated boulder at –>Ramgarh Hill. ETYMOLOGY: Muni -- an inspired saint, Hindu (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: xix). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A hollowed chamber of sufficient capacity to allow of a man sitting in it at his ease (DALTON 1865: 24). BALL (1873b: 243) reports a square, west facing cave entrance (0.43 by 0.41 m) to a tiny, man-made troglodyte rock-chamber (1.17 m in square) excavated from a gravitationally dislocated boulder (1.04 by 1.12 by 1.83 m): The bottom is now somewhat filled up, but it is evident that there was room for a man to creep inside and squat down. SITUATION 1865 (DALTON 1865: 24): [From Ganesh Gate in the sacred grove at the foot of –>Ramgarh Hill] … proceed by an easy path three parts round the hill to its southern face, and then as best you can up, by an exceedingly difficult zig-zag path, sometimes a mere ledge cut out inthe rock. Just at the commencement of the difficult part of the ascent, you pass a large boulder of sandstone with nothing to distinguish it externally from many others that are lying about, but which has been hollowed into a chamber of sufficient capacity to allow of a man sitting in it at his ease, and with an aperture just large enough for a slender man to creep in by. The opening is not seen from the path; so that an unconscious pilgrim might find himself exhorted by a voice from the bowels of a rock in a manner truly awe-striking. SITUATION 1873 (BALL 1873b: 243): After passing rather more than three fourths of the way along this path [contouring at 790 m asl round the base of the rectangular mass of sandstone which forms the main mass of the hill] the attention is arrested by but a rudely cut model of a temple or memorial stone which is about four feet high [1.2 m]. In the lower portion of it there is a cavity for the reception of a tablet but no vestige remains of one now, it i ever did exist. This object the natives call mal karn. It is on the right hand of the path. A few steps further, on the left, there is a block of sandstone, which, if the attention were not specifically drawn to it, one might pass without remarking anything particular about it. It is, however, of some interest, being artificially hollowed with an entrance facing to the west... The natives call it -Muni gofar- –the Muni's den. Close by this are remains of an old wall built of uncut stones. A short distance beyond, the ascent of the great block of sandstone commences by the only practicable route: this is the south-west corner. BALL (1880 edited 1985: 325) gives a similar, slightly more popular account of -Muni gofar-, the ascetic's den.