NALDERA CAVE 11-1

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 27/04/2016

A »narrow opening under fallen boulders« (Glennie 1937 Mss "Notebook" page 6) gives probably not access to »a small mine« (GLENNIE 1948: 777) but to a solitary, much collapsed rift cave passage formed along a non-vertical geological disturbance in Naldera Limestone. The clean cave is seasonally wet and contains a dark zone, once had been modified by somebody to store . ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what has been christened »Cave B1« (Glennie 1937 Mss "Notebook" page 6). SITUATION: Near »mile 11/1« (11 miles and one furlong = km 17.9) and »above« (tentatively north-east) what had been in 1937 a »road« (mule track, old road, new road) from Shimla / Simla (31°06'N: 77°07'E) to Naldera (N33°11': E77°11'). This takes Naldera Cave 11.1 at a distance of four furlongs (exactly half a mile, about 800 m) in an unspecified direction (perhaps north-west) from Naldera Cave 10.5 and, but this is mere guesswork, into an area some 4 or 5 miles (5 or 8 km) approximately south-east from Naldera (N33°11': E77°11'). SITUATION 1937: Glennie (1937 Mss "Notebook" page 6) locates his anonymous »cave at mile 11/1 on Naldera - Simla road, above road and above old Naldera road. Where spur (scarp) runs down hillside. Readily found by evidences of extense [sic!] collapse of cave.« SITUATION 1947: GLENNIE (1947: 590) reports to have found »large cave Campodea« at unspecified locations somewhere »in the Simla Hills« in two anonymous »widely separated caves« which are –>Kotla Cave (Glennie 1937) and either Naldera Cave 11-1 or the nearby –>Naldera Cave 10-5. SITUATION 1948: GLENNIE (1948: 777): »… a small mine above the Simla - Naldera road at 11 miles 1 furlong from Simla.« SITUATION 1969: GLENNIE (1969: 107) places »the cave at Naldera … about 11 miles from Simla.« GLENNIE (1969: 109): »Naldera Cave on hillside above Simla - Naldera mule track near 11th milestone.« CAVE DESCRIPTION 1937 (Glennie 1937 Mss "Notebook" page 6 with rough sketch plan): »One chamber remains in centre of collapse about 40 ft [12 m] long by 50 ft [15 m] high. Enter through narrow opening under fallen boulders. A daylight from entrance penetrates most of the cave but the small extension of lower passages below the entrance is practically without light. Insects 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 where found here in this dark part mostly under stones.Descent about 15 ft [4.6 m] from entrance to lower gallery. In heavy rain the middle part B–B is wet, many drips from roof, + [and] water running down rocks. Two streams converge to A shown –>A