GUJAR, Bamustar Mash, 1st (Kode)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A south-facing, keyhole shaped entrance (up to 20 m wide and high), in shape slightly distorted along bedding planes dipping by about 30° approximately westwards, estimated 50 to 70 m above the valley floor (note 1), gives access to 60 m of passage, which, deteriorating in size, arrives from the North. Compare –>Bid Rang Cave. The visible part of the ascending cave floor (average slope 1: 3; inclination 30° to 35°) is covered with dry and fine grained fluvial sediment. The further from the entrance, the infilling increases in thickness but the ceiling is more or less level. The cave is suspected to predate the valley. SITUATION: The known five Gujar caves lie some 5 or 7 km east of what once was understood to be the village of -Kadde Coocha- (note 2) but actually is the Bidrang (better Bidrang Levy Post), which lies on the Quetta - Mastung - Manguchar - Kalat Road and about 20 km south of Sarkaman (note 3). Here, the caves are found in the so-called Mooch Mountains (Chiltan Adventurer), better: the hill Bamustar Mash (note 4), which rises 3 km north of Gaurani Mash (note 5). CAVE POTENTIAL - Prospects: The solitary passage -ends- at porcupine sized continuations of which one, if ignoring the stench (note 6), could be pushed without digging. CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use: A recent fire place below a sooted section of cave ceiling near the entrance and a square pit (2 b 2 m, in October 1997 with deteriorating edges) indicate obvious use of the cave by treasure seekers (Chiltan Adventurers) or suspected trial excavation by archaeologists. CAVE LIFE: Apart from smelled but unseen porcupines (Hystrix) the cave was unexpectedly found to be occupied by a lone, dusty prince metamorphosed into a frog. A left lower mandible (hystrix ?), which local people claimed not to recognise, has been collected from the dark zone and at a distance of 50 m from the cave entrance.A south-facing, keyhole shaped entrance (up to 20 m wide and high), in shape slightly distorted along bedding planes dipping by about 30° approximately westwards, estimated 50 to 70 m above the valley floor (note 1), gives access to 60 m of passage, which, deteriorating in size, arrives from the North. Compare –>Bid Rang Cave. The visible part of the ascending cave floor (average slope 1: 3; inclination 30° to 35°) is covered with dry and fine grained fluvial sediment. The further from the entrance, the infilling increases in thickness but the ceiling is more or less level. The cave is suspected to predate the valley. SITUATION: The known five Gujar caves lie some 5 or 7 km east of what once was understood to be the village of -Kadde Coocha- (note 2) but actually is the Bidrang (better Bidrang Levy Post), which lies on the Quetta - Mastung - Manguchar - Kalat Road and about 20 km south of Sarkaman (note 3). Here, the caves are found in the so-called Mooch Mountains (Chiltan Adventurer), better: the hill Bamustar Mash (note 4), which rises 3 km north of Gaurani Mash (note 5). CAVE POTENTIAL - Prospects: The solitary passage -ends- at porcupine sized continuations of which one, if ignoring the stench (note 6), could be pushed without digging. CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use: A recent fire place below a sooted section of cave ceiling near the entrance and a square pit (2 b 2 m, in October 1997 with deteriorating edges) indicate obvious use of the cave by treasure seekers (Chiltan Adventurers) or suspected trial excavation by archaeologists. CAVE LIFE: Apart from smelled but unseen porcupines (Hystrix) the cave was unexpectedly found to be occupied by a lone, dusty prince metamorphosed into a frog. A left lower mandible (hystrix ?), which local people claimed not to recognise, has been collected from the dark zone and at a distance of 50 m from the cave entrance.