POWERSTATION CAVE (Eastern)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A horizontal row of altogether five cave entrances, which lie in the back of a crescend shaped, almost U-shaped and 80 or 100 m wide rock shelter in a an approximately 20 m high cliff face exposing a coarse conglomerate (note 2), give access to a seasonally active subterranean estuary (note 1). SITUATION: Above the hydro-electrical powerstation of Pokhara, which lies on the southern edge of the Pokhara Terrace above the left, northern bank of Phusre Khola and about 600 m in a direct line south-west of the Shangri La Hotel (circa 2 km in a direct SSW of the southern end of the Pokhara airport area). The area is reached by a road off to the left / south (at about halfway along Siddharta Highway between the airport and Patale Chhango) along a channel (from the dam of Phewa Lake, the tourist quarter -Dam Side-, locally called Mardi), which runs for 2 or 3 km up to where the waters of the channel are funneled into a pair of stockpens (pressure tubes) supplying the power house. Walking downthe steps between the pair of pipes, the obvious cave entrances of the (first) Western –>Powerstation Cave are seen some 30 m east of the pipes. The (second) eastern cave at the -Hydel- (Hydro-Electric) power station lies about 100 metres further to the east, and at the same level. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1982, February (H. D. Gebauer, February 1980): The three westernmost entrances (upturned U-shaped, approximately 1 by 1 m, 2.5 by 5 m and 2.5 by 5 m wide and high) give access (across a threshhold of pebbles fallen from the cliff face) to an about 50 m long chamber more or less developed in a meandering fashion parallel to the terrace cliff. The chamber is subdivided by two separating heaps of loose pebbles (talus mounds), culminates in vaulted ceilings above roundish walls (in German: Kettenbogengewölbe). The western pebble hill was topped by an amazingly slim column of the cave's host rock. In the north (upstream) of this column and at the base of that pebble hill, continue two low nichs at a low level, exposing fine grained conglomerate. The western niche, extending some 4 m, is very low and difficult to enter. The northern niche (an inlet?) becomes too low after 7 or 8 m but sucks a remarkable air current / draught strong enough to consider digging. Sliding down across a pebble slope opposite of the third, central entrance, one reaches a short crawl into a chamber of standing height (developed at low level and in fine grained conglomerate). Climing up a 2m-step continues one low, impenetrable crawl (sucking air) and another, sloping crawl to an enlargment from where yet three more impenetraably low crawls continue. The two easternmost entrances give access to steeply ascending passages infilled with sand or gravel a short way in. CAVE POTENTIAL, prospects: Digging may yield a connection between the Eastern and the Western Powerstation Cave. CAVE LIFE: In spring 1982 indicated several heaps of digested insects roosting sites of bats (Chiroptera) but only one solitay individual was observed to rest inside the cave.y individual was observed to rest inside the cave.