SANI UDYAR (Scherzer 1991)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A south-facing cave entrance (about one metre wide and 2 m high), which has formed in what looks like very thinly bedded limestone or calcareous sandstone, functions as seasonally active spring and leads to a vadose, joint controlled rift cave passage. ETYMOLOGY: This -Sani Udyar- (Gold / Treasure Cave) near the village of Bigul has the same name as Sani Udyar (Baynes 1941.09.15) but it is not necessarily the same cave (note 1). SITUATION: From the -maidan- (village place) at the village of Saniudyar, the cave is reached by walking some 500 m south-southeast along the trail to Kanda (Scherzer 1991.11 Mss: Caves of the Kumaoni Hills). The village of Saniudyar (no position known) itself is reached by an easy one hour hike from Bigul (unidentified position), a populated place somewhere on the road from Gangolihat (N29°40': E080°03') approximately north-west to Bageshwar (N29°51': E079°46'). CAVE DESCRIPTION (note 2): The solitary rift passage arriving from the north-east decrease from 2 m in height and one metre in width at the entrance within 8 m of length to impenetrable dimensions. Water oozing and trickling from cracks at the gallery's accessible end wets the stones on the floor and confluences in a little pool in the entrance area. At the peak of the rainy season, the local guide told me, a little stream issues from the cave. Just inside the main passage, a side passage (less than a metre in diameter) branches off eastwards at a height of 2 m above the level of the streambed and emerges 3 m further east from a second -entrance- 1.5 m above the ground. This passage is just large enough to accommodate a person and is occasionally used by local shepards to rest. CULTURAL HISTORY: According to a local informant, the name of the cave and the nearby village is called after one divine -Sandar- associated with this cave (note 3). from 2 m in height and one metre in width at the entrance within 8 m of length to impenetrable dimensions. Water oozing and trickling from cracks at the gallery's accessible end wets the stones on the floor and confluences in a little pool in the entrance area. At the peak of the rainy season, the local guide told me, a little stream issues from the cave. Just inside the main passage, a side passage (less than a metre in diameter) branches off eastwards at a height of 2 m above the level of the streambed and emerges 3 m further east from a second -entrance- 1.5 m above the ground. This passage is just large enough to accommodate a person and is occasionally used by local shepards to rest. CULTURAL HISTORY: According to a local informant, the name of the cave and the nearby village is called after one divine -Sandar- associated with this cave (note 3).