KALI, Malangher (Cave of)
19.100000,73.183300
Description
The self-styled "Sir" John Retcliffe imagined a fabulous temple cave (note 1), which is not only dedicated to Bhawani (literally "[she, the] habitating [one]", an epithet of the Hindu goddess Kali) and allegedly sacred to »Buthogs« (note 2) but also serves as convenient location for staging a pious splatter scene that was graphically described in the once popular anti-British novel »Nena Sahib, or, the Indian mutiny« (note 3), which exploits the frenzy of enlighted Victorian Britisher's criminal tribes (note 4) and inspired several action thrillers (note 5) down to Steven Spielberg's cinema adaption of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984, Hollywood: Paramount Pictures & Lucas Films). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The cave entrance lies in the darkness behind the central sarcophagus in the "pagoda" (temple) within the fort of Malangher. A strong current of air issues from a doorway flanked by two elephant statues. A flight of much more than 100 steps, increasing in steepness, descends to a circular chamber from where passages continue descending in all directions. The size of the cave passages increases with the depth reached and one (?) of the routes enters, at a height of 15 m above the ground, a more or less circular vaulted dome. This is the main sanctuary where about 1000 persons pay tribute to a 3 m high statue of Bhawani. From this cult spot a gallery leads to another chamber from where a complex maze of passages may be entered if carrying thread. Somewhere in this maze, a flight of about 60 steps descends to a ledge behind a roaring waterfall: This is known to be the subterranean drainage of a terminal lake fed by numerous streams in the upper part of Malangher valley. Steel cages wrapped with elastic rubber are regarded as unsafe but may be used to exit the cave by a subaqueous way out. A dry passage off a waterfall aven leads to a chamber with a carefully worked ceiling exposing rich veins of gold, copper and sparkling metal chips. Some fifty fettered victims, destined as offerings for the goddess, lay on the floor of this chamber from where a rope hanging from a hole in the ceiling connects to a bell in the castle above. SITUATION 1858: RETCLIFFE (Goedsche) places the thrilling cave in the underground below the castle of Malangher in Buhawalpur and all we can add, is that these two sites are 700 km in a direct line or some 1000 km along roads apart from each other. The »Malangher« of the novel is an artful version of the once famous fortress of Raigarh (note 6) but the name »Malangher« alludes to the historical fort Malanghar (note 7), also known as Cathedral Rock, which lies in the Western Ghats above the Indian Ocean and about 50 km in a direct line north-east of Bombay (renamed Mumbai) in the Kalyan taluk (Thana district, previously Bombay Presidency, since 1951 in Maharashtra state) while »Buhawalpur« (note 8) is part of the Thar dessert in Pakistan, a remote no-man's land on the border to India. SITUATION 1909a: »Malanggarh (Bawa Malang).— Hill fortress … situated in 19°7' N and 73°13' E, 10 miles [16 km] south of Kalyan town [N19°14': E73°07']. It is known also as the Cathedral Rock. Like most of the Thana hill forts, Malanggarh rises in a succession of bare stony slopes, broken by walls of rocks and belts of level woodland. It is most easily reached from Kalyan across a rough roadless tract of about 8 miles [13 km], ending in a climb of a perpendicular height of about 700 feet [214 m]. Connected with the base of the hill is a forest-covered table-land, upon which is the tomb of Bawa Malang. From this table-land the ascent to the lower fort is very steep, and upwards of 300 feet [214 m] high. The latter part is by an almost perpendicular rock-hewn staircase, at the top of which is a strong gateway covered by two outstanding towers, enabling even the smallest garrison to make the place impregnable. From the lower to the upper fort there is a perpendicular ascent of 200 feet [61 m] by means of a narrow flight of rock-hewn steps, on the face of the precipice so steep as to render the ascent all the times most difficult and dangerous. The upper fort, a space of 200 yards [183 m] long by about 70 yards [64 m] broad, is nothing more than the top, as it were, of the third hill. It has no fortifications, but there are traces of an enclosure and of the walls of an old building. The water supply is from a range of five cisterns, and a copper pipe is used to carry water to the lower fort. A yearly fair, held here in February, is attended by both Hindus and Muhammadans« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 17: 72). SITUATION 1909b: In the Thana district »There are also several more or less isolated hills, many of them in former times forts of strength and celebrity. The two most striking in appearance are Mahuli and Malanggarh« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 23: 290).
NOTE 1: Manfred Moser (Regensburg 1998.08.10, personal correspondence) made me aware of this cave. NOTE 2: Human sacrifice by thugi (thug, thag) necessitates strangulation of the offered victim to strictly avoid -- in striking contrast to the rites concocted by Retcliffe -- the spilling of blood. NOTE 3: By Hermann Ottomar Friedrich Goedsche (12.02.1815 to 08.11.1878) alias Sir John RETCLIFFE (1882, numerous reprints and editions) in the chapter »Hell of the Dark Goddess« of the first volume. I owe this reference to Manfred Moser (1998.08.10 personal correspondence). NOTE 4: BRUCE, George (1968): The stranglers: the cult of thuggee and its overthrow in British India.- (London: Longmans, Green and Co); GORDON, Stuart N. (1969): Scarf and sword: thugs, marauders, and state - formation in 18th century Malwa.- Indian Economic and Social History Review, Vol. 6, (no. 4): 403-429; HUTTON, J. (1857): Popular account of the thugs and dacoits.- (London); MACMUNN, George Fletcher (s.a., circa 1930): The religious and hidden cults of India.- (London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd); MACMUNN, George Fletcher (1933): The underworld of India.- (London: Jarrolds Publishers); MEADOWS TAYLOR, Philip (1988): Confessions of a thug.- (New Delhi & Madras: Asian Educational Services); MEADOWS TAYLOR, Philip (2001): Confessions of a thug.- (Calcutta, Allahabad, Bombay & New Delhi: Rupa); RENDER UNTO CAESAR (1995, edited by] RAMET, Sabrina Petra & TREADGOLD, Donald J.): Render unto Caesar: Religion and politics in cross-cultural perspective.- (Washington, D.C.: American University Press); SLEEMAN, James Lewis (1836): On the suppression of thuggee in India.- (London); SLEEMAN, William Henry (1839a): The Thugs or Phansigars of India: comprising a history of the rise and progress of that extraordinary fraternity of assassins; and a description of the system with its pursues, etc.- (Philadelphia: Carey & Hart); SLEEMAN, William Henry (1840): Report on the depredations committed by the thug gangs of upper and central India.- (Calcutta); SLEEMAN, James Lewis [on frontispiece but MACFIE, J.M. on title cover] (1998): Thug, or, a million murders.- (Delhi: Pilgrims Book Pvt. Ltd.); THORNTON, [ Edward ? ] (1837): Illustartions of the history and practices of thugs.- (London). NOTE 5: Some rehashed versions of RETCLIFFE (1882) in chronological order: 1911: SALGARI, Emilio et al. (before 1911): Das Geheimnis des Schwarzen Dschungels: In der Gewalt des Bösen.- (l.i.; 1995 Ullstein); 1926: DRINNEBERG, Erwin (1926: Von Ceylon zum Himalaya.- (Berlin: Wegweiser Verlag), 146-148: Die Götterbastion Trichinopoly; 1938: HARBOU, Thea (1938): Das indische Grabmal.- (Berlin: Deutscher Verlag); 1985: GIROUX, Leo (1985): The Rishi.- (l.i.); GIROUX, Leo (1989): Der Rishi: Der Terror der indischen Templesekten.- (Bayreuth: Hestia Verlag; 1992 Heyne). NOTE 6: Raigarh or "The Royal Fort", originally called Rairi, and known to the early European traders as the »Gibraltar of the East« describes IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 21: 47-48) as »Hill fort in the Mahad taluka of Kolaba District [now: Rayagad district] … situated in 18°14' N: 73°27' E, 32 miles [51.5 km] south-west from Poona [Pune N18°32': E073°52']. It stands on the Western Ghats, and was regarded in the last century as one of the greatest strongholds of India. Its scarped sides and long top form a great wedge-shaped block, cut off from the Western Ghats by a deep valley about a mile broad at the base and 2 miles [3.2 km] across from crest to crest. The hill-top, 2,851 feet above sea-level [869 m asl], stretches about a mile and a half [2.4 km] from east to west by a mile [1.6 km] from north to south. On the west, south, and east, the hill-sides are so steep that, excepting the gateways in the west and south faces, there are no artificial defences. The north-west face is protected by a main line of masonry and two upper walls where the scarp is imperfect. Its size, strength, and its easy communication with the Deccan and with the sea must from early times have made Raigarh an important fortress. … In 1664 Sivaji enriched Raigarh with the plunder of Surat, and made it the seat of his government … It was invested by a British force in in April 1818, and surrendered after a bombardment from the hill spur called Kal-kai lasting fourteen days. A treasure of 5 lakhs in coins was discovered among the ruins of the fort.« NOTE 7: Malangher (peak) is positioned as Bara Malang, Baub Mullen Peak, Bava Malang, Bawa Malang, Malangarh, Malanggarh and Mallangarh at N19°06': E073°11' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NE43-01. NOTE 8: Bahawalpur District is positioned at N28°50': E071°40' and Bahawalpur Division at N28°30': E071°30' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003), both on AMS sheet NH42-16.
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.7 | PADAN CAVE 1 (Todd 1937) | ||
| 3.7 | PADAN CAVE 2 (Todd 1937) | ||
| 15.7 | PANTHER's CAVE, Matheran | ||
| 15.7 | ONE KISS TUNNEL, Matheran | ||
| 20.5 | AMBIVALE, Jambrug (Cave near) | ||
| 22.2 | LONAD, Thane (Cave at) | ||
| 22.2 | MAHAKALI CAVES, Mumbai: Udayagiri | ||
| 22.2 | KONDIVATE CAVES | ||
| 23.3 | KARNALA UNDERGROUND |