BADI GUFA, Bandhavgarh

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A rectangular entrance (an estimated 2.5 m wide and 2 m high) gives access to the quite dark lair of bats and earth wasps in a man-made cave chamber, which is the largest of the caves on the –>Bandhavgarh (Bandhogarh) hill in the Bandhavgarh National Park. ETYMOLOGY: Badi or bari (Shirishkumar Patil 2011.12.19) and Baldi (answers.com accessed 2007.12.14) seems to signify something along the lines of a lair in a broad sense of the word (note 1). The internet wording Bari Gufa :'Badi Gufa' in english means the biggest cave (Shirishkumar Patil 2011.12.19) may be not exactly a statement in English (the West Germanic language of England) but an attempt to say that Badi Gufa, often pronounced like Bari Gufa, is the most extensive man-made rock chamber that is known to have been excavated from the rocks exposed on the hill on which the fort of Bandhavgarh stands. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2011: Badi gufa … has nine small rooms and several pillars. It has been dated back to the 10th century AD. itis spacious and has adequate vertical room for a person of average height to stand and walk. It is visible from the fort, which porbably signifies its strategic location. The cave appears to be primitive , lacking the elaborate statues and carvings seen in the caves of the buddhist period. Its purpose remains a mystery, although initially it could have been used by monks for spiritual pursuits and later by the army for strategic purposes. At present, most of the caves are beging used by wildlife - bats (note 2). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2007, an earlier: Among the 39 rock chambers at –>Bandhavgarh and vicinity, the largest is Baldi Gufa (sic!), dated back to the 10th century. It has broad cave entrance, nine small rooms and several pillars but its purpose remains enigmatic as it lacks any rock art such as inscriptions, paintings or sculptures (note 3).is spacious and has adequate vertical room for a person of average height to stand and walk. It is visible from the fort, which porbably signifies its strategic location. The cave appears to be primitive , lacking the elaborate statues and carvings seen in the caves of the buddhist period. Its purpose remains a mystery, although initially it could have been used by monks for spiritual pursuits and later by the army for strategic purposes. At present, most of the caves are beging used by wildlife - bats (note 2). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2007, an earlier: Among the 39 rock chambers at –>Bandhavgarh and vicinity, the largest is Baldi Gufa (sic!), dated back to the 10th century. It has broad cave entrance, nine small rooms and several pillars but its purpose remains enigmatic as it lacks any rock art such as inscriptions, paintings or sculptures (note 3).