SADWA GUFA

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Three collapse dolines on the top of a hill (note 1) give access to a complex and apparently ancient, much broken cave (note 2) nearing a senile stage of cave development. SITUATION: In the range of about 105 km along the road south of Khajuraho (24°51'N: 79°56'E WGS84) and about a kilometre north-west of the village of Sadwa / Sarwa (note 3), less than a kilometre along a -kacha- or uncooked (unmetalled) fair weather road west of kilometre 97 on the road north from Sagar / Saugor (23°50'N: 78°43'E) to Chhatarpur (24°54'N: 79°36'E). ARCHAEOLOGY - PALAEONTOLOGY: The hurried exploration and survey in the late afternoon of 11th January 2006 did not allow for a closer inspection of the partly worked cave sediments but considering that the physio-clastic cave deposits (sort of reddish dirt / soil or so, covered by collapse debris) rest perched 60 to 80 m above the adjacent peneplanation level, the cave deposits are -b.f.- (more likely than not) old. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use The cave is regarded as a sacred temple cave and used as a developing religious show cave which is used as a comfortably visitable hermitage retreat by a holy man, Shri Rajeeshanand (Sri Rajeesh Anand). A kacha road has been laid which allows even small cars to drive to the site on top where sort of a round-about allows circular traffic management and car parking to a certain extent. A -hotel- (restaurant) at the cave entrance is in an early stage of development and consists (January 2006) of a -dukhan- (small shop selling biscuits, cold drinks, etc) and six tables with benches sheltered from the sun by a canvas roof poised on raw wooden poles fixed in a low, dry wall of unworked, gathered rocks. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The main entrance is rectangularly framed by a low concrete wall with a gap from where a winding flight of steps descends to a partly daylight-lit, levelled area, the First Platform (about 15 by 5 m wide, up to 2 m high) lined with piled rocks and filled-in with soil. Electic illumination (naked bulbs on spread-eagled wires) eases the pious visitor's way on. From the First Platform left (initially east, later south) descend steps which soon merge into a path which leads past a tributary passage arriving from a daylight window (difficult to climb) and another entrance (on the left / east & north) not modified by man. The visitor's path proceeds to a gate (a flimsy wooden frame, less than a metre wide or two high, mounted in an unfinished wall) beyond which an 8 m long and up to 1.5 m deep trench has been dug to ease progress, formerly a belly crawl beneath a huge suspended boulder, which otherwise would obstruct the way on. Beyond the soil-cut trench, one enters what appears to function as an Audience Hall: A terminal chamber (up to 15 m wide, approximately 14 m high and 20 m long) characterised by a level floor (with a blocked seasonal sink in a south-west niche) and flat spanned ceiling with a few stalactites (speleothems, about a metre long) pendig and two dark, circular ceiling chimneys (circa 1 m in diameter) soaring into darkness. Most conspicuous, however, is a dry, apparently dug-out mud platform (raised by 0.7 m, up to 8 m broad and 4 m wide) with a lateral mud bench (0.6 m high and a metre wide). Symmetrically erected in front of the platform are two pairs of about 5 m high 12 mm steel rods —apparently employed to hoist garlands or banners in case the saintly performer acts for pious admirers. From the First Platform right (north by east) enters a zigzagging passage, decorated with an unexpected, singular and unfortunately dry gour pool (50 by 60 cm wide, 40 cm deep, angular, at hand-wash height, with its outer walls sculpted with micro gours) and leading to another, smaller terminal chamber (Private Parts?) with a floor ascending to yet another platform (6 to 7 m broad, 2 to 3 m wide), once more lined with piled rocks. What looks like a possible continuation in the backwall of the platform is partly buried by it, careflly walled with fitting rocks and finished by smearing the remaining gaps with mud.g and two dark, circular ceiling chimneys (circa 1 m in diameter) soaring into darkness. Most conspicuous, however, is a dry, apparently dug-out mud platform (raised by 0.7 m, up to 8 m broad and 4 m wide) with a lateral mud bench (0.6 m high and a metre wide). Symmetrically erected in front of the platform are two pairs of about 5 m high 12 mm steel rods —apparently employed to hoist garlands or banners in case the saintly performer acts for pious admirers. From the First Platform right (north by east) enters a zigzagging passage, decorated with an unexpected, singular and unfortunately dry gour pool (50 by 60 cm wide, 40 cm deep, angular, at hand-wash height, with its outer walls sculpted with micro gours) and leading to another, smaller terminal chamber (Private Parts?) with a floor ascending to yet another platform (6 to 7 m broad, 2 to 3 m wide), once more lined with piled rocks. What looks like a possible continuation in the backwall of the platform is partly buried by it, careflly walled with fitting rocks and finished by smearing the remaining gaps with mud.