DHUNGESANGU GUPHA

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 15/07/2016

A rift cave guided by a gravitational tension fissure runs parallel to the orographically left (eastern) cliff above the gorge of the river Seti River (Seti Gandaki), which here is estimated to be about 50 m or 60 m deep. It is accessible by a 3 m deep sinkhole at the end of a garland of aligned, small dolines (a second cave entrance at the opposite end of the cave opens in the cliff face). The cave, either originating from a kick by Bhim Pandava (compare –>Dhunge Sangu cave legend) or incised by gravitational dislocation of the host rock, is entirely developed in the very coarse conglomerate (sort of a caprock, which here contains only few boulders smaller than a standard soccer-ball). The bouldery floor, however, indicates dissolutional processes working on the conglomerate's calcitic cement, while speleothems (helictites and soda-straw stalactites) indicate re-deposition of dissolved calcite. ETYMOLOGY: The Nepali "dhunga" is a word for »rock, stone, boulder« and "sanghu" signifies »bridge« (de.wikibooks.org/wiki/Nepali accessed 2010.11.14).SITUATION: Just below the surface of the river terrace near the village of Dhungesangu / Dungesangu (stone bridge) and about a kilometre north of the natural bridge –>Dhunge Sangu. On top of the opposite cliff of the gorge but at the same level, a small man-made "cavelet" (seen in spring 1982) was excavated from a lens of clay that is used to plaster (and maintain) daub walls and floors of traditional houses. CAVE LIFE - vegetation: Parts of the rift cave's moist walls are covered with what appears to be lichens flourishing in twilight.