KAILASH CAVE, Syangia

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A triangular shaped cave entrance (in the range of 4 m or 6 m wide and high), in the lower part of which a plastered wall (with doorway) was built, faces an unidentified direction and gives access to a cave with secondary calcite deposits (stalactitic speleothems) formed in limestone (concluded after THAPA & THAPA 2009 title page). The so-called Kailash Cave in Syangja district is not only frequented by at least three distinct species of bats (Chiroptera), which use it as a day roost, but also by religiously minded humans, who indentify the dark subterranean space as a Hindu temple cave sacred to Shiva that attract crowds of customers mostly during Shivaratri (note 1) -- probably, but this is mere gueswwork, by providing access to a naturally formed stalagmite, which is understood to represent a -swayambhu- (self-arisen) lingam. SITUATION: In an unspecified setting and at an unidentified location somewhere within the area administered by the Bahakot V.D.C. in Syangja district, Gandakizone (note 2). POSITION 2009: Kailash Cave (28° 5'52.34”N, 83°54'19.07”E), Syangja district, western Nepal (THAPA & THAPA 2009 abstract). POSITION 2010a: Kailash Cave … (28° 5'52.34”N, 83°54'19.07”E) is located at 1130 m in Bahakot Village Development Committee of Syangja district (THAPA & THAPA 2010a: 1). POSITION 2010b: Kailash Cave … (28° 5'52.34”N, 83°54'19.07”E) is located at 1130 m in Bahakot Village Development Committee (VDC) of Syangja district (THAPA & THAPA 2010b: 2).POSITION 2010c: Syangja … Kailash Cave 28° 5'52.34”N, 83°54'19.07”E at an altitude of 1130 m (4,225 feet) above sea level (a.s.l.) (THAPA, S 2010a: 26). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2009: Kailash Cave is a double storied (THAPA & THAPA 2010a: 1; THAPA & THAPA 2010b: 2). CULTURAL HISTORY - cult spot: Kailash Cave is … highly important for Hindus for bathing during Shivaratri every year (THAPA & THAPA 2010a: 1; THAPA & THAPA 2010b: 2). CAVE LIFE - bats (Chiroptera): Myotis longipes (Dobson 1873) Kashmir Cave at / Kailash cave, Syangja (Bates et al. 1997; Csorba et al. 1999) (ADHIKARI, H 2009: 12 table 1, item 28). THAPA & THAPA (2009): In the course of a baseline survey of bats roosting in Kailash Cave … on 25 April, 2009. … four females Miniopterus schreibersii was netted whereas a dead specimen of Myotis longipes was collected and 25 Hipposideros armiger was observed. The population of the Miniopterus schreibersii was observed maximum about 200 individuals and that of Myotis longipes minimum as well as declining only fifteen. Among the five species of microchiropterans recorded from the Syangja district three species were found from the study area. However, only Myotis longipes was earlily recorded from this cave. This study added Miniopterus schreibersii, and Hipposideros armiger to the species list of this cave (Bates and Harrison, 1997). THAPA & THAPA (2010a, 2010b) drew the attention of batters not only to the existence of roosting colonies of bats (Chiroptera) represented by 200 inividuals of Miniopterus schreibersii (endemic to Nepal) along with 25 Hipposideros armiger (the common species in the cave) and 15 Myotis csorbai (rare).ividuals of Miniopterus schreibersii (endemic to Nepal) along with 25 Hipposideros armiger (the common species in the cave) and 15 Myotis csorbai (rare).