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The Borra Caves (also called Borra Guhalu) are located on the East Coast
of India, in the Ananthagiri hills of the Araku valley with hill ranges
elevation varying from 800 m to 1,300 m of the Visakhapatnam district in
Andhra Pradesh. In Telugu language, ‘Borra’ means something that has
bored into the ground and ‘Guhalu’ means caves.
The Caves, one of the largest in the country, at an elevation of about
705 m, distinctly exhibit a variety of impressive speleothems ranging
from very small to big and irregularly shaped stalactites and
stalagmites. The Caves are basically Karstic limestone structures
extending to a depth of 80 m considered the deepest cave in India. |
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Legend
On the discovery of the caves, there are several legends, which the
tribals (Jatapu, Porja, Kondadora, Nookadora, valmiki etc.) who inhabit
the villages around the caves narrate. The popular legend is that a cow,
grazing on the top of the caves, dropped 60 m (196.9 ft), through a hole
in the roof. The cowherd while searching for the cow came across the
caves. He found a stone inside the cave that resembled a Lingam, which
he interpreted as the Lord Shiva who protected the cow. The village folk
who heard the story believed it and since then they have built a small
temple for Lord Shiva outside the cave. People flock to the temple for
worship and the cave to get a glimpse of the Lingam.
Another lyrical legend is that the Shiva Lingam representing the Hindu
God Lord Shiva, is found deep in the caves and above which is a stone
formation of a cow (Sanskrit: Kamadhenu). It is surmised that the udder
of this cow is the source of the Gosthani (Sanskrit: Cow’s udder) River
which originates from here, flows through Vizianagram and Visakhapatnam
districts before debouching into the Bay of Bengal near Bheemunipatnam.
Geography and Climate
The caves are located in the Araku Valley of the Ananthagiri hill range
and is drained by the Gosthani River. At the entry, the cave measures up
to 100 m (328.1 ft) horizontally and 75 m (246.1 ft) vertically.
Stalagmite and Stalactite formations are found in the caves. The average
annual temperature of Araku hills, where the caves are situated, is
about 25 °C (77.0 °F). The average annual rainfall reported is 950 mm
(3.1 ft) (mostly occurring during the northeast monsoon). The Gosthani
river provides water supply to the Visakhapatnam city.
Biological Environment
Microorganisms
The effect of microorganisms in the mats on the cave formation and their
role on iron mineral precipitation has been further studied. A report by
Sushmitha Baskar et al. indicates a link between iron–rich mats
formation and iron precipitating bacteria.
The abstract of their report states:
The spring waters (pH neutral 7.5–7.7) contained dissolved metals like
iron and the organic mat sludge (pH 7.0–7.3) had a TOC content of
approximately 5.4 wt%. Geochemically, the spring waters deep below the
microbial mats contained Fe 369 ppb, Sr 198 ppb; and the organic mat
sludge contained Mg 9 ppm, Fe 427 ppb, Zn 149 ppb, Sr 190 ppb. XRD
observations displayed Fe minerals (dominantly hematite), minor amounts
of zinc gallium sulfide and nitrofuryl compounds. At least four groups
of bacteria identified by direct microscopy and SEM-EDX on the basis of
morphology could be observed in all samples: Leptothrix–like organisms,
entombed bacterial mineral sheaths, a few stalks of Gallionella–like
organisms and some additional bacteria that could not be further
identified. Leptothrix–like organisms contained 43.22–60.08 wt % Fe and
the mineral precipitated near and around these bacteria (in the actual
unaltered samples on site) contained 30.76–45.22 wt% Fe as identified
and quantified by SEM-EDX.
Fauna and Flora
The fauna observed in the caves are predominantly bats, as well as the
golden gecko. The type of bat reported is the fulvous fruit bat (Rousettus
leschenaultii) – a species which roosts in large caves, old buildings,
dungeons and dark areas of old forts. This species has short and slender
musculature with large, well developed eyes. They feed on flowers and
fruits, particularly jamun, guava, silk, cotton and mango. The forests
in the area are of semi-evergreen deciduous type. The flora in the cave
consist of mosses and brown-to-green algae. Since many of the species
found are endangered, mining operations are considered to be in
violation of the Environmental Protection Act.
Access
The caves are well connected by road, rail and air services.
Visakhapatnam International Airport is located 7 km from the city, is the nearest airport and the district headquarters, is 90
km (55.9 mi) by road, which is mostly a hill road and the journey takes
about 3 hours. Train services operate on the Kothavalasa-Kirandul
railway line in East Coast Railway, Indian Railways. The train journey
over a distance of 100 km (62.1 mi) from the Visakhapatnam Railway Station
passes through Eastern Ghats (hill) section), which has 30 tunnels en
route. The journey by train takes about 5 hours to the Railway Station
near the caves called the ‘Borra Guhalu Railway station’.
Visitor Information
Guided tours for a day trip to the Borra Caves cover interesting
attractions like the Tyada Railway Tunnel, Damuku View Point,
Ananthagiri Coffee Plantation, Padmapuram Gardens and the Araku Valley.
For the benefit of the visitors, an information board at the entry point
to the caves gives some details of the caves and its surroundings. An
Arraku and Borra rail-cum-road package tour organized by the Andhra
Pradesh State Tourism Department is available for visitors keen to see
the Borra caves.
A walk around the caves provides an impressive view of the mountainous
area which is rich in flora and fauna. The Andhra Pradesh State Tourism
Department has installed 26 mercury, sodium vapor and halogen electric
lamps, which provide beautiful views of the formations (pictured).
Geologists and tourists visiting the caves are enchanted by the lighted
caves. The Araku valley, a famous hill station, about 29 km (18.0 mi)
from the Borra caves is also an interesting tourist attraction for
people visiting the caves. November and December are ideal months to
visit the caves.
The caves are open to visitors from 10.00 am to 5:30 pm. Odisha
Government is going to launch facilities soon.
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