Cave research in India

Indo-Italian joint venture in cave expedition

Cave research in India, encompassing the study of speleology and biospeleology, is still in its infancy. Although there are thousands of caves in India, research expeditions occur in few states. The Kotumsar Cave is one of the most explored caves of India. Biologists have classified many types of cavernicoles, i.e. trogloxenes, troglophiles and troglobites, from this cave. Dr. Jayant Biswas is one notable researcher in this field; Biswas's effort not only explains the subterranean ecosystem properly but also various aspects of science related to cave study.

Caving regions

Meghalaya

Expedition is in progress in Meghalayan Caves

The Indian state of Meghalaya is famous for its many caves, which attract tourists from India and abroad. A few of the caves in this region have been listed amongst the longest and deepest in the world.

Khasi hills

• Mawsmai Cave (show cave exclusively for tourists)
• Krem Mawmluh (4th longest in the Indian sub continent)
• Krem Phyllut, length: 1,003 m (3,291 ft)
• Krem Soh Shympi (Mawlong, East Khasi Hills), length: 760 m (2,490 ft)
• Krem Mawsynram
• Krem Dam, length: 1,297 m (4,255 ft)

Jaintia hills

• Krem Liat Prah, length: approx 31 km (Longest in the Indian Subcontinent)
• Krem Um-Lawan, length: 6,381 m (20,935 ft)
• Ka Krem Pubon Rupasor or The Rupasor Cave
• Krem Kotsati, length: 3,650 m (11,980 ft)
• Krem Umshangktat, length: 955 m (3,133 ft)
• Krem Lashinng, length: 2,650 m (8,690 ft)
• Krem Sweep, length: 970 m (3,180 ft)

Garo hill

• Siju-Dobkhakol, length: 4,772 m (15,656 ft)
• Tetengkol-Balwakol, length: 5,334 m (17,500 ft)
• Dobhakol Chibe Nala, length: 1,978 m (6,490 ft)
• Bok Bak Dobhakol, length: 1,051 m (3,448 ft)

Most of the caves of these areas were either discovered or surveyed by the Europeans (especially by German, British and Italian cavers). Herbert Daniel Gebauer, Simon Brooks, Thomas Arbenz and Rosario Ruggieri are the most prominent name among them. Brian Khapran-Daly of Meghalaya Adventure association have expedite most of the caves of Meghalaya (stated below). In addition to these, the cavers' associations of Meghalaya have always been found to be active in cave discoveries of that plateau.

Andhra Pradesh

Meditation Hall inside Belum Caves

• Belum Caves, length: 3,229 m (10,594 ft)
• Borra Cave, length: 625 m (2,051 ft)
• Guthikonda Caves, length: ..... m (0 ft)

The most famous among the caves of Andhra Pradesh are: Belum Caves, Borra Caves, Guthikonda Caves, Yaganti Caves.

Madhya Pradesh

The inner panaromic view of Dandak Cave, Chhattisgarh, India

• The Bhimbetka of Raisen District
• Bagh Caves of Dhar district
• New Cave in Raisen District,
• Jana Mana Cave of Kanha National Park

Few Ancient caves of Madhya Pradesh are well known. Few more caves have also been recently limelighted

Chhattisgarh

• The Kotumsar Cave of Kanger Ghati National Park, length: 660 m (2,170 ft)
• Dandak Cave of Kanger Ghati National Park, length: 362 m (1,188 ft)
• Kailash Cave of Kanger Ghati National Park, length: 253 m (830 ft)
• Mandhip Khol,Gandai, Rajanandgaon length: 430 m (1,410 ft)
• Singhanpur cave, Raigarh (yet unexplored)

Cultural importance

Panorama of the Ajanta caves

Ice Shiva Lingam in the Holy Cave

In India, many caves are popular tourist sites. The caves of Ajanta, Udaygiri, Barabar, Sigiriya, Undavalli, Pandavleni, Ellora are famous for archaeological finds and ancient architectural value.

Religious importance

Cave Temple of Lord Amarnath ji

The stalagmite formations present in most natural limestone caves resemble Shiva Linga (an Indian God), due to which most of the caves in India are considered of great religious import. In addition, several universally known caves related to Buddhism is also exist in India. The same attraction leads local people to visit small caves as it draws tourists to large show caves. In India, Amarnath caves, Vaishno Devi Mandir, Badami Cave Temples, Hulimavu Shiva cave temple, Mahakali Caves, Mandapeshwar Caves, Pandavleni Caves are all well known for their high religious value.

Current research

Jayant Biswas and his contemporaries continue to research the biospeleology of Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh and Western Ghats and hope to establish India amongst other notable countries on the cave map of the world.

The blind and albinic cavefish from Kotumsar Cave, India

Research is also taking place on Indian cave stalagmites, to estimate the past monsoon climate. Dr Ashish Sinha of California State University is taking major steps to understand the past pattern Indian monsoons via cave research, in addition, Prof. Rengaswamy Ramesh, Dr. M. G. Yadava of Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Prof. Bahadur Kotlia of The Durham, Kumaun University Nainital and Dr. Jayant Biswas, National Cave Research and Protection Organization, India, also initiated some research in this direction.

Besides Dr. Biswas, Dr. Daniel Harries of Edinburgh and Dr. Adora Thabah of Bristol University, UK, Prof. A. K. Pati and Dr. R. K. Pradhan of Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University of Raipur, Prof. Y. Ranga Reddy of Nagarjuna University and Prof. G. Marimuthu of Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Ramanathan and Sushmita Baskar of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology of Hisar are some of the known researchers who have tried to shed some light on the biospeleology of Indian caves.

Conservation

Unscientific quarrying of limestone led to the collapse of the Mawmluh cave of Meghalaya, and the caves of Jantia Hills are also in danger due to excessive quarrying of coal.

The 'National Cave Research and Protection Organization, India' has been formed to help protect the caves of India. In addition, members of the Meghalaya Adventures Association (principally, Brian Kharpan Dally) work to protect the natural caves of Meghalaya.

See also

• List of India cave temples
• Pit cave
• List of caves

References

• Ruggieri Rosario, Biswas Jayant 2011 The Karst Mandhip Khol-python cave complex in the lenticular limestone intercalations of the matamorphic Chhatrela formation (Chhattisgarh, India)
• Biswas Jayant 2010 Kotumsar Cave biodiversity: a review of cavernicoles and their troglobiotic traits
• Biswas Jayant 2009 The biodiversity of Krem Mawkhyrdop of Meghalaya, India, on the verge of extinction
• Sinha Ashish et al. 2011 The leading mode of Indian Summer Monsoon precipitation variability during the last millennium
• Harries et al 2008 A Review of the Biospeleology of Meghalaya, India
• Baskar Sushmitha, Baskar Ramanathan and Barton Hazel 2009 Cave geomicrobiology in the Indian context
• Biswas's Profile Some of the work of Dr. Biswas

External links

• cave-biology.org Cave biology (biospeleology) in India
• crapo.info National Cave Research and Protection Organization, India