Underground Adventure

Location:
India

caving, stalactites, subterranean passages

By Srinidhi RV Lakhanigam

Underground Adventure

It isn’t everyone’s idea of a great way to spend the weekend. Spending a weekend exploring one of the longest underground cave systems in the sub-continent? Did I hear a shudder? Cold, clammy caves, deep under the earth. Bats and other nasty creatures of the night. Yes, all that, but there’s also a touch of adventure and the thrill of exploring something new. So, after a few arguments and counter-arguments we decided to hit the road and visit the Belum caves in Andhra Pradesh — India’s second longest underground cave system after the 21.5 km long Krem Um Lawan cave in Meghalaya.

We started off from Bangalore at about 9.30 am on a Friday we proceeded towards Andhra Pradesh. After passing through several small towns such as Devanahalli, Chikkaballapur, Penukonda (Andhra Pradesh), we reached Lepakshi and decided to take a breather and explore the sprawling Veerabhadra temple sited on a small hillock. The temple has some of the best mural paintings and stone sculptures of the Vijayanagara era (1336-1646 AD). The intricately carved massive monolithic idols of Ganesha and Shiva Linga inside the temple and the 30 ft tall Nandi statue nearby are awe inspiring.

From Lepakshi we proceeded towards Belum and reached there in the late afternoon. Located in limestone area in the Kolimigundla Mandal (Kolimigundla village) of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, the 3.5 km long Belum Caves are the second largest natural caves in Indian Sub-continent after the 21.5 km long Krem Um Lawan cave in Meghalaya. Belum gets its name from the Sanskrit word Bilum (meaning cave). These underground caves, located amidst flat agricultural lands, have three sinkholes, of which the central one has been converted into the main entrance with a neat flight of steps for people to enter.

After buying the tickets (Rs.25 per person) we lined up as a group in front of the main entrance to the cave for a guided tour. Srikanth, the guide took us down a concrete staircase about 30 ft below ground level, where the caves started. Inside the caves it was like a furnace, despite the fresh air supplied by blowers installed Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC). But soon the excitement and beauty of the caves took our minds away from the heat and discomfort and instead we were highly involved in admiring the well-lit and neatly maintained passages embellished with fountains and strategically placed lighting. The lighting gives the natural formations an eerie glow and makes walking through the vast subterranean passages an invigorating experience.

Marvelling at nature’s wonderful formations we quickly made our way through the different pathways in the cave. Through the high and low, thick and thin passages noting the various landmarks inside, we went on and on, sometimes crawling, other times squeezing through and easing ourselves slowly through the really narrow passages. The 4,000 year old stalactites and stalagmites formations are breathtakingly beautiful.

I must say that the AP Tourism has done a really wonderful job in restoring the caves and opening them for public. The well-planned illumination rids the caves of its typical claustrophobic feel and creates a brightness that enhances their splendour. The silence inside the cave was unbroken except by the quiet gurgle of flowing water in some passages. As we went deeper into the caves, the guide explained that though a length of 3.5 km has been successfully explored, only 1.5 km is currently open for tourists. The spacious chambers, passages, fresh water galleries and siphons thrilled us to bits.

After taking us through a maze of underground passages, the guide took us through the Simhadwaram – an natural arch-like formation whose stalactites appear like the head of a lion into the a narrow passage which leads into a large 25 X 15 ft chamber known as Kotilingam Chamber aka Kotilingalu, so called as it contains thousands of Stalagmite and Stalactite formations which appear like Lingams hence the name (Koti – crore (ten million), Lingalu – lingas).

From here a further downward passage took us to ‘Patalaganga’ the deepest part of the cave where there is a perennial spring of water above which a stalagmite formation resembling the phallic form of lord Shiva is present. The water flows from the southeast to northwest, disappearing into the depths of earth. The guide further explained that the water flows towards a well at the Belum village, about 2 km away. The fluctuation in the water level in the well is linked to level in the caves as the invisible spring formed due to percolation of water is said to feed the well too.

Starting to retrace our steps towards the surface, we enjoyed making music at the Saptasvarala Guha or musical chamber. The unique feature of this chamber is the metallic sounds the stalactites make when hit with a wooden stick or one’s knuckles.

History of the caves

The earliest record about existence of the caves was made in 1884 by a European surveyor Robert Bruce Foote. Later between 1982-84, a team of German speleologists headed by H. Daniel Gebauer conducted a detailed exploration of the caves. The German expedition was assisted by locals B. Chalapathi Reddy, Ramaswami Reddy, Boyu Madduleti, K. Padmanabhaiah, K. Chinnaiah and A. Sunkanna. In 1988 the state government came to know of the archaeological and geological importance of the area and declared it protected. Later from 1999-2002 APTDC developed the caves as a tourist attraction. Development works including clearing up the slush inside, creation of walking paths, illumination and construction oxygen shafts etc were commissioned and the caves were first thrown open for visitors in February 2002.

Belum Caves – Fact file

Timings: 10 am to 5 pm.

Compulsory guides: Visitors are not allowed to venture into the caves on their own. Trained guides take groups of 10-15 tourists into the caves at a time.

Entry Fee: Rs.25 (US $0.65) per person per trip.

Speleological Classification: Karst cave

Illumination: Electric lights and fittings.

Ventilation: Fresh-air-shafts connected to blowers outside

Total Length: 3,225m (3.25 km)

Length open to tourists: 1,500 m (1.5 km)

Duration of guided tour: 1-2 hrs (approx).

Further Information

Other helpful information: Where to stay and eat:

The APTDC maintains a small 32-bed dormitory (Rs.40/ $1 per person per night). An fast food centre, curio shop and a restaurant are also available.

Getting there.

Belum caves are located in Kolimigundla Mandal (Kolimigundla village) of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh about 270 km from Bangalore and 320 km from Hyderabad. Frequent buses connect Kurnool with Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and other major cities in the southern part of India.

Train. The nearest railway station is at Kurnool town well connected with Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Package tours. APTDC conducts weekend package tours to Belum Caves with accommodation at the dormitory. For details visit www.aptourism.com.

Must see/do at this place: The caves are the only attraction here. Inside the caves ensure that you see the musical chamber, the lion entrance, the patala ganga where you can the see the origin of water deep inside the earth.

You should avoid here: Avoid visiting the place in summer months and make arrangements to stay well in advance as there is only one hotel in the vicinity.