From Bangalore I am mere 300 kms away from the second largest cave system in India. My husband is curious and asks me which is the largest one. That's in Meghalaya , I tell him. This was a chance discovery and my curiosity was piqued. So crossing over the border to the state of Andhra Pradesh ,
Belum caves are located near Belum Village in Kurnool district. This would be an easy 5 hour drive, and the route I found was good road with relatively less traffic.
Route taken : Devanahalli- Anantapur- Tadipatri- Belum caves
I did some research and found that the waters of Chitravati river cut underground for millions of years into the limestone (black) and resulted in the formation of these natural caves.I mean, above the caves are fields and the parking lot. These are about 3 km long but about 1.5 km is open to public.
These caves were used by Buddhist and Jain monks for meditation which is apparent from the relics , and some vessels dating 4500 BC which were found left behind. These now lie safe in the Museum at Ananthpur.
The credit for initial discovery goes to British surveyor, Robert Bruce Foote in 1884. The local people had know of these caves but the first records came from this Britisher.
Now step in the Germans.
The parking lot is next to a big Budha statue. Many beggar women made it difficult for us to even step out of the car. There is a parking fee for Rs 10.
It took us one and half hours to complete the cave tour. Having started at 10:30 we were out at 12 AM. There is an air supply system inside the caves which keeps the air flowing but the guide with us had to manually switch the fans on. Not all the fans were switched on. This created a lot of stuffiness inside but our minds were distracted by the sheer beauty which nature can create. The lights create a mesmerizing effect and you can click away to glory. I have read accounts where people have reported great maintenance of the cave system. My experience was somewhat different . I found the entire show management lacking in service. But nature never fails to disappoint and overall I enjoyed myself for the time spent inside the caves. Ensure you take your water supply.
May i urge people not to spoil nature's beauty by doing the following..
Belum caves are located near Belum Village in Kurnool district. This would be an easy 5 hour drive, and the route I found was good road with relatively less traffic.
Route taken : Devanahalli- Anantapur- Tadipatri- Belum caves
I did some research and found that the waters of Chitravati river cut underground for millions of years into the limestone (black) and resulted in the formation of these natural caves.I mean, above the caves are fields and the parking lot. These are about 3 km long but about 1.5 km is open to public.
These caves were used by Buddhist and Jain monks for meditation which is apparent from the relics , and some vessels dating 4500 BC which were found left behind. These now lie safe in the Museum at Ananthpur.
The credit for initial discovery goes to British surveyor, Robert Bruce Foote in 1884. The local people had know of these caves but the first records came from this Britisher.
Now step in the Germans.
From 1982 to 1984, a team of German speleologists headed by H. Daniel Gebauer conducted a detailed exploration of the caves.
By 1988, the state government declared the site protected, and Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) developed the caves as a tourist attraction in February 2002.
We started from Bangalore at 5 AM and reached the caves at 10 AM. We ate omelette-egg-coffee breakfast and also packed cheese sandwiches and coffee as a mid spot break meal.
There are not many places where one can stop for eating en route. Bangalore , belonging to cooler climes at 22 C would make us feel hot in Andhra Pradesh which showed temperature of 35 C. So I ensured that I was dressed aptly for the caves which I had studied would be quite hot and humid and stuffy. Expected. People with medical issues like asthma should exercise caution before embarking on this trip.
The parking lot is next to a big Budha statue. Many beggar women made it difficult for us to even step out of the car. There is a parking fee for Rs 10.
The signboard at the ticket counter states the open time as 10 AM. The ticket counter personnel refused to give tickets before 10:30 AM. Either the counter agent is wrong or is the signboard.
The ticket price is now 65 for Indians . I had read while doing research that this includes the
cost of guide as well. No guide was provided to us. We went and asked the personnel there and they made million excuses about language specific guide and how they were late and had not reached their place of work. Whats new there?
There are steps which you need to negotiate to get down. As soon as i entered the cave there is a huge hall like structure . I could see a lot of local crowd there clicking selfies away. I realized its good to be the first few to enter, at least on weekends. As time passes by, the crowd started to swell and the passages down the cave became narrower. Merely taken few steps we saw a guide calling out if someone had asked for a guide. He came with us and started explaining the basics. In English.
I had done basic research so I did not find any fact conveyed to be too enlightening.
But he was very useful in showing us the way around. There is a specific route to follow. The cave is lit well but we had a head lamp with us which my husband held in his hand and was useful at certain places.
Ticket price is Rs 65 for adults and 45 for child (5 to 10 years)
The ticket price is now 65 for Indians . I had read while doing research that this includes the
cost of guide as well. No guide was provided to us. We went and asked the personnel there and they made million excuses about language specific guide and how they were late and had not reached their place of work. Whats new there?
There are steps which you need to negotiate to get down. As soon as i entered the cave there is a huge hall like structure . I could see a lot of local crowd there clicking selfies away. I realized its good to be the first few to enter, at least on weekends. As time passes by, the crowd started to swell and the passages down the cave became narrower. Merely taken few steps we saw a guide calling out if someone had asked for a guide. He came with us and started explaining the basics. In English.
I had done basic research so I did not find any fact conveyed to be too enlightening.
But he was very useful in showing us the way around. There is a specific route to follow. The cave is lit well but we had a head lamp with us which my husband held in his hand and was useful at certain places.
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| First sight of Belum caves from the roadside. Check the beautiful Buddha statue. Pristine white |
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| Entry to Belum caves |
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| Parking area with backdrop of Budha statue |
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| Ticket counter. Visiting hours state 10 AM. Ticket disbursed only at 10:30 AM |
Ticket price is Rs 65 for adults and 45 for child (5 to 10 years)
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| Walking towards the gate where ticket is checked before the descend into caves |
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| The descend begins |
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| The staircase leads into a relatively large hall |
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| Historical facts |
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| These are black limestone caves |
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| Amazing geographical formations |
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| Add caption |
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| The artificial lights add a eerie hue inside the caves..I look a little bemused!!! |
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| Caves are very narrow and one needs to squeeze through in some places |
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| The caves narrow and space out in different places |
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| Stalactite formation |
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| Banyan tree formation i |
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| Patal Ganga- the widest deepest point in the cave system with perennial water presence |
May i urge people not to spoil nature's beauty by doing the following..
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| Urge tourists not to do this and spoil the natural beauty |
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