Belum Caves Crafted By Nature

Do caves fascinate you? Or, are you scared of entering a cave? Caves not only fascinate but excite Ghumakkad!

In a span of three weeks, we visited two caves during a self-drive expedition covering 3000 kms from Hyderabad. Call it madness during the peak of summer!

This story takes you to Belum Caves in Andhra Pradesh India. These caves have been crafted by Nature over millions of years. Being limestone caves, flowing underground river has chiselled its way through the rocks. Like the tentacles of an octopus, underground caves also spread in multiple directions. More on it later.

Where is Belum?

It is 375 kms south of Hyderabad, slightly east of National Highway NH44. It is a 7-hour drive and a getaway for Nature and exploration buffs. See the map below courtesy Google Maps.

Types of Caves

Basically, the caves can be of two types- rock cut (or man-made) or natural. Belum caves are natural whereas India has many rock cut caves like Ellora, Udaygiri, etc. See the caves map of India below.

Belum Caves in Pictures

Sharing below are a set of pictures with commentary superimposed for ease of browsing. View it in full screen to 'feel' the darkness and the thrill of visiting a dimly lit cave.

See the spread of the underground caves in the engraved map below. Does it remind you of the tentacles of an octopus?

Please browse the YouTube video below shot by Ghumakkad while negotiating the dark cave. I grazed the low ceiling at many places. With only one air vent working in the cave, I had to stand below the vent to recharge the lungs and carry on. The video is a bit long but it gives you the 'real' feeling of being underground in darkness!

While writing this story, we chanced upon a post by Debashis Mukherjee, a passionate traveller and explorer. He visited the famous Postojna Cave in Slovenia in June 2024. Like Belum caves, Postojna limestone caves have also been created by a river named Pivka. 

In Debashis' words, "Visited Postojna Caves, about 55 km away from Ljubljana. I have seen many underground limestone caves in India (in Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya) and all over the world (Vietnam, Spain, France, etc.) but this one is just mind blowing. These caves are over 24 km long and one of the biggest and most spectacular in the world. It is also unique in that there is a railway system inside the caves for the benefit of the visitors which was installed 140 years ago!

Photos cannot capture the magnificence and grandeur of these natural wonders created by mother nature over millions of years. One has to actually see them. That’s why I travel!"

Thanks Debashis for echoing Ghumakkad's passion. In fact Debashis and Ghumakkad did a self-drive together from Kolkata to Munsiyari and back. That story is yet to be posted by Ghumakkad. You may browse Debashis' posts with spectacular pictures by clicking here.

Sharing below three of the pictures of Postojna Caves taken by Debashis.

Postojna Caves have the world's only cave post office. See the picture below.

Continuing with our pictures of Belum Caves.

 

More Stories on Caves in India

We are sharing below the links to some of our earlier stories on caves. Just click the link to browse the pictures and videos of each of the featured caves.

Undavalli Caves- An architectural marvel in Andhra Pradesh. Monolith rock cut caves with four-stories having a reclining Vishnu idol.

Next, we have Borra Caves in the Eastern Ghats in India, 90-kms north of Vishakhapatnam. But these are natural caves formed because of rich limestone rocks. Spectacular to see, specially when lighted up. Stalactite and Stalagmite create surreal shapes. You may read the following picture story.

Beauty of Darkness - Magic created 150-million years ago by Stalactites and Stalagmites

Another cave which offers a bit of thrill and adventure is the Narsing Temple near Bidar in Karnataka. You have to wade through chest high water for half a km or so, to reach the deity in the cave. Pretty scary to say the least. Browse the last part of the story linked below to feel the thrill:

Wading through Chest-high water in a Cave - Narsing cave temple near Bidar in Karnataka India

We close with Joseph Campbell's famous words, "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." Isn't that true about the challenges (caves) we face in our lives?

Thanks for browsing. More stories on rock-cut architecture of India will follow soon. Stay connected.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Belum Caves, Andhra Pradesh India/ 15th July, 2024

#belumcaves #limestonerocks #andhrapradesh #APTourism #stalagtites #stalactites #naturalcaves #underground #darkness #chiselledbywater #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #borracaves #narsingtemple #bidar #postojnacaves #cavepostoffice #slovenia #debashis1

Puducherry- The Changing Face

Has Puducherry Changed?

Puducherry (aka Pondicherry), a French colonial settlement till 1953, was known for the following:

• Sandy beaches
• The Prominade by the sea
• French villas and houses
• Auroville (City of Dawn) and Aurobindo Ashram
• JIPMER- premier institute for PG medical education and research

With the passage of time and construction of breakwaters, beaches are no longer sandy. JIPMER continues to attract top most meritorious students. Auroville, an ecologically designed township, gets thousands of visitors every week. With Union Territory status, the economy of Puducherry has bounced back. However, to cater to the tourists, number of fast food outlets, Airbnb and other types of accommodation and wine shops have mushroomed. Ghumakkad visited Pondicherry enroute to Pichavaram on 17-19 May 2024. Sharing below few pictures bringing out the changing face of this colonial settlement.

The history of Puducherry reveals territorial dominance by multiple dynasties from about 4th Century CE to the 20th Century. While staying in Puducherry, Ghumakkad noticed neighbourhood chicken and cocks fighting for territorial dominance for the morning feed. Sharing a short 30-sec video with you. Mankind, animal kingdom or the birds- the story is the same! What do you say?

How to Reach

Puducherry is well connected by road and air. Rail head is 24 kms away. See the coastal route from Chennai in the map below:

The existing icons and the emerging face of Puducherry are brought out in the pictures below.

Inaugurated in November 2022, the imposing structure shown below is sure to become the new icon of Puducherry. Unfortunately sites like Wikipedia haven't updated yet!

Airbnb and other travel portals, offer a variety of budget accommodation at Puducherry. Where we stayed, it was nicely furnished and well kept. Loved the way old glass bottles had been recycled by the owner. Few pictures.

Why carry a bicycle all the way from Chennai to Puducherry as shown in the picture below? Because on the return leg, our son Ankush who is preparing for the Iron Man challenge, rode his bicycle for 120 kms. He left at 5.30AM and reached Chennai before us in the car. 

You may browse the picture story of 70.3 Iron Man which he completed in Nov-22.

Iron Man in the Family - A thrilling narrative of 1.9 km sea swim, 90 kms bike followed by 21.1 km run - all on one morning in that sequence!

The story on Puducherry continues.

Puducherry-Cuddalore highway has a unique cafe. Called Grami Cafe, It serves millet-based dishes and is very tastefully done up. See the pictures below.

Once again, many thanks to our son Ankush for putting the whole trip together and accompanying us on the road.

Readers may browse our story on Pichavaram Mangrove Forest by clicking the link below:

Pichavaram Mangroves- The 2nd Largest in India - Pictures and videos show how the mangroves in Pichavaram have been well protected despite a large number of tourists every day.

Change is part of life. In fact changing seasons help sustain life on our planet. Best example of a change which we encounter everyday is the sunset and sunrise. We close with a PQ- picturesque quote on the morning glow in our lives by Gautam Buddha. He said "Each morning we are born again. What we today is what matters most".

Thanks for browsing. Stay connected.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 2nd July 2024

Postscript:

3rd July: Dr Umesh Dhyani wrote: 

"1. In 1980s- Pondicherry shops had wooden doors.

2.  in 1990s-  wooden doors were changed to glass doors.

3. Shops were AC, beeches were vibrant and tourism vibrant. 

4.  You missed Pondicherry university. Campus is like a resort.

I did my PGDBA from Pondicherry university. 

City was heritage in 1980s."

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