This blog on Belum Caves exploration is in continuation to our blog on our visit to Gandikota, the Grand Canyon of India. We explored Gandikota Fort and gorge on the first day of our trip and on the second day we planned to go for the must-visit secret in South India- the cave exploration in the Belum Caves on our way back to Bangalore. The distance between Gandikota and Belum Caves is around 60 KM and it took around one and a half hour to reach Belum Caves.
Belum Caves located in Belum Village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh is the second longest (more than 3000 m underground tunnel system) caves in India and it has some interesting stories attached to it. It is believed that this cave was once used by the Buddhist and Jain monks as meditation and living centers. Few evidences found in the cave even date back to 4500 BC. This cave was mainly formed of limestone rocks millions of years ago and it is said that it got eroded by the nearby Chrithravati River over time.
We were super excited as well as thrilled as we never explored such a long underground cave before. We started our journey into the cave using a metal staircase and entered the first point of the cave called Gebauer Hall which was named after Herbert Daniel Gebauer, a German speleologist, who led the first exploration of the Belum Caves back in 1982.
As we moved forward, we came to a hall-like area which was beautifully illuminated with colorful lights making the start more enchanting. From here, started our real cave exploration.
It was all about walking in a maze, where one road connects with many others. Some passages were narrow, some were slightly broad and at some points, the ceilings were so low that we even had to bend fully to get through. The walls had markers which somehow helped us to not get lost in the maze.
As we walked deeper into the cave, we were stunned to see some amazing intricate natural art work. Uniquely shaped stalactite and stalagmite formations were all over the cave. Some shape resembles lion’s head, some resembles Banyan tree, some has shapes similar to Shiva Lingam and there was another stalactite formation which produce melodious musical sounds on hitting with bamboo stick. This part of the cave is called Saptasvaralaguha or the cave with the 7 musical notes.
We kept on moving forward and reached the deepest part of the cave called Patalganga, which is around 150 feet below sea level. From this point, an underground stream of natural water mysteriously flows to some other point still unknown. A recent study came up with some remarkable discovery regarding this place. It revealed the existence of some unique creatures in this part and these were named Andhracoides gebaueri- named in honor of the German speleologist Herbert Daniel Gebauer.
The entire trail was so amazing that we lost track of our time and spent some two long hours exploring the different chambers and the winding tunnels of the cave. We all were literally sweating as it was pretty hot and humid inside despite having fresh-air shafts in the entire stretch. There were sufficient lights installed inside the tunnel which made the journey somehow smooth. However, some construction works were going on inside that time and there were few moments when these lights abruptly went off and we completely stood in pitch dark.
It just made us wonder how the ancient monks used to live inside these small chambers using these narrow tunnels and meditate inside without any electrical lights or ventilation. Really amusing!
This voluminous cave is maintained by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) and this has recently been promoted as one of the best tourism spot in South India. For easy movements of the tourists, they also built bridges and staircases inside the tunnel.
We ended our cave journey and made a visit to the 40 feet tall Buddha Statue built to symbolize the Buddhist significance attached to this ancient cave. The statue looks really spectacular.
APTDC has also built a canteen in the entry point where we had some light snacks before leaving out for Lepakshi on our way back to Bangalore.
Belum Caves exploration was nothing short of an adventure. Without a question, this is one of the must-visit secret and fresh tourist attractions in South India.
Below are the details and tips for the Belum Caves trip:
- Entry fees: 50 INR(for Indians), 300 INR (for foreigners)
- Open Hours: 10:00AM – 5:30PM
- Things available: Restrooms, a small canteen
Tips:
- Best time to travel to Belum Caves is between September and February. We went during September and still we were sweating hard inside the caves. Avoid going during summer.
- There are chances of slipping inside the caves. So wear decent shoes (preferably trekking shoes) with strong grip.
- Carry a lot of water.
- Carry a torch, just to be on the safer side (though there are sufficient light already installed)
- Wear comfortable and light cotton clothes
- Carry food along with you as there are no restaurants nearby
If you have already traveled to Belum Caves, share your experience in the comment section below. If you haven’t, please visit this secret in South India before it gets too much crowded. For more travel adventure stories, click here. THANK YOU!
