It was a day to explore the dark
chambers of a cave. It was a day to go for cave exploring. BORRA CAVES was my destination.
How
I reached Borra Caves?
Borra Caves is one of the major interesting attraction in Araku Valley. It is around 35 kms from Araku Valley. Early morning I boarded a public bus from Araku town centre which dropped me at Muliguda bus stop (Borra
Cave junction). It was more or less a 90 minutes journey through the serpentine
scenic ghat road. The bus ticket
costed me 25 rupees. Now, it is another 6 kms of serpentine road from Borra
Caves junction to the entrance of Borra Caves. There are a couple of shops at
the Borra Caves junction. I entered one of the shops to have refreshments. The
helpful shopkeeper asked me to wait till I found a shared auto to go to the
caves. The auto guy charged me 50 rupees.
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bus ticket from Araku Valley to Borra junction
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| Borra
Caves junction |
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idli
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Entry
fee for Borra Cave
There is an entry fee. It should be noted no big bags are
allowed beyond the entrance gate. One can keep the bags at the deposit counter.
There is a waiting shed, a couple of eateries, and a restaurant managed by Andhra
Pradesh Tourism at the entry gate. Beyond the entry gate, a long flight of
stairs and cemented path shaded by trees on both sides; and eventually you
arrive at the mouth of the cave. You must watch out for monkeys as you walk
from the gate to the mouth of the cave. Please be careful. Do not tease them
and do not offer food to them.
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way to the entrance of Borra Caves
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entry fee info
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Borra Caves
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way to Borra Caves
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Who
discovered Borra Caves?
It was William King George, the British geologist who found
these limestone caves in 1807. However, the locals has different stories to
narrate regarding the discovery of the cave. One of these stories say it was a
cowherd who came across these caves while searching for his lost cow. He discovered
a naturally formed shivalingam on
entering the cave. He believed it saved the cow’s life. The village folks built
a Shiva shrine outside the caves.
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Borra Caves
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Let’s
find out more...
Regarded as the largest and the deepest cave in India, Borra
Caves are a million-year-old. It is at an elevation of about 705 m. and spread
across an area of 2 sq. km. These limestone caves were formed as a result of
the flow of Gosthani River on the limestone deposits. A flight of stairs leads
you inside from the huge opening of the cave’s mouth. The first thing that hits
you as you enter inside is the cool temperature even though it is blazing hot
outside.
The well-maintained cemented path makes it easier to navigate
and explore the huge cave. The dark cave is well lit with sodium vapour and
halogen electric lamps. Oh yes one has to navigate through a narrow opening to
go to the other side of the cave as well. There is also a steep staircase, in
one section of the cave, built all the way to the top of the cave where there is
another extremely small temple
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| stalagmites |
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Borra Caves
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| stalactites |
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| stalactites |
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| stalactites |
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| stalactites |
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| stalactites |
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temple at the entrance of the cave
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| long flight of stairs inside Borra Caves |
Water dripping from the roof of the cave containing calcium bi
carbonate and other minerals formed breathtaking mounds on the ground called stalagmites and spear like structures
hanging from the roof called stalactites.
These stalagmites and stalactites took interesting shapes such
as Shiva-Parvathi, rishi's beard,
mother-child, crocodile, human brain, tiger, and cow’s udder. You can still see drops of water dripping from the top
to form interesting forms and sculptures! My phone was occupied in clicking
pictures, but it doesn’t do justice to the actual thing that lies in front of
your eyes.
I hate to admit the fact how irritating it is to see most of
the visitors specially the guys practising their screaming skills to hear the
hollow echo sound reverberating in the huge empty cave.
Gosthani River
and the hills are clearly visible from the vantage viewing points in the green and leafy
surroundings outside the cave. Leaving behind the cave world, I returned to the
bus stop on a shared auto. On the way, we stopped at some random spot to see an apiary (beekeeping farm). Next to the farm there was a shop selling locally produced organic honey. I had to wait for a long time before a local bus arrived
from the Vishakhapatnam side.
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Gosthani river
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apiary
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locally produced honey
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Araku Valley is known for its many coffee plantations. The serpentine
ghat road from the bus stop passes through a few such coffee plantations. I
requested the bus driver to stop at a random coffee plantation on the way. A makeshift
tea stall manned by a local lady stood on the side of a road. Tall trees
towered above me as I climbed the hilly slope behind the makeshift tea stall to
check out the coffee plants. The coffee plants were overladen with bright
red and green cherry beans. After spending few minutes going from shrub to
shrub, I came down on the main road. The place was quiet except for the passing
vehicles. While waiting for a vehicle to go to Galikonda view point, I had a
lovely chat with the local lady at the roadside stall. She was cradling her
baby as she prepared Araku coffee for me. I got a ride in a small van.
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coffee plantation
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| coffee plantation |
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| coffee plantation |
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| coffee plantation |
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| coffee plantation |
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| coffee plantation |
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a taste of Araku coffee
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ghat road and coffee plantation
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the stall and the coffee plantation
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ghat road
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GALIKONDA
VIEWPOINT lies between Borra Caves and Araku town. It is the second highest
peak in the Eastern Ghats with an altitude of 4,320 ft. above MSL (mean sea level). The viewing point
rewards you with a spectacular view of lush green valley, hills, a railway
track, and cottages. Feast your eyes for as long as you want to.
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Galikonda Viewpoint
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| Galikonda Viewpoint |
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| Galikonda Viewpoint |
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| Galikonda Viewpoint |
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| Galikonda Viewpoint |
There are a couple of roadside stalls where you can satisfy
your hunger pangs with freshly made bamboo chicken, grilled roasted corn, tea, and
coffee. You can purchase souvenir items from a couple of stalls, too. How I
wished arrangements were put in place for proper disposable of garbage at this
scenic spot! It was extremely disheartening to see the beautiful place ruined
with litter. One side there was litter and another side was natural beauty! The
irony!!! Anyway, where I was. Hmmm yes by now, daylight was saying goodbye. It
was getting chilly. I didn’t have to wait long for a return bus.
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stalls at Galikonda Viewpoint
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stalls at Galikonda Viewpoint
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I was back
again in the hustle and bustle of the town centre. I strolled around the small
market. When hunger pangs kicked in, I looked for an eatery. I found a tiny
eatery. I ordered something to eat. I sat there for a long time and had
conversation with the young son and daughter of the shop owner. The youngsters
and I had a pretty good time talking about their school life and other things.
That’s how my second day in Araku
Valley came to an end.
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local market at Araku Valley
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local market at Araku Valley
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Thank you for stopping by!
Travelled on: 20 January 2020
© The content and images are copyright of Hema Hazarika
(thehaflonggirl).
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