Belum Caves

GS1 – Art & Culture

Context:

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has granted Geo-Heritage Site status to the Belum Caves located in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district.

Key Details about Belum Caves

• Initially identified in 1884 by Robert Bruce Foote, the caves were later extensively surveyed between 1982 and 1984 by H.D. Gebauer.
• These caves were naturally carved from black limestone due to prolonged action of subterranean water flow.
• Inside, one can find spectacular stalactites (hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (rising from the ground), which over time merge into natural columns.
• Foote is notably remembered as the Father of Indian Prehistory for discovering the first Paleolithic tool in India at Pallavaram.

Cultural and Geological Significance

• Belum Caves were once occupied by Buddhist and Jain monks; evidence includes a Shiva Lingam and the presence of a natural spring called Patalaganga.
• The internal climate remains stable at around 33°C year-round.
• It is believed that the underground water here connects to nearby village wells and is influenced by the Penna River.
• Archaeological digs have uncovered artifacts over 4,500 years old, pointing to habitation before the Buddhist era.
• Some of the cave’s distinctive chambers include Meditation Hall, Thousand Hoods, Airavatham, and Mayamandiram.
• Belum stands as the second-longest natural cave system in India. The longest globally is the Mammoth Cave in the USA, while Krem Liat Prah in Meghalaya holds the title within India.

Geological Features

• Stalactites are mineral formations suspended from the ceiling, created by the continuous dripping of mineral-rich water—shaped like tapering icicles.
• Stalagmites, formed on the cave floor below stalactites, arise from the same dripping process and may fuse with stalactites to form pillar-like formations, changing the cave’s interior structure.

Geo-Heritage Sites – Overview

• These are areas with exceptional geological or paleontological value, such as caves, rock forms, fossils, meteorites, or stratified rock layers.
• Managed by the Geological Survey of India, such sites are protected for purposes including research, conservation, public education, and tourism.
• Other prominent geo-heritage sites in India include Lonar Crater (Maharashtra), St. Mary’s Island (Karnataka), and Erra Matti Dibbalu (Andhra Pradesh).

About the Geological Survey of India (GSI)

• Established in 1851, following earlier groundwork by John McClelland in 1846 under the East India Company, and formalized under Thomas Oldham.
• One of India’s earliest scientific organizations, second only to the Survey of India (1767).
• Operates under the Ministry of Mines as an attached office.
• Headquartered in Kolkata, with regional and state offices across the country.
• Its mandate includes conducting geoscientific research, mineral resource surveys, natural hazard assessments, and overseeing geo-heritage conservation.