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The main entrance of the historic Borra Caves, located on the East Coast of India, is in the Ananthagiri hills of the Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh. The photo was taken in 2013.By Billjones94 – Own work,

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Borra Caves

Borra caves are a point of interest for tourists in Visakhapatnam. They are also called Borra Guhalu and are located on the East Coast of India. The caves are one of the largest in India at an elevation of about seven hundred and five meters. They are considered to be the deepest caves in India.

The following are the Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Borra caves;

1. Houses a natural shrine

The tribal who inhabit the villages around the caves narrated that a cow grazing on top of the cave, one day fell at a distance of two hundred feet through an opening in the roof. Those who were herding or the owners found the hole after coming across the cave.

The cowherd found a stone in the cave which resembled Lingam. The lingam stone interpreted the presence of their god. The name of the god is Lord Shiva in whom the villagers built a small temple outside the cave to honor Lord Shiva. People often gather for worship.

2. Formed by erosion of the subterranean surface

Odd shapes found in the cave have been formed by limestone, a formation brought in by the Gosthani river. Stalagmite and stalactite formations are found in the cave. Water percolating from the roof of the cdissolvesolve limestone and trickles drop by drop to form stalactites at the roof of the cave and then dripping down the cave to form stalagmites.

The deposits have formed structures inside the cave such as the Rishis beard, mushroom, crocodiles, temples, and many others. The formed structures in the cave have captured tourists while others have been given religious interpretations.

3. Borra caves are the deepest and largest caves in India

Deep Borra Caves Stairs Andhra India, By Daniel Romanson – Own work,

The cave, one of the largest in the country, at an elevation of about two thousand three hundred and thirteen feet is a karstic limestone structure extending a depth of eighty meters and is considered to be the deepest in India. It was discovered by British geologists William King in the year 1807. In-depth, it is lit with lamps just enough to create visibility for the damp pathways.

4. It is one of the only existing structures of the middle Paleolithic culture.

Archaeologists of Andhra University in their continued effort of research and to extract structures for studies have unearthed stone tools that are deemed to have been in use back to 30000-50000years by humans. The context of the years shows this was a long time and in their extraction, they confirmed that there was human habitation. Finding some old tools in the cave has made Borra to be regarded as one of the only existing structures of middle Paleolithic culture.

5. Center for film shooting

The karstic limestone structures, small to large and irregularly shaped, stalactites and stalagmites have exhibited a variety range of impressive speleothems. The carbonate rocks are pure white and deformed banded marbles, and dark and massive pyroxene outcrops have formed scenery in the caves allowing some of the Indian films to be the center of the shoot. The outcomes are so impressive due to the amazing features in the background and the sites.

6. A natural temple in the cave.

Worship of Stalagmite Lingam inside the Borra Caves, By Joshi Detroit at English ,

Inside the temple is a small temple formed Shiva lingam that makes the place sacred. The idol of the holy cow Kamdhenu regarded to be divine is worshipped by local people. Shiva lingam representing the Hindu God Lord Shiva is found deep in the cave and above which is a stone formation of a cow. The cow is also known as Kamdhenu in Hindu mythology. I

t was concluded that the udder of this cow is a source of the Gosthani river which originates from here and flows through Vizianagaram district before meeting into the Bay of Bengal.

7. Train passage

The train passes above the Borra caves, Tikiri, and Dumuripit. As per information from the guide, there is a hundred feet thick rock that supports the cave above which the tracks are laid. The train journey over a distance of hundred kilometers from the Vishakhapatnam railway station passes through the Eastern Ghats which has thirty tunnels along the route. The journey by train takes about five hours to the railway station near the cave called Borra Guhalu station.

8. One of the very few aphotic caves in the world

Burra caves are the deepest and one of the longest caves. The cave is so deep thus limited light penetrates inside. Lamps are set along that provide some light. Due to the depth, there is little light in the cave that can allow photosynthesis. Therefore it means any plant in the cave cannot produce its food. No chemical reactions would take place in absence of light.

9. 26 lamps installed by Andhra Pradesh state tourism department

Borra Caves in Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh, By Tarunsamanta – Own work,

The cave is lit with lamps of mercury, sodium vapor, and halogen. The lamps are meant to create visibility for the damp pathways. They provide beautiful views of the formation. These lights turn off in pairs and for a minute, tourists will be thrilled with the scary dark cave.

10. Located some 1400m above sea level.

The cave is Located some 1400m above sea level in the hilly area of Ananthagiri, Visakhapatnam. River Gosthani flows in the valley at the caves, making it an amazingly scenic place. Some restricted paths in the cave will lead to a dangerous fall into the river from a great height. Located on the East coast of India in Ananthagiri hills, of Araku Valley, with elevations varying from 800-1300 meters of Visakhapatnam district in Andra Pradesh. Borra spreads over an area of one square kilometer.