B – BURRA CAVES

B - stands for BURRA CAVES located 1,400 metres above sea level in Visakhapatnam. 

We can find these caves on the way to Aaraku valley. 

image from Google

Borra Caves are also called Borra Guhalu in Telugu language. Borra means something that has bored into the ground and guhalu means caves, this is located on the east coast of India in Anantagiri hills of the Araku valley of the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh. The caves are one of the largest in the country and also considered the deepest cave in India.

There are several Legends about these caves, wherein the tribal’s around the villages narrate. The popular legend is that a cow, grazing on the top of the caves, dropped through a hole in the roof.  The cowherd while searching for the cow came across the caves.  He found a stone inside the cave that resembled a Lingam, which he interpreted as the Lord Shiva who protected the cow.  The village folk who heard the story believed it and since then they have built a small temple for Lord Shiva outside the cave. People flock to the temple to worship.

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

The River which originates from these caves and flows between the solidified stalactites and stalagmites in the karstic lime stones formation is the cause for the development of the odd shapes and structures. Stalactites are calcium carbonate deposits that hang from the top of the cave.  Stalagmites are deposits that form at the bottom of the cave and grow upward.  

These deposits have developed into interesting forms and structures inside the caves such as Shiva parvathi, mother-child, rishi’s beard, etc… It’s interesting to see the forms that have now become tourist attraction.  The tourism has made efforts to add to the natural beauty by adding colorful lights.

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borra_Caves

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