About Borra Caves (Borra Guhalu) :
The Borra Caves, also called Borra Guhalu in Telugu language (‘Borra’ means something that has bored into the ground and ‘guhalu’ means caves), are located on the East Coast of India, in the Ananthagiri hills of the Araku valley (with hill ranges elevation varying from 800 m (2,624.7 ft) to 1,300 m (4,265.1 ft)) of the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh. The Caves, one of the largest in the country, at an elevation of about 705 m (2,313.0 ft), distinctly exhibit a variety of impressive speleothems(pictured) ranging from very small to big and irregularly shaped, stalactites and stalagmites.The Caves are basically Karstic limestone structures extending to a depth of 80 m (262.5 ft) (considered the deepest cave in India).In 1807, William King George of the Geological Survey of India discovered the caves.On the discovery of the caves, there are several legends, which the tribals (Jatapu, Porja, Kondadora, Nookadora, valmiki etc.) who inhabit the villages around the caves narrate. The popular legend is that a cow, grazing on the top of the caves, dropped 60 m (196.9 ft), 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 for worship and the cave to get a glimpse of the Lingam.Another lyrical legend is that the Shiva Lingam (phallic symbol) representing the Hindu God Lord Shiva, is found deep in the caves and above which is a stone formation of a cow (Sanskrit: Kamadhenu). It is surmised that the udder of this cow is the source of the Gosthani (Sanskrit: Cow’s udder) River which originates from here, flows through Orissa before debouching into the Bay of Bengal.The caves are located in the Araku Valley of the Ananthagiri hill range and is drained by the Gosthani River. At the entry, the cave measures up to 100 m (328.1 ft) horizontally and 75 m (246.1 ft) vertically. Stalagmite and Stalactite formations are found in the caves. The average annual temperature of Araku hills, where the caves are situated, is about 25 °C (77.0 °F). The average annual rainfall reported is 950 mm (3.1 ft) (mostly occurring during the northeast monsoon). The Gosthani river provides water supply to the Visakhapatnam city.
Entry Fee:
Adult Rupees 25/-
Child Rupees 15/-
Cameras allowed at fee of Rupees 10/-
Video cameras at a fee of Rupees 100/-
Timings: 10 AM to 5.30 PM
General Information about Borra Caves (Borra Guhalu) :
Location: Hyderabad
State: Andhra Pradesh
Capital: Hyderabad
Language: Telugu, Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 42˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 21˚C, Min 14˚C (winter)
Best Season: October to February
How to Reach Borra Caves (Borra Guhalu) :
The caves are well connected by road, rail and air services. Vishkapatnam, the nearest airport and the district headquarters, is 90 km (55.9 mi) by road, which is mostly a hill road and the journey takes about 3 hours.Train services operate on the Kothavalasa-Kirandul railway line in East Coast Railway, Indian Railways. The train journey over a distance of 100 km (62.1 mi)from the Vishkapatanam Rly station passes through Eastern Ghats (hill) section), which has 30 tunnels en-route. The journey by train takes about 5 hours to the Railway Station near the caves called the ‘Borra Guhalu Railway station’.