Kotumsar Cave

Kotumsar cave was initially named Gopansar cave (Gopan = hidden) but the present name Kotumsar became more popular as the cave is located near a village named ‘Kotumsar’. Earlier, Kotumsar cave was in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In 2000 it was in a new state, Chhattisgarh, carved out from the former as a new political entity. Kotumsar cave is a major attraction for people interested in ecotourism. It is a limestone cave formed on the Kanger limestone belt, situated near the bank of the River Kanger, a tributary of the Kolab River. The entrance coordinates are 18052’09”N; 81056’05” E (WGS 84) and it lies at an altitude of 560 m above sea level. A vertical fissure in the wall of a hill serves as the main entry for the cave, and from there for the convenience of tourists a concrete path has been made extending to the end of the cave. The main tunnel of the cave is nearly 200 m long with several lateral and downward passages. Various types of speleothems offer panoramic views . Air and water temperatures are relatively stable with an annual average of 28.25 ± 1.23 and 26.33 ± 0.96 °C, respectively (range = 25.0–32.7_C for air; 22.9–29.3 °C for water)[1]. The cave is subject to frequent flooding during the monsoon season, which generally begins in the middle of June and continues until the middle of October. The site is closed to tourists during this period. Various water pools fed by seepage throughout the year also exist in this cave .

According to Hindu mythology, caves are generally considered to be prominent religious locations. Many pilgrims visit Kotumsar cave to worship at a big speleothem formation (stalagmite) in one of the chambers. Earlier worshipers also burnt incense and camphor in this part of Kotumsar Cave, which polluted the cave ecosystem resulting in a decline of cave biodiversity. This practice was accordingly stopped by the authorities based on a report published by the National Cave research and Protection Organization, India.

The cave has been known since the British era of India, but it was not taken seriously until the 1950s when the geography professor Dr. Shankar Tiwari visited the cave and attempted to explore its chambers with limited resources and equipment. The cave was first systematically mapped in the 1980s by Dr. Jayant Biswas (then a PhD scholar), guided by a Romanian caver. The map was first published in Biswas's PhD dissertation in 1990, and in 1992 by him in the internationally recognized publication of the National Speleological Society [2].

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