My first acquaintance with stalactites and stalagmites—Belum caves, second largest cave system in the Indian subcontinent. Thanks to my friend P who found out about this place; all of us got our first taste of going into a cave system.
Where
Situated in the state of Andhra Pradesh, at around 300 kms from the city of Bangalore, ‘Belum Guhalu’ as it is called in Telugu language is a commercial cave. This means you are charged a nominal fee for entry, and a guide is mandatory. You cannot spend the day spelunking on your own.
Only a part of the cave system is open to public – illuminated with soft lights, installed stairways and fresh-air shafts.
We were told that some relics from the Buddhist period were found in the cave which are now displayed in the museum in Ananthapur. The first thing you see on reaching Belum is the massive white colored Buddha statue against a small hill with the words ‘ BELUM’ written on it. There is a small canteen and washroom facilities outside the cave.
The drive from Bangalore to Belum caves is pretty interesting too; we passed a large sunflower field, black tiles/granite quarries, and a cement factory that resembled an alien spaceship from far. Yeah I know, me and my imagination!
All in all, Belum is an easy day trip from the big cities of Bangalore or Hyderabad.
Do you know of an interesting cave worth a visit?
Other cave trips – Dachstein ice cave in Austria.
I love caves 🙂 they are fascinating and full of mysteries..This cave looks impressive! Thank you so much for the review! I have been to Cave Grote de Han in Belgium, should travel more to cave in the land, mostly I visited the underwater cave 🙂
Just googled the cave you mentioned, looks interesting! Underwater caves sounds eerie to me, but yes you get to see so many sea creatures.
this cave looks beautiful! I had no idea about it, thanks for sharing!
Nicely done series. Eye-catching shots of the cave and statue.
Thank you. ?
Nicely done article. I am planning to do a one day ride from Bangalore. Anything I should be aware of? 🙂
Thank you!
A small section of the road was bad; hopefully it’s all tarred now.
Also, there weren’t any restaurants in the vicinity of the cave. We had carried sandwiches and picnicked nearby.
Those caves look absolutely stunning <3
Thank you!
Stunning photos!
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