Borra Caves In Andhra Is A Rare Geological Formation

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A rare geological formation, Borra Caves have lots of legends to narrate. This fascinating natural formation is a must visit when in Andhra Pradesh.

Borra Caves is known as the hidden gem of the south,
This geological delight in India is located near the Ananthagiri hills of the Eastern Ghats range in Alluri Sitharaman Raju district, in Andhra Pradesh.
Borra Caves are ranked amongst the deepest as well as the largest caves in India that were formed millions of years ago.
These caves are considered to be among a rare geological formation and these were formed by the water activity by the Gosthani river.
Borra caves go as deep as 80 meters in depth and are karstic limestone structures.
The stalactites and stalagmites in the caves have various interesting shapes-there are formations resembling Shiva-Parvati, Mother and Child, the beard of a saint, a crocodile and even a stalagmite in the shape of a human brain.

This structure is considered as an important discovery for anthropological research because excavations that were carried out unearthed some tools made of stone from tracing back to the Paleolithic age, some 30,000-50,000 years ago.

These findings also are indicative of the fact there was a kind of human settlement in these caves.

These caves were discovered by William King George of the Geological Survey of India.
Legend has it that Borra Caves was first discovered when a cowherd, while searching for one of his lost cows, accidentally came across them.

There he found a shivling deep inside the cave, along with his cow.
He believed that Lord Shiva had saved his cow.
Later, villagers built a small temple just outside the caves which is visited by the people coming here.

Another popular belief is that the Shiva Lingam found here had a stone formation of cow above it and the udder of this cow is believed to be the source for Gosthani river that flows through the Vizag city.