Borra Caves

The Borra Caves, on the Anantagiri hills of the Araku Valley region, are India's deepest publicly accessible caves at roughly 80 metres below ground level. The caves were known to local Jatapu and Porja tribal communities for centuries — they consider the natural Shivalingam-shaped stalagmite at the centre of the largest chamber a swayambhu (self-manifested) form of Shiva, and have worshipped it for generations. The British geologist William King 'rediscovered' and surveyed the caves for the Geological Survey of India in 1807. Formed by the Gosthani river dissolving the karstic limestone of the hills over an estimated 150 million years, the caves contain spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations that local imagination has named: the human brain, mother and child, crocodile, the udder of a cow, a temple bell, and the rishi figure. Coloured lighting installed by the tourism department picks each formation out — purists argue the lighting is gaudy but it makes the caves accessible to ordinary visitors who would otherwise see only black. Most visitors combine Borra with the Araku Valley railway ride (one of India's most scenic narrow-gauge routes) and a stop at the Tribal Museum in Araku town. The caves are damp year-round; sturdy footwear is essential. Avoid weekend afternoons when school groups make the chambers loud and crowded.