Kutumsar Caves-World's Second Largest Cave with Blind Fish

More than 330 m in length, the serpentine Kutumsar cave claim to be the second largest in the world (the longest cave of the world is Mammoth Cave in the U.S.A. which is some 572 kilometres long). This is a biggest tourist attraction, and are close to Tiratgarh waterfalls. Both Kutumsar Caves and Kailash Gufa are located in Kanger Valley National Park and situated at a distances of 38 Km. and 40 Kms.

           You will find steps cut on rocks at the entrance and once inside you are bound to be fascinated by the mystifying shapes of the stalactites. One must be very careful because of a dearth of sunlight inside the cave, the floor remains covered in puddles of water. The cave lakes has blind fish and frogs.It is 40 feet deep and an amazing 4,500 feet in length.

The Kutumsar caves are pitch-dark caves, which has Stalactites and Stalagmites in fantastic formations. There are guides who take you in with the help of torches. It is the stalagmite Shivlinga formed over a period of hundreds of years at the extreme end of the cave that serves as the main attraction. Walk till the end of the cave to view the Shivlinga. Carrying torch is recommended. Living in tents in the dense forest and trekking through the many trails is exicting. Kailash gufa is also similar to the Kutumsar caves.

How To Reach :

By Air - The nearest airport is Raipur

By Rail - The Kutumsar Cave is 32 km from Jagdalpur

By Road - Well connected by roads

Murudeshwara- the world's second-tallest Shiva statue

           Murudeshwara is a town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. Famous for the world's second-tallest Shiva statue, Murudeshwara beach town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murudeshwara Temple.

Major attractions

          Murudeshwara Temple and Raja Gopura: This temple is built on the Kanduka Hill which is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Arabian Sea. It is dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and a 20-storied Gopura is constructed at the temple. Two life-size elephants in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to it. The entire temple and temple complex, including the 237.5-feet-tall Raja Gopura, is one among the tallest, was constructed to its present form by businessman and philanthropist R. N. Shetty.

          The temple is entirely modernized with exception of the sanctum sanctorum which is still dark and retains its composure. The main deity is Sri Mridesa Linga, also called Murudeswara. The linga is believed to be a piece of the original Atma Linga and is about two feet below ground level. The devotees performing special sevas like Abhisheka, Rudrabhisheka, Rathotsava etc. can view the deity by standing before the threshold of the sanctum and the Lingam is illuminated by oil lamps held close by the priests. The Lingam is essentially a rough rock inside a hollowed spot in the ground. Entry into the sanctum is banned for all devotees.

          Statue of Lord Shiva: A huge towering statue of Lord Shiva, visible from great distances, is present in the temple complex. It is the Second highest statue of Lord Shiva in the world. The Tallest Lord shiva statue is in Nepal known as the(Kailashnath Mahadev Statue).The statue is 123 feet (37 m) in height and took about two years to build. The statue was built by Shivamogga's Kashinath and several other sculptors, financed by businessman and philanthropist R.N. Shetty, at a cost of approximately 50 million Rs. The idol is designed such that it gets the sunlight directly and thus appears sparkling. Originally, the statue had four arms and was adorned in gold paint. However, large wind gusts blew one arm off (the one that held a small drum), and rain dissolved the paint.

Travel Guide:

         The nearest airport to Murudeshwar is Mangalore International Airport at distance of 160 kilometre. Murudeshwar has railway station on Konkan railway route.

Pirotan Island

               Pirotan Island (also known as Pirothan) is an Arabian Sea island in the Marine National Park, Jamnagar District of Gujarat state, India.It is located 12 nautical miles (22 km) off the coast (Bedi Port), consists of mangroves and low-tide beaches, and has an area of 3 square kilometres. The center of the island is at 22°35′59.7″N 69°57′20.8″E. Rozi island is located about 10 kilometres to the southeast.

          

       The island was originally known "Pir jo thaan" meaning the place of the holy Saint Khwaja Khizer Rahmatullahialaih. The sacred shrine of Khwaja Khijer Rahmatullahialaih is located on the island.

     

      Of the 42 islands in the park, Pirotan Island is the most popular and is one of the two islands where visitors are normally permitted.[citation needed] Visitation is strictly limited, permission is required from the Forest Department, Customs Department and the Ports.The mangroves consist mainly of species of Rhizophora, Avicennia and Ceriops.

        There are no routine ferry service to island. One has to hire boats from the port. These boats take about 1.5 hours to reach the island. Since the beach is very shallow, the boats can only reach the island during high tide and leave the island during high tide.

Marine: 

 Various types of Crabs    Wiper- Isosceles     Sea Worms

 Neptune                              Sea snakes               Sabella

 Wolf                                  Sea slugs                   Mud Skipper

 King crab                           Sea Horse                  Sea Bonellia

 Hermit crabs                      Squid                        Coaster Cather

 Ghost crabs                       Sea Anemone             Sea Urchin

Sea Scorpions                         Octopus    

Plus there are Saw-scaled Vipers & Scorpions too  

                                                                                                                               

   

Visiting Pirotan:

           Most visitors come in the morning with the high tide and leave by evening. Weekends in winters may bring more than 200-300 visitors.                                                                                              

        The island being protected marine park, several permissions are required for visiting. For Indian Nationals, permission from local Forest Department, Customs Department & Ports Department. Foreign nationals additionally require permission for Police Office.

       There are no routine ferry service to island. One has to hire boats from the port. These boats take about 1.5 hours to reach the island. Since the beach is very shallow, the boats can only reach the island during high tide and leave the island during high tide.