Monday, June 06, 2005

Robbers Cave : See to believe it

The place is just 8 kms from the ONGC Colony at Kaulagarh Road (only 5.4 km from the Garhi Cantt. tinali). So near, yet we never had been there. It also has another name Guchhopani. A quietly flowing stream has formed a cave like structure in the rocks. The entrance indeed gives the impression of a cave. A narrow passage between two rocky structures leads you into the cave. The width varies from 4 to 8 feet. Keep moving slowly in ankle to knee-deep flowing water that is soothingly cool. I traveled for may be about 100 meters to find a kind of end where the stream seemed to have emerged. A small pool has formed at the point of falling water. From the colour of water it appeared to be deep. I had no one with me to explore further. May be I could have seen more had I climbed the rocks to explore what else is there behind the rocks. I was walking bare feet and so the rocky bed of the stream had started hurting. I had decided to come back.

The passage had a kind of mysterious look into it. I bet few would have dared to enter it alone or had it not been a tourist spot. It is appropriately named Robbers Cave. In our childhood days when there was only the radio to entertain us, we had patiently listened to a play named ‘Surangar Seshat’ meaning at the end of the tunnel where robbers fled through a tunnel and police were after them. Robbers Cave would have an good setting for such a chase scene had it been a movie. I had tried to take a few snaps. Though I had a 400 roll, I had no tripod to take care of the very low light. Lets see what happens. I also saw a big owl up in the tree, the biggest I had ever seen in wild. It looked to me about 1 1/2 feet size from down below. But again I did not carry my 300 mm lens. Next time I will come here with my tripod.

Once you leave the main road, you will face a very steep narrow road where two cars can barely pass. Going down in place within Dehradun, you will wonder that Dehradun is actually up in the hills. Only bad thing about the place is that it is not properly maintained and promoted. But you still will enjoy it.

Next week a trip is being planned to Chakrata. It is located at a higher altitude than Mussorie. Lets see if it materializes.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I have just visited robber's cave on 30 Dec 2008. I reached till the end point of cave. It is simply just emrging from forest. You have just covered 1/3 part of it. It is very dangerous to climb rocks when there is no foot prints available.