Kotumsar Cave, Chhattisgarh

Kotumsar Caves is located inside the Kanger Valley National Parkin Chattisgarh, India. The Kutumsar cave was founded in the British era but gained recognition only after 1950s. At first, it was known as Gopansar cave meaning “hidden”. The present name has been derived from the nearby village Kotumsar. This natural limestone cave has various types of speleothems found in separate passages and chambers which form the main attraction of the cave. Earlier one unique speleothem structure was worshipped by burning incense and camphor. This damaged the ecosystem of the cave and this practice was stopped. The cave is placed on the Kanger limestone belt and lies close to the River Kanger. The cave remains partially submerged in flood water during the monsoon. The main tunnel of the cave is 200 metres long with several passages leading downward. The Kotumsar cave can be entered through a vertical fissure which leads to an artificial concrete path built for the convenience of the tourists to reach the end of the cave. Many water pools can be found inside formed due to seepage.