dehradun

Updated: Dec 14, 2018 15:54 IST

The Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) has documented 10 caves in the Gangolihat area that it plans to develop into a cave circuit in order to boost tourism.

USAC director MPS Bisht said that he was asked by the Pithoragarh district administration to conduct a geological study of the caves in order to help formulate a plan in this regard. He said a report on the study has been submitted to Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj.

Gangolihat is about 14km away from the famed Patal Bhuvaneshwar cave temple, which is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva, and holds religious significance due to the presence of various stalactites that are claimed to be Shiv Lingas.

“There are nine caves in the area of Gangolihat which are spaced apart and these can be developed as a cave circuit as the conditions are conducive,” Bisht said. The USAC, an autonomous organisation constituted in 2005 for space-technology related activities, conducted its 15-day study in Gangolihat in November. Bisht said the team looked at nine caves — Mukteshwar, Sheetla Devi, Shaileshwar, Gupt Ganga, Mailchaura, Daneshwar, Sinkoteshwar, Bhrigutung and Bholeshwar.

“The caves are formed by the action of water on the rocks,” said Bisht. He explained that the water rocks on the limestone, which is soluble, takes thousands of years to form a cave. These cave formations of Gangolihat have been formed around 5,000 years ago and they are not interconnected. “We study the age of the caves after studying the stalactites which have concentric rings called annual rings inside them which tell us about the age,” he said.

“We have prepared a pre-feasibility report, which can be used to formulate a plan and develop a tourism circuit. It’s up to the state government to take a decision on the next course of action,” Bisht said.