Kotumsar Cave

Kotumsar Cave lies within Kanger Valley National Park, about 40 km by road from Jagdalpur in Bastar district, and ranks among the longest natural caves in India. It was first called Gopansar, from gopan, meaning hidden, and later took the name of the nearby village of Kotumsar. The approach runs through the forests of the park.

Visitors enter through a vertical cleft in the hillside, and a concrete walkway built for tourists runs to the far end. The system stretches for more than 2 km underground, though only part is open for safety reasons. The main passage is roughly 200 metres long, with side and lower branches, and leads through five chambers lit to show their stalactites and stalagmites, built up over thousands of years by dripping mineral-rich water. Near the end a stalagmite shaped like a Shivalinga draws pilgrims, and a large chamber known as the Dance Hall has a lace-like ceiling and strong echoes.