Belum Caves

Belum runs about 3.2 kilometres of mapped passage, of which around one and a half is open, making it the second-largest cave network in India. It was formed by an underground river in limestone, and the route descends through chambers with stalactite and flowstone formations to the deepest accessible point at about forty-six metres, called Patalaganga, where a stream disappears. A chamber with a natural acoustic property is called the musical chamber, and another is said to have been used by monks, with Buddhist and Jain remains found at the entrance. Ventilation shafts have been sunk to make the passages breathable.

History

Finds show people in the caves as early as 4500 BCE, and later Buddhist and Jain ascetics lived here. Long known locally, the caves were first described in 1884 by the British geologist Robert Bruce Foote and systematically mapped in the early 1980s by a German team led by Herbert Daniel Gebauer; they were declared a protected site in 1988, opened to the public in 2002, and named a Geo-heritage Site by the Geological Survey of India in June 2025 (Wikipedia, Belum Caves).

What you'll find

• The long passages - about a kilometre and a half of open cave.
• Patalaganga - the deepest point where a stream disappears underground.
• The formations - stalactites, flowstone and chamber features.
• The Buddha statue - the modern figure at the surface above the caves.

When to go

October to February; the plains above are severely hot from March. The cave is warm and humid inside despite the ventilation shafts, so early visits are more comfortable.

Good to know

Passages are low in places, requiring stooping, and the air is hot and close despite the shafts. Lighting is basic. Access without a car is awkward and the area is remote.

Nearby

Gandikota lies south; Tadipatri is southwest.

Key facts