Sri Siddeshwara Vibhuti Gavi, Gudikotabagi

This cave shrine was discovered while exploring places around Kittur on Google Maps some time Feb 2022. The place listing had one photo of a person standing at the cave's mouth. Since there was no other photo, I was curious about the cave. I planned to visit this cave during a visit to Vakkund. A trip did take place to Vakkund on Feb 16th, the temples I was supposed to see were inaccessible because the site was an island in the waters of Malaprabha river. I would have to make another trip by the end of March by when the water level would drop and the temples would be reachable by foot. So the rest of the morning was spent seeing Ramlingeshwara Devastana at Bailhongal, then back to Dharwad. I started planning the trip to Vakkund in first week April.

April 16, 2022. I left hone by 7-15 and reached Vakkund by 8-45 am. I spent 2 hours seeing & taking pictures of the 3 temples on the hillock. By 11-15 I left Vakkund and headed towards Belavadi. A few kilometers after crossing Malaprabha, at a place called Kenganur I turned towards Sangollli - the village of the legendary Sangolli Rayanna. The terrain got interesting, twisty roads on small hill ranges. A few kilometers after Sangolli, at a cross roads, I turned towards Kalabhavi. The road were interior, hardly any travelers to ask for directions. At Kalabhavi village, I turned towards Gudikotbagi village. This road linking two villages had some traffic, very unexpected for an interior road. Somewhere on this road was the dirt track leading to the Gavi Siddeshwara. A shepherd gave me clear instructions following which I reached the cave easily. That's the mouth of the cave. This spot is at least a kilometer away from the main road and no other soul to be seen.

It was warm, sultry and humid. I parked my car under the Peepul tree close to the mouth of the cave. Some flying insects added to the discomfort caused by the weather. From the looks of the place, I felt this cave was occupied by a person or persons a few years ago.

The cave is a manmade one since this is a source of Vibhuti. The white seen on the walls and floor of the cave is Vibhuti - the reason behind the importance of this cave.

I was cautious while entering... the innards of the cave were dark, a wild animal could be resting inside. I stepped in slowly, trying to be very alert... remembering the experience at Talewadi cave where a mild growl was heard as four of us entered a much larger cave. Talewadi cave has no religious significance to it. As per locals, one has to be careful while entering the cave because it could be occupied by any of the wild beasts like bear, leopard or tiger.

I descended the steps into the cave floor, barefoot. The floor felt soft which is an effect of layer of Vibhuti. This cave has no particular form, people have hacked into the walls & floors randomly in search of the sacred powder. 

One of the inner chambers was in shadow, couldn't see anything inside which kept the suspense factor alive. A bear could be asleep inside.. may be no creature ever slept in here. Anyway... isn't it wonderful to be seeing a natural source of Vibhuti. This reminds me of Vibhuti Gavi in the jungles of Ulavi. I've just heard of it but haven't seen it. Of the five caves of Ulavi, I've been to Akala Gavi and Pachalinga Gavi.

A shrine dedicated to the wooden slippers of ascetics who lived here. I feel people flock to this cave on occasions like Mahashivaratri and Amavasya.

Another chamber where Vibhuti seems to be of higher quality. I was imagining how people with pickaxes hacked into the walls and stuffed bags to take it away to their homes or temples.

Mouth of the cave as seen from the cave's belly. In here there's hardly any movement in the air. Despite lack of sunshine, it was warm.

The presence of a cot, an oil lamp box, wooden seats and other things indicate this place was occupied by an ascetic or ascetics. A collapsed single room structure close to the cave's entrance might have been a kitchen & store room. As to water, I think the nearest source is the pond at the base of the hill, or may be a stream close by. BTW, about a 100 meters from here is a government water tank on this hill which is a landmark for those coming in search of this place.

Close to the cot there are two arched niches. The arches have been hacked very carefully, creating this lovely looking pattern of parallel arcs.

Another pattern formed in the process of mining Vibhuti. I think hard stone remains concealed behind the white layer.

This is one of the side walls of the cave's mouth... Vibhuti and igneous rock intersect here. The yellow-red stone seen here can be seen on this hill range. I think this rock is rich in iron hence the oxidized yellow layers.

The arched entrance, the coarse walls and the rough-cut stone steps create a beautiful scene.

Wish I could find more about this place... how old is this cave? who made it? was this cave made by one person or more than one person? was this cave ever used by freedom fighters to escape British law? why is this cave in the state of abandon now? Hope to get answers during my next journey towards Gudikotabagi.

That's the peepul tree, it could be 7 to 8 years old. I feel this place should be protected by local people so that it's sanctity remains unblemished. Hoping some local leader takes interest in maintaining this unique cave.

A partly dry leaf caught my eye.. while most of the leaf is crispy dry, few portions is still wet. The beauty of the leaf is its yellow-beige color combination.

This is the open space which extends from the cave's mouth. The path going uphill meets a larger dirt track, left goes uphill and right downhill towards the main road connecting Kalabhavi and Gudikotabagi.

While on the subject of caves, I would like to close this post with a mention of the rock-cut cave of Amminabavi near Dharwad. This cave is situated in a Rudrabhoomi (graveyard), it is said that a single person hacked the subterranean laterite rock. The cave temple seems as though it was made by an expert in building, such is the quality of the work. Its also a place worth a visit.

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