Chobhar caves are an extensive network of natural phreatic caves near the village of Chobhar, which is located 9 km southwest of

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

. Chobhar is also known for the Chobhar gorge through which all the water of the valley drains. A small

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Adinath Sampradaya The Adinath Sampradaya was a sadhu sub-sect of the greater Nath tradition. Followers of this tradition were given Sannyasa diksha, thus renouncing householder life, and thereafter lived as naked sadhus. Believing that sadhus should live alone until ...

sits on top of a nearby hill. The temple offers a view of snow-capped mountains. According to Swayambhu Purana and legend, Kathmandu Valley was once a lake. It is believed that the bodhisattva

Manjushree Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumāra ...

cut a gorge at a place called Chobhar Gorge, near Chobhar Ancient Hill Village (sp. also Chovar, chobar) and drained away the waters to establish a habitable land. These caves have been explored by research teams from the UK in 1976,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

in 1980 and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1985. Explorations of the caves in April 2007 indicate that there are at least six known entrances all documented by GPS readings made by a French team of

speleologists Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...

, led by Maurice Duchesne from France. A map of those caves is now available. The caves are often infiltrated by water due to fluctuating levels of the nearby

Bagmati River , "Tiger Gate") , source1_location = Shivapuri, Sundarijal, Kathmandu, Nepal , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , mouth = Confluence with Kamala River , mouth_location = Jagmohra, Bihar, India , mouth_coo ...

. Thus, visitors are strongly advised not visit inside the caves without being accompanied by competent professional guides who have a compass and other equipment required for cave exploration. Maximum safety precautions is advised. No snakes have been sighted in these Chobhar caves but many bats have been sighted. Measuring a minimum of 1250 metres, Chobhar caves are the largest in Asia. Cross country, the caves are a brief fifteen-minute walk from ancient Chobhar Hill Village.

References

External links

Bajracharya transmission in XIth century Chobhar:Bharo 'Maimed Hand's main disciple Vajra-kirti, the translator from Rwa

Satellite picture of Chobhar
Caves of Nepal {{Nepal-geo-stub