Kailashnath Temple - Ellora Caves - Maharashtra - India

Kailashnath Temple, Ellora

Largest Cave in the World Discovered in Vietnam

Largest Cave in the World Discovered in Vietnam

 The world’s largest cave passage was discovered deep within a remote Vietnamese jungle. The Son Doong cave measures 262 feet by 262 feet (80 meters by 80 meters) and at least 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers) deep, making it the largest single cave passage ever discovered, according to National Geographic News, where the discovery was announced. The previous record holder, Deer Cave in Malaysia, is 300 feet by 300 feet (91 m by 91 m) in parts, but is only about a mile (1.6 km) long.

One Man's Cave Odyssey

Deeper and down: From underground cathedrals of rock to giant chambers of ice, stunning pictures of one man's cave odyssey

While many of us would think twice before exploring the dark, dangerous caverns of the Earth's crust, for one fearless man, it is the perfect environment  - and his greatest love.

These stunning images of ice formations, mystic lakes and beautiful 'halls' deep underground were taken by Peter Gedei.

The Slovenian photographer started caving 25 years ago and has carried a camera with him on every trip.

Kostanjevika jama cave in Slovenia is one of the stunning scenes photographed by Peter Gedei

Ice Caves

Plummeting to new depths: Spectacular ice caves photographed for the first time deep beneath a Swiss glacier

These spectacular ice caves deep below a Swiss glacier have been mapped, photographed and surveyed for the first time.

A team of eight descended into the moulins – vertical shafts – below the Gorner Glacier near Zermatt in October.

Their work inside the remarkable icy caverns will help researchers get a better understanding of glaciers and their rate of melting.

Descending the depths: A team of eight climbed down the moulins - vertical shafts - in the Gorner Glacier near Zermatt in Switzerland

Psychedelic Stalactite Formation at Avshalom Cave, Israel

Avshalom Cave also known as Soreq Cave or Stalactites Cave is located on the western slopes of the Judean mountains near Bet Shemesh in Israel. The 5000 square meters cave has one of the most impressive collection of stalactites and stalagmites formed in a variety of patterns. Some of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave are up to four meters long, and in some cases they fuse with stalagmites growing from the floor. Other formations resemble shelves or sheets of cloth, branches, corals and clusters of grapes, among many other objects. The bizarre patterns at Avshalom Cave combined with the ghostly lightening creates a rather creepy ambience inside the cave.

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed by water flowing from the ceiling to the floor of the cave, melting limestone on the way. Over hundreds of thousands of years, each drop of mineral-laden water deposited a thin layer of calcite on the ceiling and on the ground. Given enough time these tiny layers add up to form columns of calcium carbonate called stalactites and stalagmites.

Maijishan Grottoes in China

 The Maijishan Grottoes are a series of 194 caves cut in the side of the hill of Majishan in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwest China. This example of rock cut architecture contains over 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square meters of murals. Construction began in the Later Qin era (384-417 CE).

San Boldo Pass - Italy

The San Boldo Pass is a small mountain pass in the Italian Veneto region between the towns Trichiana and Tovena in the Cison di Valmarino region over a distance of 17 km. 

Ice Cave In Skaftafell, Iceland

Ice caves are temporary structures that appear at the edge of glaciers. They look amazingly beautiful from the inside. This particular cave is located on the frozen lagoon of the Svínafellsjökull glacier in Skaftafell, Iceland. The centuries old ice coming down the slopes of Öræfajökull via Svínafellsjökull glacier has metamorphosed into highly pressurized glacier ice that contains almost no air bubbles. The lack of air means that it absorbs almost all visible light, apart from the blue fraction which is then visible to the naked eye. However, this blue ice can be seen only under certain circumstances. It can be seen in winter after long periods of rain when the surface layer of the glacier has been washed away. It can be seen in ice-caves like this one and on floating icebergs that have recently rolled over.

This cave in the glacier ice is the result of glacial mill, or Moulin where rain and melt water on the glacier surface are channeled into streams that enter the glacier at crevices. The waterfall melts a hole into the glacier while the ponded water drains towards lower elevations by forming long ice caves with an outlet at the terminus of the glacier. The fine grained sediments in the water along with wind blown sediments cause the frozen meltwater stream to appear in a muddy colour while the top of the cave exhibits the deep blue colour. Due to the fast movement of the glacier of about 1 m per day over uneven terrain, this ice cave cracked up at its end into a deep vertical crevice, called cerrac. This causes the indirect daylight to enter the ice cave from both ends resulting in homogeneous lighting of the ice tunnel.

The real crystal palace

The real crystal palace: Inside one of the most beautiful caves in the world  With crystal lined walls glittering deep beneath the earth's surface, these mesmerising scenes are taken from inside what could well be the world's most beautiful cave. The Mlynki is a rare crystal cave which lies in the Ternopil region of Ukraine and is known for the multi-coloured gypsum crystals which adorn its walls and twinkle in the light. These are the awesome images taken by intrepid photographer Oleg Grigorev who ventured into the remote cave to capture its beauty on camera. Twinkle: Two cavers look as if they are surrounded by fairy lights as beams from their torch bounce off the crystal particles of the Mlynki caves in the Ukraine

most beautiful caves in the world

The real crystal palace: Inside one of the most beautiful caves in the world 

With crystal lined walls glittering deep beneath the earth's surface, these mesmerising scenes are taken from inside what could well be the world's most beautiful cave.

The Mlynki is a rare crystal cave which lies in the Ternopil region of Ukraine and is known for the multi-coloured gypsum crystals which adorn its walls and twinkle in the light.

These are the awesome images taken by intrepid photographer Oleg Grigorev who ventured into the remote cave to capture its beauty on camera.

Twinkle: Two cavers look as if they are surrounded by fairy lights as beams from their torch bounce off the crystal particles of the Mlynki caves in the Ukraine

रहस्य, रोमांच और कौतूहल से भरी 10 गुफाएं

इंसान जब सभ्य होने लगा तो उसे रहने की चिंता सताई। कभी पड़ों पर रहने वाले इंसानों ने पहाड़ों में बने गुफाओं को अपना घर बनाना शुरू किया। प्राकृतिक रूप से बनी ये गुफाएं उन्हें रोमांचित करती रहती थी। इसकी खोज में भटकते-भटकते उन्होंने कई गुफाओं की खोज कर ली। इनमें रहने के अलावा अपनी आस्था के मुताबिक मंदिर स्थापित किए। उनमें चित्रकारी की। इसका प्रमाण आज भी मौजूद है। 
रहस्य, रोमांच और आध्यात्म को प्रदर्शित करती ये गुफाएं आज भी इंसानों को लुभाती हैं। यही कारण है कि प्राकृतिक गुफाओं के अलावा कृत्रिम गुफाओं का भी निर्माण किया गया है। प्रमाणों के मुताबिक, सर्वप्रथम मानव निर्मित गुफाओं का निर्माण दूसरी शताब्दी ई.पू. के आसपास हुआ था।
आइए रहस्य, रोमांच और आध्यात्म को प्रदर्शित करती ऐसे ही कुछ गुफाओं को तस्वीरों के माध्यम से जानते और समझते हैं-
 

1- अजंता और एलोरा की गुफाएं, महाराष्ट्र
2- एलिफैंट आइसलैंड केव, महाराष्ट्र
3- बादामी, कर्नाटक
4- उदयगिरि और खंदागिरी की गुफाएं, उड़ीसा
5- ताबू गुफाएं, हिमाचल प्रदेश
6- मेघालय की गुफाएं
7- अमरनाथ गुफा, जम्मू और कश्मीर की गुफाएं
8- अंदावली और मोगलाराजपुरम की गुफाएं, आंध्र प्रदेश
9- त्रिची रॉक फोर्ट और पल्लवा की गुफाएं, तमिलनाडू
10- दुंगेश्वर गुफा मंदिर, बिहार

Vietnam’s Colossal Cave

Located in central Vietnam’s rugged Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Hang Son Doong might be the world’s largest subterranean cavern. Expedition members enter through Hang En, a mile-long portal that tunnels into the lost world, hidden beneath a ring of mountains. The cave was carved out by the Rao Thuong River, which dwindles to a series of ponds during the dry months of April, May and October. At 2.5 miles long and 300ft wide, much of Hang Son Doong’s colossal caverns are still being explored.