Belum Caves, Andhra Pradesh

The Belum Caves in Andhra Pradesh are the world's second biggest cave system, notable for its speleothems, such as stalactite and stalagmite formations. Long tubes, galleries, huge caverns with fresh water, and siphons may be found in the Belum Caves. The steady flow of underground water from the now-disappearing river Chitravathi carved out this cave system over tens of thousands of years. At Pataalaganga, the cave system reaches its deepest point (46 m (151 ft) from the entry level). Belum Caves are the second largest caves on the Indian Subcontinent, after the Krem Liat Prah caves in Meghalaya, with a length of 3,229 meters (10,593.8 feet). It is one of the Monuments of National Importance that are centrally protected.

Belum was first discovered by a British surveyor, Robert Bruce Foote, in 1884, and a team of German speleologists led by H. Daniel Gebauer undertook a detailed excavation of the caverns from 1982 to 1984. Following that, the state government designated the site protected in 1988, and in February 2002, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) established the caves as a tourist destination. Only 1.5 km (0.9 mi) of the caverns are accessible to visitors, despite the fact that 3.5 km (2.2 mi) of the caves have been successfully explored. The caves contain quartz deposits and have 16 separate routes, including the main entrance. Black limestone makes up the caves.

Location: Andhra Pradesh