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| Near Vallorbe |
Long years ago,
perhaps in mid 1970s, I happened to be in Bastar – a district that was till
then not fully explored. This land prehistoric as it is, is inhabited by the
members of the ancient Gond tribe. During that trip I had occasion to visit the
Kutumsar caves known for their stalactites and stalagmites. Only 38 kilometres
from the district headquarters of Jagdalpur, the caves are pretty long and are
underground – about 30-odd metres below the ground
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| Stalactites in the caves |
level. It was quite
forbidding as the caves had not till then been illuminated. But what I saw was
amazing – parts of rocks streaming downwards and, likewise, others that were
climbing up from the cave floor with accretion of minerals from water dripping
down from the protrusions of the former. Taught to us in Geography lessons in the
college, Kutumsar presented to me the first glimpse of
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| The river nd jungles near Vallorbe |
stalactites and
stalagmites – and that too deep within the bowels of the earth.
The Vallorbe
caves are, however, overground in the Jura Mountains which is a sub-Alpine
mountain range located north of Alps. It stands between the Rhone and the Rhine
valleys forming watersheds for each. The mountain range extends from France to
Switzerland and to parts of (south-western) Germany. In Switzerland it covers
several cantons. The name Jura is derived from Celtic term for forests and it
has lent its name to a “department” in France, a “canton” in
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| Stalactites and stalagmites joining up |
Switzerland and to
the Jurassic period of the geological timescale.
Situated about 100 kilometres away from
Geneva, Vallorbe caves were discovered about fifty years ago and were opened
for public viewing in 1970s. Later, they were also electrically illuminated
making the insides more inviting in a constantly maintained temperature that is
comfortable for the visitors. The caves have been the outcome of actions of
River Orbe that originates in France and after entering Switzerland disappears
underground only to come up on surface near Vallorbe. It was fascinating to see
the stalactites and
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| A descending stream |
stalagmites in brilliant illumination. The authorities have
done a wonderful job of providing viewing points and galleries for visitors.
Similar provisions in Kutumsar are needed to make it more tourist-friendly
SIGNAL DE BOUGY & LE PONT.
We also had a
day trip to Signal de Bougy, a park with some stunning views. It is supposed to
be a great place for walks. Another day trip was to a place called Le Pont that
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| One of th two lakes at Le Pont |
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Brother and his small family at Signal de Bougy
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is situated between two Swiss lakes and is supposed to be a starting point for
hikers.
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