Karnataka’s Yana Caves gets geo-heritage site of national importance tag

Over the ages, weathering in the tropical environment and chemical reactions with minerals have led to the formation of many ‘karst features’—land and rock formations created when minerals like limestone are dissolved partially by relatively acidic groundwater, creating caves and other such terrain—in the Yana area. The GSI noted that the area contains 61 such karst formations, the most prominent of which are the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara (120 metres tall) and the Mohini Shikhara (90 metres tall).

The area is also of religious and mythological significance, linked to the tale of the demon Bhasmasura, who is said to have obtained the powers of destruction from Lord Shiva after performing penance. He was subsequently tricked into destroying himself by Lord Vishnu in the form of the enchantress Mohini. The demon is said to have been destroyed at Yana.

So far, the GSI has identified 90 sites across the country, variously classifying them as geological monuments and geo-heritage sites. One such well-known site is the Peninsular Gneiss rock formation in Bengaluru, located at the Lalbagh Garden. Made of very hard metamorphic rocks, the Lalbagh formation is similar in age to the Yana Caves.