Draft:Mandhip Khol

Mandhip Khol cave is located in Chhuikhadan Block In the Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district in the state of Chhattisgarh. It is a cave complex formed of two isolated caves, entrances of which exist about 1 km from each other. From the lower entrance is a perennial river tributary coming out, locally referred to as "Shwet Ganga". But while exploring this cave scientifically, the scientists located in it a home of Python Python (genus) in the scientific arena this entrance is referred to as Python cave.. The upper dry passage is main Mandhip Khol. The caves show a series of morphologies indicating the various speleogenetic phases the karst system has undergone.

Annual Religious Festival
Annually, after the following Monday of a famous Hindu Occasion, Akshay Tritiya a big religious occasion held here every year when lots of people gather here, various local markets form which altogether forms a short type of market (locally refer as Mandi) in this area. From this 'Mandi' word the cave is named Mandhip Khol (Khol= hollow).

Thousands of people are accommodated on that day in this cave. Full day various religious activities go on inside and outside the cave. Up to some extent, this anthropogenic pressure disturbs the existing biodiversity of these caves.

Scientific Exploration of Mandhip Khol
Before the state Chhattisgarh politically carved out from state Madhya Pradesh, this cave was known to only to few villagers who resided ambient to this cave. But, after the formation of the new state Chhattisgarh it was highlighted as all the tourist attraction places were explored. In the same period Dr Jayant Biswas of the National Cave Research and Protection Organization along with the members of Centro Ibleo di Ricerche Speleo-Idrogeologiche, Ragusa, Italy came forward to explore this cave scientifically. It was then a risky task as the cave falls in a very remote area under reserved forest land. Thus the state government then provided a reasonable police force for the work. The complete scientific report along with the 3D map was published in the year 2011.

Further, the Biospeleologist team tabulated various cavernicolous organisms from the cave complex. But, no such true cavernicole Troglobite has been noted. However, a rare species of microchiropteran bat belonging to tailed bat group is found here

Cave Complex is a Major Water and Food Source for the Villagers
The river tributary coming out from the Phyton Cave is not only serving as the water source of a big range of villages existing there but, the entry of this cave is also a major source of fishing for the fishermen of that locality