Belum Caves, Kurnool

The Belum Caves at Belum village in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh — the second-longest cave system in India after the Krem Liat Prah caves of Meghalaya, with 3.5 kilometres of mapped passages and 46 metres of maximum depth. The cave system was formed over thousands of years by the Chitravathi river's erosion of the Vindhyan limestone. The caves were documented by British surveyor Robert Bruce Foote in 1884 and systematically explored by the Geological Survey of India from 1982. The caves yielded Pre-Buddhist and Buddhist monastic remains including stone vessels, inscriptions, and relic caskets (from 1st-6th century CE), suggesting Buddhist monk use of the caves. Jain relics were also found. The 2002 Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation opened 1.5 kilometres of the cave to public access. The 20-metre seated Buddha statue at the cave entrance (installed 2006) marks the entrance.