Sixty-three HID lamps cast their beams across the damp interiors of Borra Caves, turning what might have been lost to darkness into something brighter—colourful, and almost a spectacle in its own right. Held within the folds of the Ananthagiri Hills, this lit underworld spans close to two square kilometres and drops nearly 80 metres at its deepest. The name comes from the Telugu word ‘borra’, meaning hole, though it hardly does justice to the scale of the place. The chambers are wide and rise high enough, far beyond what the label implies.
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The caves first caught the eye of the outside world in 1807, when British geologist William King recorded them during a Geological Survey of India expedition. What he saw was the work of underground flows of the Gosthani River—carving limestone into shapes many now read as animals, saints, and gods, including a Shivalingam that locals later housed within a small temple inside the cave. Legend says a cow fell through an opening and led the herdsman to its discovery.
To avoid crowds, arrive early like this photographer, as Borra Caves are among the most visited destinations in Andhra Pradesh, located 92 kilometres from Visakhapatnam.
