Kalaroos Caves In Kashmir Could Possibly Be Secret Tunnels To Russia

 The Lolab Valley is a sub-valley and forms the north-western corner of the Valley Kashmir formed by the Lahwal River in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of India. The entrance to the valley lies 9 km (5.6 mi) north of Kupwara town and the centre of the valley lies 114 km (71 mi) northwest of Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is an oval-shaped valley 15 miles (24 km) long with an average width of 2 miles (3.2 km)

When one reaches the Lolab valley, which once was like a paradise, two things strike you. One, the huge concentration of the troops – garrisons, barracks and soldiers scattered everywhere. The other is the vast graveyards giving peace to both known and unnamed souls.

If you wanted to explore something beyond the beauty and the brutalities of Lolab. Something inane. Something trivial. There is a village – Kalaroos.

KALAROOS :

The name of the Kalaroos village has come from the word Qil-e-Roos, which actually means Russian Fort. The Kalaroos caves are situated midway of the Lashtyal and Madhmadu Village (7Kms ahead of the village of Kupwara, on Kupwara-Machhil road, Kalaroos lies between Lashtyal and Madhmadu villages) . There is a giant stone in Lashtyal village named Satbaran. The stone has seven doors, which are known as Sath Barr.

'' Locals say that the doors symbolise seven distinct routes to Russia and other countries. An aged native said that he had heard from his ancestors that Russians used to come through the tunnel. A few meters away from the stone are some other caves, one of them being the Tramkhan, a crimson-hued copper mine cave. Inside this cave, there is a discoloured board with some foreign language written on it. Some villagers say that the caves hide some magnificent water bodies too. Many believe that Satbaran was a temple in the ancient era where the Pandavas used to worship.''

This massive rock is a historical marvel. The rock is half buried. The front side has got seven prominent engraved doors each of it being more than three feet deep.

All the doors of the rock open on the front side, with the central door slightly bigger than the rest. It has a small hole on one side. “The shape and the structure look as if it had been a temple with their biggest god in the middle. A small hole might have been a separate entry for the sacred snake as there are in temples outside Kashmir,” says local residents.

There were two shelves each on every door which might have been used to put a mashaal (torch) near the gate. Satbaran has a second rock next to it which also has a door carved on it. But neither so deep nor so well engraved. A cursory look will make any curious person to relate it to the Pattan temples. One wonders, if those who made it were in a hurry or had left it unfinished.

The apathy of the authorities has paved its way to erosion. It has worn at many places. The children and young men have broken the sides and written their names along with the names of their beloved on it. Thanks to the local population who somehow have preserved it even when authorities neglected. Locals believe that Satbaran, centuries ago might have been a temple, where Pandavs or others might have been worshipping before heading towards the cave which popular myth says is a tunnel.

The cave opening is approximately 200 meters upwards Satbaran. A steep slope leads to it. Zahoor Wani, a local resident who works in the government accompanied me to the cave. A couple of feet away, from the ‘tunnel’ one big and two small snakes were loitering around. The snakes on sensing our presence disappeared in the nearby bushes.

A young boy who had come there to collect firewood, said, “We always come (to this place) with an axe or any other metallic tool”.

Many people have made a foray into the cave.

“Before the 65 war (Indo-Pak war of 1965), as a child, I and my cousin, who was cocksure that the Russians might come one day through the tunnel, went inside the cave. We went inside before noon and travelled in the light of a kerosene lantern. We travelled a lot before we heard huge sound of running water. We were afraid and returned, only to find that it was already evening,” says Mahad lone an elderly villager.

Nusrat, a school teacher, says that some years back she has travelled around three hundred meters inside the cave. “We were a group of teachers and went inside. The entrance is narrow and only one person can go in at a time. There is a very big lobby inside with many ways”.

Some things and myths associated with Kalaroos make it famous. A popular myth says that a cave near the village is a way to Russia. Then there is Satbaran – in the real life.