Cave City of Balochistan is an ancient mystical place holding historical traces of unknown civilization. These naturally created underground chambers always have a spiritual factor that attracts many people, especially those searching to explore such caves. If we say this place is the hidden treasure of the world, it will not be wrong.
House of Spirits, The Cave City of Lasbela, Shehr-e-Roghan, The Town of Mai Gondrani, and Puraney Ghar are famous names of Gonadrani. It is a treasure and archaeological site located in the near city of Bela in Baluchistan.
History tells us that early humans live in caves. But in Balochistan, a cave city still exists, which is astonishing. These caves have small darkened chamber-like rooms, as some of the rooms include a veranda in front and traces of the kitchen facility.
If you are more of a visual person, then please watch the following video, which summarizes my Cave City of Balochistan trip:
Common Stories About Cave City of Balochistan:
Due to the absence of archaeological evidence about these caves, many people connect different myths & stories to these caves. Here are the three most famous stories about these caves:
1. Caves Belonged to the Buddhist Kingdom
Some historians say that there was a Buddhist kingdom here at some time. The construction of these caves was completed in the seventh century, and Buddhists used these caves to stay and pray.
They also believe that these caves were a part of their Buddhist Kingdom. It is logical to say that this myth is considered authentic as one by historians. Andre Wink mentioned the origin of these caves with Buddhist monasteries in his book “Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam.”
2.Prince Saif-ul-Malook and Badiul Jamal
During King Solomon’s reign, the king had a beautiful daughter named Badiul Jamal. According to the local story king’s daughter was terrified by six demons who wanted to take her off with them. The king invited seven heroes, To rescue her daughter from these demons, but all these attempts failed.
In the end, Prince Saif-ul-Muluk eventually freed the king’s daughter and killed the monsters. He saved the king’s daughter and then lived here happily after for a long time.
3. Mai Gondrani – The Savior
The third myth is the most famous one and usually use by many tourist guides to attract travelers to these caves. According to this local myth, it is well-known that there was an old holy woman known as Mai Gondrani. She sacrificed her life to kill the demons that used to eat the flesh of the local people of Gondrani. Mai Gondrani is buried near the location of these caves, which has now become a famous local shrine.
These caves have small rooms. There is a place to keep lamps in the caves. These caves are from top to bottom. The caves at the bottom include a passage to go inside. There is no way to reach the caves at the top of the mountain. These caves show the class division at that time too.
In the 19th century, an officer of the Indian Navy came here and told the number of these caves around 1500. at that time, these caves were also on the stage of destruction. Now they are around 500, and nothing had done by the Government to improve the condition of these caves.
Besides these myths, one thing which is essential to note is the importance of these caves from a tourist perspective. Gondrani is one of the most attractive places in Balochistan. Still, it is unfortunate that due to our Government’s lack of preservation efforts, the total number of caves left is 500, which used to be around 1500 during British rule. These caves can be used for tourism purposes, but nobody is paying heed.
One can easily reach these caves by traveling 15 to 18 kilometers north near the city of Bela in Balochistan. The other way to reach gondrani is by using Karachi-Quetta Highway N-25, previously known as RCD Highway. The distance of these caves is around 175 Kilometers from Karachi, Pakistan.
Next time when you visit Balochistan, don’t forget to visit these caves!
Hopefully, this blog will inspire you to visit cave city. Also, if you have any questions on Balochistan or my experience traveling on a bicycle/motorbike, please comment below or email me. I’ll try to reply to you as soon as possible.
