Borra Caves

Located on the East Coast of India, the Borra Caves is one of the largest in the country with an elevation of 2,313 ft with irregular shaped stalactites and stalagmites. The native name is Borra Guhalu meaning hole caves discovered in 1807 by William King George. Oral legends are shared among the Jatapu, Porja, Kondadora, Nookadora, and Valmiki tribes who live in villages around the caves. The most popular legend speaks of a cow that was grazing on top of the caves who had fallen through a hole in the roof. Searching for the cow, the cowherd came across the caves where he found a stone that resembled a lingam (anionic representation of the Hindu deity Shiva) believing Shiva protected the cow. Since then the people had built a small temple for the Hindu deity outside of the cave where people visit to worship and view the Lingam. A second legend narrated among the villages is the story of the Shiva lingam representing the Hindu God Shiva found deep in the caves above a stone formation of a cow. It's presumed that the udder of the cow is the source of the Gosthani River. The legend is significant because of the Hindu aspects of the stories and the sacredness of the cow in the religion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borra_Caves

Gabon Caves, Philippines

In the Philippines, you'll discover many caves from island to island but the Tabon Caves are located on Lipuun Point in the southwestern part of the Province of Palawan on Palawan Island. Out of 215 known caves, 29 have been explored and seven of these are open to the public. There are no legends available online, however, the cave does hold a lot of history. Protected by the government apart of the Lipuun Point Reservation, the cave holds cultural artifacts and many great finds such as the Tabon man discovered in 2007 with remains dating back to 47,000 years old and known to be the earliest human remains in the Philippines. Another interesting discovery inside the Tabon is a gold ornamental pendant which consisted of an image of Garuda, the eagle bird who is the mount of Hindu deity Vishnu. This find suggests a presence of Hinduism in the Philippines as well as an active trade of many specialized goods and gold between India and Philippines and coastal regions of Vietnam and China. Additionally, inside the caves are Manunggul burial jars as seen in the photo below and over 1,500 burial of them have been recovered. The Tabon is visited frequently as a tourist attraction because of the beautifully shaped limestone and water locals and visitors are able to dip in.

Tham Luang Nang Non

Over the summer, a local soccer team and their coach were trapped inside the Tham Luang Nang Non, a karstic cave system in Northern Thailand. Besides the great rescue, the history of the cave is rich with stories and legends. The name translates into the "Great Cave of the Sleeping Lady" or "the cave of the reclining lady," legends vary but the most popular story known goes, the cave was named after a princess who had committed suicide after she was forbidden to be with her lover, a commoner. The story varies whereas in the Washington Post article explains she was pregnant to a stable boy therefore, they took refuge in the cave and when he had gone to look for food her father's army had caught and killed him. Afterward, the princess had stabbed herself and her blood had become the water in the cave and the surrounding mountains, her body. The local residents believe her spirit guards the cave. Other legends say the cave was the home of demonic giants "yaksha" who were ruled from the cave by a king and others speak of a trickster spirit that devoured men and those who come in. All stories mention the cave becoming a powerful entity home to a sometimes dangerous spirit though it keeps the Northern Thai region safe.

https://www.upi.com/Thailands-inhospitable-caves-host-sacred-legends/7721531221813/


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/spirit-of-mythical-princess-looms-over-thai-cave-crisis/2018/06/27/7feaa5a4-79f6-11e8-ac4e-421ef7165923_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.98255ec30510