102 



FOOTE : SOUTH MAHRATTA COUNTRY. 



The quart zites of Parasgarh hill are faulted against the gneiss along 



Parasgarh inclined their northern boundary, and form a great inclined 



^ ^"^" plane, with an average dip of 7° north. In 



many parts the surface shows vast sheets of perfectly bare rock. At the 



south-west corner of the plateau stand the ruins of the very ancient 



fortress of Parasgarh, perched boldly on the very edge of the precipitous 



scarp, and commanding a fine view over the plains towards Dharwar. A 



remarkable spring, said to be perennial, occurs in 

 Parasgarh spring. 



a cave about 200 feet below the edge of the scarp, 

 but still within the precincts of the ancient fort. The quantity of water 

 is so great, and the position of the spring so close to the edge of the 

 western scarp, that it is clear the water must find its way thither by flow- 

 ing through the great joints from the highest brow of the inchned plane 

 eastward of the old fort. The cave is a rudely lenticular hollow between 

 two beds of quartzites near the base of the cliff, and the approach to it 

 from above is guarded by various walls to enable the garrison to visit the 

 spring in safety from enemies in the plain below. The occurrence of 

 such a spring iu the quartzites is quite unique, and its existence in such 

 a strong position was very likely the chief raison d'etre of the old strong- 

 hold, which still gives its name to the taluq, though the place itself is 

 now quite abandoned, and the taluq cutcherry and other offices are now 

 all located at Saundatti (Sumodutti), three miles to the north-west. On 

 the extreme eastern end of the Parasgarh outlier stands the Hirakumbi 

 (Heerakoombee) trigonometrical station, 3,572 feet above sea level, and 

 500 to 600 feet above the adjacent plain. 



Chick Nargund hill is also capped by an inclined plane of quartzites 



dipping from 30° to 35° north-by-east. The north 



side of the inchned plane is probably faulted against 



the gneiss, but the base of the hill is so much obscured by talus cemented 



into a breccia by infiltration of tufaceous kunkur that it is impossible to 



trace the fault. 



( 102 ) 



