Laljal Cave

Nineteen kilometres from Belpahari is one of the circuit's odder stops: a set of shallow caves in a black-stone ridge at around 200m elevation, with a spring whose water runs reddish in monsoon thanks to dissolved iron and copper (hence Laljal, “red water”). Local tradition associates the caves with prehistoric settlement; minor archaeological fragments have been recovered from around Sinlahara and Deopahare. There is also a modest Durga temple. The hike up is short but steep, and the cave itself is more atmospheric than grand, so come for the landscape rather than any expectation of geological spectacle.