The legend of Borra Caves

Borra Caves in Araku Valley, Visakhapatnam, got their name from a hole in the ceiling of the cave. Borra means ‘hole’ in the local language. According to a legend, one day a cow fell into the cave through this hole, and when the villagers reached the cave, they discovered a Shivalingam formation at the spot, which made them believe that the cow had been saved by God. There was also a rock formation like a cow’s udder right above, from which water was dripping on to the lingam. This turned into a river. The river was named Gosthani or Cow’s Udder.