|
The biggest of the caverns, Cave of the Church (Kuweba ng Simbahan), was used as a worship area, believed to be the home of Amang Bathala, the Supreme Being of the early locals. This cave is well ventilated and large enough to accommodate one hundred people.
About a hundred meters from the Cave of the Church is a burial site aptly named the Cemetery Cave. It is believed that Nature engraved signs or symbols throughout the cavern. For instance, at the main entrance, they say that the leaning faces of God and Christ can be discerned. On the ceiling of the main hall is a figure of a wing-spread dove. On the right wing is an image of what they claim is a crying Mary. Below the tip of the tail is a big stalagmite called the Altar. Facing the entire figure is a silhouette of what the cult members see as the Virgin Mary and Christ the King. On the cave floor is a stone formation of what looks like a man lying down. It is Christ in the Sepulcher, the cultists say. Other images include the "Crucifixion" and a deformed face of an apparent Moriones mask that some say belongs to the suffering Christ. Near the "crying Mary" is a bell-shaped stalactite that is said to ring at midnight on Good Friday. A big boulder at the rear of the cave looks like a boat that, cult members say, is the Ark of Noah.
The Python Cave has only one entrance that is guarded by at least 11 pythons. More snakes are found on its second floor. Bathala as one of the best among the caves he has visited in the country. "It is rich in biodiversity and I am happy that the locals were responsible enough not to harm the animals inside the cave," he said. According to him, it is proof that man and the wild can coexist and live in harmony.
Further studies on the caves have been suggested, which can only unfurl myriad more stories of religion and history, boosting cultural conservation initiatives.
|