Forest Diva
The Devil's Throat Cave - the Mystery of the Rhodopes 

The Devil's Throat Cave - the Mystery of the Rhodopes 

The Devil's Throat Cave - the Mystery of the Rhodopes

The guests of Forest Diva can admire the crystal clear waters of the Vacha Dam - a tributary of the Vacha River, which springs up from the Devil's Throat Cave - one of the most mysterious caves in Bulgaria and the Balkans. Nestled in the foothills of the Western Rhodopes, about 1150 m above sea level, near the Yagodinska Cave and only 1.5 km from Trigrad, the Devil's Throat impresses with its history and the mysterious events hidden behind its walls.

"Devil's Throat" was formed due to the collapse of the earth layers. The reason why it lacks formations such as stalactites, stalagmites or stalactons is that the cave is about 175,000 years old, making it relatively young. Nowadays, the cave is part of the Hundred National Tourist Sites, and due to the fact that it is a popular destination, changes have been made to make it easier for visitors and provide passability for 350 m of the 1.5 km. Its natural entrance (now an exit consisting of 301 steps equivalent to a 22-storey building) has been replaced by an artificially dug tunnel of one hundred and fifty metres. 

 It is along this path that the tourist trail passes, along which three reliefs can be seen: a devil's head carved near the visitor entrance; a full-length figure of a man in antique style; a small spring with healing water, where the face of the Virgin Mary is located. Tradition has it that if you make a wish here, it will come true. The last two can be found in the main and most interesting part of the Devil's Throat - the Storm Hall.  a devil's head carved near the visitor entrance; a full-length figure of a man in antique style; a small spring with healing water, where the face of the Virgin Mary is located. Tradition has it that if you make a wish here, it will come true. The last two can be found in  the main and most interesting part of the Devil's Throat - the Storm Hall.

The notorious hall was formed by the collapse of the Trigrad River into the cave. This resulted in the cascade of 18 waterfalls - the largest of which (42 m) was declared the highest underground waterfall in the Balkans. The width of this part of the cave is 40 m, its length is 11 m and its height is 35 m, which means that the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the city of Sofia can be accommodated in it without problems. This makes it the second largest cave hall in Bulgaria after that of the Devetashka Cave. The name "Roaring Hall" comes from the deafening roar of the waterfall, whose waters are lost in a siphon over 150 m long. This is followed by a 60-metre gallery through which the river leaves the cave and reappears on the surface.

It is the siphon and the mysterious disappearance of the river into the rocks that bring the mystery and the many unanswered questions into the story of Devil's Throat Cave. In the past, it bore the name of Turkish origin "Akhorlakimeto", which literally means "clog". As for its modern name, one version is that it derives from the shape of its exit, which resembles a devil's head. However, most of us probably associate its name with the belief that whatever goes in never comes out. Few have heard of the events that prove it. Repeatedly, during heavy rainfall and floods, the Trigrad River drags dozens of cubic metres of timber downstream. According to locals, they are dragged into the cave, but where the river reappears, there is not even a splinter of them.

Of course, attempts have also been made to solve the mystery. In 1970, two divers from the city of Varna - Siyana Lyutskanova and Evstat Yovchev dived into the waters of the cave, but unfortunately never surfaced. After the accident, their bodies have not been found, and attempts to study the siphon by humans have ceased. The attempts continue by staining the waters, thus the experts aim to find out if the same river really flows from the outlet. They are surprised to find that stained water does come out, but only after an hour. They thus conclude that the water passes through an extremely long labyrinth in the rock, and all the objects are there, preserved by the cold water.5

The mystery that hovers around the cave gives rise to numerous legends from the distant past, when the Thracians ruled these lands. They believed Devil's Throat to be a portal to the afterlife and cast their dead chieftains and warriors here to ensure their immortality.

In addition, "Devil's Throat"  is associated with the famous legend of Orpheus.  According to it, it is here that the mythical musician tries to bring back his beloved Eurydice from the realm of the dead. Thanks to his lyre and his incredible song, he managed to reach Hades and make a deal with him. In order to save his wife's soul, Orpheus must follow Hermes to the exit of the underworld kingdom, with Eurydice in his wake. The condition is that the singer must not turn around and look at his beloved, otherwise she will return to Hades again. The exit is now in sight when a loud rumble (the location of this incident is believed to be the Tempest Hall) drowns out the woman's footsteps, Orpheus, worried, forgets everything and turns around to see if she is lost. 

He reaches out to her, but her shadow begins to recede. The singer becomes numb. For seven days he murmurs and weeps inconsolably. A spring gushes forth in this place, and today is the altar with the figure of the Virgin Mary, which we mentioned earlier in the text. According to legend, Orpheus remained faithful to his wife, even four years after her death. This incurred him the wrath of the Bacchantes. They stone him to death, tear his body apart, and his soul goes to the underworld where his beloved Eurydice awaits him. From that moment they are never parted again.

The Devil's Throat Cave is home to several species of bats, including the largest colony of long-winged cave bat on the Balkans. In the lake you can spot trout dragged from the river, whose vision is completely stunted due to the constant darkness.

Source: bulgarianhistory.org 

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