Skip to main content

Research Article Details

Peer-Reviewed Open Access Publication · ISSN: 2321-8681 · CC-BY 4.0 International

Open Access ISSN: 2321-8681 Volume: 13, Issue: 2 (July-December) 2026

Microflora of Ancient Pandava Caves in Kadri, Mangalore

Authors: Bharathi Prakash, Sumangala, Ramya, Suma, Vikshitha, Shamitha Kiran, Shravan Kumar, Naveen Raj India
Download Full PDF Certificate Cite Article Back to Archives

Abstract

Cave ecosystems represent unique and nutrient-limited environments that harbour diverse microbial communities with important ecological and biotechnological significance. The present study was undertaken to investigate the bacterial microflora associated with Pandava Guha (cave), a historically significant rock-cut cave located near Kadri Manjunath Temple, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India. Air flora and soil samples were collected from Pandava Guha, Grave and Stone Cave. Bacterial isolation was carried out by the air exposure (sedimentation) method for air and serial dilution technique for soil using Tryptone Soya Agar (TSA). Bacterial growth was observed in all air and soil samples, indicating the presence of diverse microbial populations within the cave environment. The bacterial isolates were characterized. Representative bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus spp., Clostridium spp., Micrococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. The predominance of Gram-positive bacteria suggests their adaptation to nutrient-limited cave conditions. The findings demonstrate that Pandava Guha serves as a valuable natural habitat for diverse bacterial communities and highlight the ecological importance of cave microorganisms. Further molecular identification and metagenomic studies are required to explore the complete microbial diversity and evaluate their potential applications in biotechnology and environmental research.

Keywords
Cave microflora; Pandava ; Air flora; Soil scraping; Bacterial diversity; Tryptone Soya Agar.

Journal Research and Reviews in Biotechnology and Biosciences
Peer Review Double-Blind Peer Reviewed
Publication Year 2026
Volume Volume: 13, Issue: 2 (July-December)
Page Range 19-27
DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22095922
Cite this Article

Select a citation style to copy or import directly into your reference manager:

Bharathi Prakash, Sumangala, Ramya, Suma, Vikshitha, Shamitha Kiran, Shravan Kumar, Naveen Raj (2026). Microflora of Ancient Pandava Caves in Kadri, Mangalore. Research and Reviews in Biotechnology and Biosciences, Volume: 13, Issue: 2 (July-December) , 19-27. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22095922
Bharathi Prakash, Sumangala, Ramya, Suma, Vikshitha, Shamitha Kiran, Shravan Kumar, Naveen Raj, 2026. Microflora of Ancient Pandava Caves in Kadri, Mangalore. Research and Reviews in Biotechnology and Biosciences, Volume: 13, Issue: 2 (July-December) , pp. 19-27.
Bharathi Prakash, Sumangala, Ramya, Suma, Vikshitha, Shamitha Kiran, Shravan Kumar, Naveen Raj. "Microflora of Ancient Pandava Caves in Kadri, Mangalore." Research and Reviews in Biotechnology and Biosciences Volume: 13, Issue: 2 (July-December) (2026): 19-27.
@article{rrbb_323_BharathiP, title = {{Microflora of Ancient Pandava Caves in Kadri, Mangalore}}, author = {Bharathi Prakash, Sumangala, Ramya, Suma, Vikshitha, Shamitha Kiran, Shravan Kumar, Naveen Raj}, journal = {Research and Reviews in Biotechnology and Biosciences}, issn = {2321-8681}, year = {2026}, volume = {Volume: 13, Issue: 2 (July-December) }, pages = {19-27}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22095922} }
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source.