Amabera ga Nyinamwiru

Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru - Mabere ga Nyinamwiru - Amabeere Ga Nyina Mwiru - Breasts of Nyinamwiru

Useful Information

Location:	Fort Portal, western Uganda. (0.6772345, 30.2246973)
Open:	All year daily. [2009]
Fee:	Foreigners UGS 5,000, Locals UGS 2,500. [2009]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch.
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Amabera ga Nyinamwiru, Amabere Caves Nyakasura, Fort Portal, Uganda, Tel: +256-39-2003279.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The cave Amabera ga Nyinamwiru (Breasts of Nyinamwiru) is named after Nyinamwiru or Nyina Mwiru. The cave seems to have a lot of names, many are variations of the main name. The names are Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru or Amamabere ga NyinaMwiru, but also Nyakasura Caves and Amabere Caves or Amabere Caves Nyakasura. We actually have no idea why there are so many variations, we can only guess that these are different mistranslations.

Some say Nyina Mwiru was a demi goddess, others say she was a princess of the Chwezi Kingdom (Bachwezi). She was the daughter of Bukuku, a very rich man and King of the Batembuzi dynasty, the predecessor of the current Babito kings of Tooro and Bunyoro kingdoms. The ancient Kings of the Batembuzi Dynasty were believed to be demigods by their subjects, and they often disappeared to the underground at certain times. She was a girl of famed beauty and had a strong personality, and as always in these stories, she was not willing to marry the man her father chose for her. This greatly infuriated the King and his subjects who could not understand how anyone could disobey the King. For this disobedience, she was punished by cutting off her breasts, which ensured that she would never get married to whoever she would choose and never be able to nurse children. Her breasts then grew into rocks dripping with milk. Other versions of the legend tell that she cut off her breasts herself.

According to a prophey King Bukuku's daughter would marry and produca a son, who would kill the King and take over the throne. The King was unhappy and made the drastic plan to cut off her breasts, to make her unappealing. Despite hiding her in the cave, Nyina Mwiru's allure was still strong, and she became pregnant from the Batembuzi King Isaza and later gave birth to their son Ndahura. As she was not able to breastfeed the infant, she used what looked like milk dripping from the stalactites. It appeared milky because of its high content of calcium. When he was grown up, Ndahura fulfilled the prophecy that he would become King and take over Bukuku's throne. As Bukuku was a usurper and the throne was rightfully Isaza's, the throne was rightfully his. Ndahura formed one of the greatest empires of the Great Lakes area of Africa.

One chamber of the cave contains stalactites which resemble in form female breasts. The dripping water from the stalactites deposited white calcite, so the water looks whitish. This is why the locals call it breast milk. However, the guides are well-educated and tell the scientific background as well as the legend.

The cave is visited with a local guide, who is included in the entrance fee. This is rather important, not because the cave is closed, but because it is covered by undergrowth and hard to find. The entrance is also low and narrow and requires some stooping. The cave is mostly big enough to walk upright, but there are some low and narrow spots. Actually, visitors will get dirty, and it is recommended to wear suitable clothes and bring clothes to change afterwards.

Several legends are told about the cave. One chamber is said to have been the resting place of the Bachwezi dogs, and the ceiling shows pits resembling dog paws. A waterfall called Natural Shower is said to have been used by the Bachwezi to take showers. The visitors are also allowed to do so if they wish.

While the cave is located in limestone and is a karst cave, there is also some volcanism in the area. From a nearby outlook, it is possible to see three different crater lakes. Those are lake Kigere, lake Wabikele, and lake Saaka. Also, a huge foot imprinted in the rock can be seen. According to legend, the huge foot belonged to one of the last Batembuzi dynasty people who were giants.