PNAH KYNDENG, Pahambir (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A natural cave formed under gneiss boulders (note 1) represents an unusual temple cave, which is sacred to U Ryngkew, a local patron god and his subjects cum messengers, the populous day roost of strictly fruitarian tropical bats. IDENTITY: The cave recorded as Krem Pnah Kyndeng, Pahambir (Brian D. Kharpran Daly (2013.11.15 personal correspondence) and as Krem Pdeh Kynslang, Nonglyngdoh (Andrew -Andy- Peter Tyler 2001.10.11 personal correspondence) is probably the same as the cave called Pdah Kyndeng Phud Umngei which Bob Warwick advertised on astrostar.com/morsels.htm (accessed 2001.05.10). ETYMOLOGY: The origin and meaning of the recorded cave names remained unexplained but seems to signify an Eloquent, Fluent or Tenacious Sacred Cave, in Khasi Krem Pnah Kyndeng, combining rather the Khasi word pnah [note 2] (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence) than pdah [note 3] (Bob Warwick, astrostar.com) or pdeh (Tyler, A P 2001.10.11) with Kyndeng (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.5; Warwick, B) or Kynslang (Andy Tyler), a version of -ba kyntang- (Khasi, adjective), consecrated, holy, sacred (note 4) as ”ka láwkyntang” (from: ka khlaw kyntang) is the Khasi word for a sacred grove; reserved forest (note 5) or a consecrated, a sacred forest (SINGH, N 1906: 111). Another line of interpretation regards the cave as a source of voices, that is to say the noise made by thousands of bats, which this cave emits during daytime and reveals the cave's existence and location even before the entrance is seen (note 6). The murmering stream of -voices- suggests to consider an origin of the cave name from -Krem Pnah Ktien- (note 7) or something along the lines of an Eloquent Cave (no instance of use recorded). So far recorded have been the following caves names: Pdah Kyndeng, Umngei Warwick, Bob, astrostar.com/morsels.htm (accessed 2001.05.10) Krem Pdeh Kynslang, Nonglyngdoh Tyler, A P (2001.10.11 personal correspondence) Krem Pnah Kyndeng, Pahambir Kharpran Daly, B D (2013.1.15 personal correspondence). SITUATION 2013: The cave is located within the jurisdiction of Pahambir [note 8] village, Nongpoh. Five hundred metres north of the village (station: Bah Sen Lyngdoh’s house, Lyngdoh of the Raid) along the black-topped road, a 4x4 dirt tract on the left is taken for another two and a half kilometre. A good forty minutes walk from the obvious downhill slope leads to the cave on the other hillside to the right and fifty metres above the stream-bed (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). SITUATION 2001: Within a certain Pdah Kyntang Phud Umngei (note 9), a sacred forest near the village of Raid Rhydoh, which lies of about 25 km along motorable tracks approximately north-east from Nongpoh (25°54'N: 91°53'E) at a relatively low elevation and in a comparatively warm and humid setting (Bob Warwick on astrostar.com/morsels.htm accessed 2001.05.10). POSITION 2001: Definitely not near (unknown geodetic datum; unidentified precision error) 25°5'72”N: 91°56'77”E (note 10), a misinterpretation of rather 25°57.72'N: 91°56.77'E = 25°57'43.2”N: 91°56'46.2”E than 25.5772°N: 91.5677°E = 25°34'37.9”N: 91°34'03.7”E. POSITION 2013: Definitely not near (WGS84, unidentified precision error) 25Ý65´52´´N: 091Ý42´46´´E (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.10.20 unidentified GPS receiver) as this position is marred with more than 65 minutes per degree (1° = 60 seconds). Even if the minutes and seconds are taken as decimal fractions of a degree, the recorded coordinates 25°65'52”N: 91°42'46”E formatted as25.6552°N: 91.4246°E = 25°39'18.7”N: 91°25'28.6”E indicate a position in the Garo Hills. APPROACH 2001: In October 2001, a 4-wheel drive car could be driven up to the village of Nonglyngdoh (note 11), from where the village of Raid Rhydoh is said to lie at a distance of an hour's walk (an estimated 2 km or 6 km) in an unidentified direction along a ridge with an unidentified name. The the area in front of the cave entrance is eached by clambering down towards what once had been -- though, of course, for only a very short time -- on Andy Tyler's personal right (in an unidentified direction) and across relatively rugged boulders in an arboreal vegetation and down to a stream of water with an unidentified name (perhaps the Um Ngi / Umngi). Here, the cave entrance lies relatively a little above the level of the streambed and is easily found even blindfolded by following the sound and smell of bats. The final access up or down into the cave was eased in October 2001 by a notched tree trunk (Andrew -Andy- Peter Tyler 2001.10.11 personal correspondence). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2013: The cave or rather shelter is a circular chamber of about twelve metres across and five metres high with four entrances. The main entrance measures seven metres in width, dropping four metres down into the cave. The chamber has been formed by the erosion of the soft earth beneath the huge granite block of about fifteen metres high. The holowed-out chamber, not unlike a mini ampitheatre, serves as an abode for a sizeable colony of bats littering the rocky mud floor with a slushy thick deposit of guano (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001: The south facing cave entrance (5.5 m wide and 4 m high) gives access to a slope down into a cave chamber (10 m long, 3 m wide) with a second cave entrance on the east. To the west-north-west, the passage (with a third cave entrance in the west) ascends diminishing to a crawl, and opens up again. Ahead (west) closes down and in the north is a fourth cave entrance (interpretation of a sketched -cave plan- without scale created and forwarded by Andrew -Andy- Peter Tyler 2001.10.11 personal correspondence). CULTURAL HISTORY 2013: The villagers believe that U Ryngkew (guardian of the forest) protects the bats from harm; any person killing or harming the bats of that cave was sure to meet with certain death even before that person reached his or he own doorsteps (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). CULTURAL HISTORY 2001: The Meghalays [sic!] government has created a spirit called -ryngkiew- [note 12] that is the savior of the Pdah Kyndeng Phud Umngei, a sacred forest that contains a cave filled with bats (Bob Warwick, astrostar.com/morsels.htm accessed 2001.05.10). People are said to occasionally perform religious rituals there and the bats are believed to embody the -U Ryngkew- (spiritus loci) or to be the messengers of -the gods- and thus protected. At one stage of commercial development (winter 2000-2001), somebody recommended to develop the obnoxious smelling hole into a tourist attraction but was obviously not aware that bats dwell intentionally in inaccessible places and disappear when disturbed. There even had been an officer in the pay of the MTDC (Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation), who once got a chance to speak in a TV interview and opted for exploiting the literally -breath-taking- site a a tourist attraction (note 13). Fortunately there are both local and urban people around who keep fools from rushing in and care to preserve not only the bat roost but also sanctity of the obnoxious cave. CAVE LIFE: The cave would be of interest to the biologist rather than the speleologist (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). A stunningly smelly day roost of an estimated 50'000 individual fruit bats (Chiroptera: Megachiroptera indet.) produces a substantial and daily increasing deposit of bat guano, the decomposition of which generates a strong ammonia stench (Tyler, Andrew -Andy- Peter 2001.10.11 personal correspondence). The obnoxious stench, by the way, is impressive whilst the accummulation of bat's excrements is impressible. own doorsteps (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). CULTURAL HISTORY 2001: The Meghalays [sic!] government has created a spirit called -ryngkiew- [note 12] that is the savior of the Pdah Kyndeng Phud Umngei, a sacred forest that contains a cave filled with bats (Bob Warwick, astrostar.com/morsels.htm accessed 2001.05.10). People are said to occasionally perform religious rituals there and the bats are believed to embody the -U Ryngkew- (spiritus loci) or to be the messengers of -the gods- and thus protected. At one stage of commercial development (winter 2000-2001), somebody recommended to develop the obnoxious smelling hole into a tourist attraction but was obviously not aware that bats dwell intentionally in inaccessible places and disappear when disturbed. There even had been an officer in the pay of the MTDC (Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation), who once got a chance to speak in a TV interview and opted for exploiting the literally -breath-taking- site a own doorsteps (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). CULTURAL HISTORY 2001: The Meghalays [sic!] government has created a spirit called -ryngkiew- [note 12] that is the savior of the Pdah Kyndeng Phud Umngei, a sacred forest that contains a cave filled with bats (Bob Warwick, astrostar.com/morsels.htm accessed 2001.05.10). People are said to occasionally perform religious rituals there and the bats are believed to embody the -U Ryngkew- (spiritus loci) or to be the messengers of -the gods- and thus protected. At one stage of commercial development (winter 2000-2001), somebody recommended to develop the obnoxious smelling hole into a tourist attraction but was obviously not aware that bats dwell intentionally in inaccessible places and disappear when disturbed. There even had been an officer in the pay of the MTDC (Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation), who once got a chance to speak in a TV interview and opted for exploiting the literally -breath-taking- site a own doorsteps (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). CULTURAL HISTORY 2001: The Meghalays [sic!] government has created a spirit called -ryngkiew- [note 12] that is the savior of the Pdah Kyndeng Phud Umngei, a sacred forest that contains a cave filled with bats (Bob Warwick, astrostar.com/morsels.htm accessed 2001.05.10). People are said to occasionally perform religious rituals there and the bats are believed to embody the -U Ryngkew- (spiritus loci) or to be the messengers of -the gods- and thus protected. At one stage of commercial development (winter 2000-2001), somebody recommended to develop the obnoxious smelling hole into a tourist attraction but was obviously not aware that bats dwell intentionally in inaccessible places and disappear when disturbed. There even had been an officer in the pay of the MTDC (Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation), who once got a chance to speak in a TV interview and opted for exploiting the literally -breath-taking- site a own doorsteps (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). CULTURAL HISTORY 2001: The Meghalays [sic!] government has created a spirit called -ryngkiew- [note 12] that is the savior of the Pdah Kyndeng Phud Umngei, a sacred forest that contains a cave filled with bats (Bob Warwick, astrostar.com/morsels.htm accessed 2001.05.10). People are said to occasionally perform religious rituals there and the bats are believed to embody the -U Ryngkew- (spiritus loci) or to be the messengers of -the gods- and thus protected. At one stage of commercial development (winter 2000-2001), somebody recommended to develop the obnoxious smelling hole into a tourist attraction but was obviously not aware that bats dwell intentionally in inaccessible places and disappear when disturbed. There even had been an officer in the pay of the MTDC (Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation), who once got a chance to speak in a TV interview and opted for exploiting the literally -breath-taking- site a own doorsteps (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). CULTURAL HISTORY 2001: The Meghalays [sic!] government has created a spirit called -ryngkiew- [note 12] that is the savior of the Pdah Kyndeng Phud Umngei, a sacred forest that contains a cave filled with bats (Bob Warwick, astrostar.com/morsels.htm accessed 2001.05.10). People are said to occasionally perform religious rituals there and the bats are believed to embody the -U Ryngkew- (spiritus loci) or to be the messengers of -the gods- and thus protected. At one stage of commercial development (winter 2000-2001), somebody recommended to develop the obnoxious smelling hole into a tourist attraction but was obviously not aware that bats dwell intentionally in inaccessible places and disappear when disturbed. There even had been an officer in the pay of the MTDC (Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation), who once got a chance to speak in a TV interview and opted for exploiting the literally -breath-taking- site a a tourist attraction (note 13). Fortunately there are both local and urban people around who keep fools from rushing in and care to preserve not only the bat roost but also sanctity of the obnoxious cave. CAVE LIFE: The cave would be of interest to the biologist rather than the speleologist (Kharpran Daly, B D 2013.11.15 personal correspondence). A stunningly smelly day roost of an estimated 50'000 individual fruit bats (Chiroptera: Megachiroptera indet.) produces a substantial and daily increasing deposit of bat guano, the decomposition of which generates a strong ammonia stench (Tyler, Andrew -Andy- Peter 2001.10.11 personal correspondence). The obnoxious stench, by the way, is impressive whilst the accummulation of bat's excrements is impressible.