LYNGAR (Krem)
25.201900,91.693400
Description
An incasion doline (15 m wide) with vertical walls drops 8 m down to a relic cave level (abandoned by running water) and gives access to an active, horizontal stream cave passage which leads to a cave chamber characterised by slurry at a depth of 29.95 m (Harper undated 2001.01.31 Mss: Lyngar Shorter) or 33.20 m (Harper 2002.04.31 Mss: megahlay.doc). The cave as as a whole was found to be somewhat adjacent to both Krem U –>Priang and the so-called –>Monument Pot but not physically connected to either of them. ETYMOLOGY: The recorded cave name "Krem Lyngar" makes no sense (note 1). It may have been the Khasi noun "ka lyngka" or »a field« (SINGH, N 1906: 121), which had been mentioned, but the Khasi "lyngkar" means »without care, at random« (SINGH, N 1906: 121) and expresses the quick and easy aspect of cave exploration. SITUATION: About 500 to 600 m south-east of the village of Mawkhlain (note 2), and about 1.5 km south-east of the village of Mawlong (note 3). APPROACH: To reach the cave entrace, Rob Harper recommends to »… follow only road [from Mawlong village in a south-easterly direction and carry on] down to quarries. Opposite last quarry take track straight downhill past cliff to coal mines. Cave is large obvious collapse shaft approximately 15 m in diameter. Local guide useful.« POSITION: According to one solitary GPS reading at an elevation of 267 m asl but according to the surface survey some 15 m lower than Krem U Priang (258 m asl) and thus at 252.04 m asl. CAVE DESCRIPTION: A literally »obvious« (estimated 15 m wide), vertical walled doline drops 8 m down to a rubble cone. It looks a lot as if there are two passages at the pitch base to the dark part of the cave and indeed, a rift cave passage (8 m to 10 m wide, 15 m to 20 m high, -40°) »facing out from foot of pitch. Right« descends steeply over rubble to a 3 m climb up or down over boulders to sandy level floor. This leads after approximately 40 m at boulder choke. At one place or another, »a ledge at 8 m can be followed steeply uphill to a cave passage (6 m by 4 m, +45°) and to a second cave entrance (3 m by 1 m wide, 4 m deep) in boulders. Left at the entrance steeply« sloping rift (4 m to 6 m wide, 10 m to 15 m high, –45°) descends down to a level sandy floor and »after 20 m with stream emerging from boulder ruckle.« The stream flows into a level cave »… passage (6 m wide, 15 m high) and sinks after 30 m in the floor. Ahead continues steeply rising rift (4 m wide, 10 m high, 12 m +50°) to boulder choke. Back at the stream, a 2.5 m climb down through boulders leads to a sand floored chamber (4 m by 4 m wide, 3 m high) with choked sump on far side. To side of the sump a muddy rift (4 m to 6 m wide, 2 m to 5 m high, +50°) rises to a calcite choke« (after Rob Harper 2002.04.21 Mss "megahlay.doc" entry # 09 and Rob Harper, undated February 2001 Mss: Lyngar Shorter). TACKLE: Some 20 m of rope or ladder plus 25 m belay rope. PROSPECTS: The boulder choke at end of floor of RHS canyon passage is very close to boulder choke in Krem –>U Priang but all ways on are blocked or closed. CAVE LIFE: Small bats (Chiroptera), spiders (prob. Heteropoda), small crickets.
NOTE 1: ka lyngka (Khasi, noun), »the name of a second day in a Khasi week« (SINGH, N 1906: 121). ka Lyngka (Khasi / Bengali, Hindi etc. loan word, noun), »Ceylon; Sri Lanka« (SINGH, N 1906: 121) from "Lanka" (Sanskrit). ba lyngkár (Khasi, adjective), »without care; at random« (SINGH, N 1906: 121). u soh lyngkait (Khasi, noun), »a plantain-like fruit of a certain wildcreeper« (SINGH, N 1906: 208). ka wait lyngkái (Khasi, noun), »a kind of "wait" or dá having a tapering point« (SINGH, N 1906: 245). NOTE 2: Mawkhlain (±150 m) N25°12'21”: E091°41'26” (WGS84 modified from N25°12'19”: E091°41'36” Everest 1830, Survey of India sheet 78-O/11 edition 1912). NOTE 3: Mawlong (±150 m) N25°12'54”: E091°41'37” (WGS84 modified from N25°12'52”: E091°41'47” Everest 1830, Survey of India sheet 78-O/12 edition 1912). NOTE 4: »21-11-95 Drive south to Wahlong village … Continue onwards to Mawlong and after making some initial enquiries, make a brief visit to [look at the entrance of] the nearby Krem Lyngar« (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 17).
Documents
Bibliography 17/04/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: Little doubt remains that people familiar with area had known each and every square metre of this cave since time immemorial. 1995.11.21: Brian D. Kharpran Daly (interpreter), Simon J. Brooks (leader), Jennifer 'Jenni' or 'Jenny' A. Brooks, Estelle Sandford, H. D. Gebauer, Boycott, Antony 'Tony' and Christopher "Blitz" M. Smart paid a visit to the entrance (note 4). 2001.01.31: Guided by one or several unidentified guides (no names mentioned), Stuart McManus and Rob Harper "surveyed" (sports caver standards) to a degree yielding a total of 229.01 m of partly overlapping survey leg lengths.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | SOH SHYMPI 3, Aerodrome Pot (Krem) | ||
| 0.1 | PRIANG, Mawkhlain (Krem U) | ||
| 0.2 | MONUMENT POT (aa -) | ||
| 0.2 | DOLING (Krem U) | ||
| 0.4 | SOH SHYMPI 2, daylight window (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | UMSHAI (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | SOH SHYMPI (Krem) | ||
| 1.1 | DIENG SYNREM, Mawlong (Krem) | ||
| 1.5 | SODOIT (Krem) |