PETROL STATION CAVE (aa -)
25.168900,92.376400
Description
The 18th known cave entrance to Krem –>Kotsati is doline and, further down, a pothole behind a petrol station (watch what you step in) on the western side of the National Highway NH44 (Gauhati - Shillong - Jowai - Sonapur) and south of Lumshnong village. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what expeditious sports cavers in search of recreational adventure tourism christened with the almost Khasi but fake cave names »Krem Petrol Station« or »Krem Filling Station« and »Krem Garage« (note 1) due to a nearby petrol station (note 2). CAVE DESCRIPTION: An entrance pitch drops 8 m down into collapse doline gives access to two speleothem decorated high level routes (Dripping Aven, Dry Aven) from where a 7 m pitch intersects the clean-washed and walking sized cave passage, which eventually leads to at 5 m descend down into a known part of Krem –>Umlawan. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1997: »We walked down to the pothole behind the filling station which we rigged with a 10 m ladder which just reached the floor. It went through tree roots which made the climb a bit awkward. After the three of us had got down we were joined by Thy and his mate Marcos -- uninvited but welcome. One had a torch and I gave the other my Duo [electric head light] and we then laddered an 8 m pitch on the left side which led to 150 m or so of superb walking sized phreatic, scalloped passage [Grampian Way]winding its way down to the head of a short pitch [Little Aven]. We temporarily halted surveying here while Tony returned to the last pitch to drop the ladder and free climb down. The new 5 m climb [Little Aven] was laddered to more fine cave with lots of very obvious footprints –the Germans had beaten us to it! Having connected to [George's Dream Series of] Um Lawan [Krem –>Kotsati] we wandered down to the junction of the streamways [Um 'Thei Sotti a.k.a. Virgin River and Umlawan River] in the system at this point and then returned to the surface pot. From here we climbed up on the other side to reach a loose area with three pitches, all with dangerously loose overhanging boulders. I chickened out on one and Tony dropped the adjacent one to reach the same place. We surveyed on down to reach a wide aven with a horrendously nasty blockage above, which connected with the surface pot. I climbed part way up this to reach George's Dream Series -- previously explored by Estelle, Tony, Kaiman [Kyrmen 'Hope' C Hiwot Passah] and Simon. From below this Tony then dug an alternative route into another part of this series which we connected by surveying …« (Jarratt 1997.03.01 Mss). CULTURAL HISTORY - Lack of human use: »A perfect place for the Lumshnong Show Cave: Good parking, electricity, tea shops, convenient to the road. It would stop pollution of system by the petrol station and destruction by quarrying. Bang [explosives] and miners are available locally. Money and "bullshit" available locally (Spindro!). Main road with increasing traffic (start cheap to pull in the Tata drivers! They spread the word, free, throughout North East India -- provide free lorry stickers). Then coaches. Train and educate local guides (Thy Will Be Done, Marcos Mukhim, "Mr. No Problem" and the gorgeous girl at our favourite chai shop). Conservation notes (based on assorted religions so that Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, etc. are aware of the cave's divine importance). From what I have seen of George's Dream Series [note 4] I am sure that a tourist route could be relatively easily designed and constructed from the pot via Grampian Way, rivers' junction and the formations [speleothems] back out on the other side of the pot (deeper and more impressive when / if the boulders in the floor are banged out). Problems: Fresh water supply, accommodation, landowners, insurances, government, greed, etc. Worth considering though?« (Jarratt 2000.03.15 personal correspondence).
NOTE 1: »It savours of impertinence for Europeans to assert their views against the usage of other civilisations« (Longstaff, Tom G in: Swami PRANAVANANDA 1939: The sources of the Brahmaputra …- Geographical Journal ISSN 0016-7398 (London: Royal Geographical Society), vol. 43, no. 2 (February 1939), page 135. NOTE 2: garage (English, noun) "ka iing set ia kynja kali kum ki motor car bad kiwei" (BLAH, E 2007: 114) or »the closed building erected for all kinds of motor cars and the like« (hdg 2013.05.31). NOTE 4: Not only George's (the German caver's) but also Saint George's Dream Passage, as the "dragon killer" represents supression of anarchistic impulses like cohabitation with mothers or quarrying limestone, breaking of calcite formations or killing fathers, spilling petrol, etc.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1997.03.01: Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt and Estelle Sandford, who were in company with the local lads Thy-Will-Be-Done and Marcos Mukhim, visited, entered and attempted cave mapping (Jarratt 1997: Mss "Cave log" vol. 7: 73). Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt (1997.03.01 Mss "Logbook" vol. 7: 73) narrates having »discovered« at the so-called »Krem Garage [sic!] … 400 m from the pothole in both directions. Many fine formations« (mcra.org.uk/logbooks/?dir=jrat accessed 2008.12.05).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | UMLAWAN 1: Surprise Exit (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UM SAITHET KYNTHEI, Lumshnong (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 1: Y-Pot (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 2 a (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 2 b (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 2 c (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 2 d (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 2 e (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 2 f (Krem) |