Khyndai Khra (Krem)
25.166700,91.916700
Description
A treasure cave is said to be situated near one »Bor Hill« (note 1),close to the Bangladesh border and somewhere in the almost 25 km wide stretch between Nongjri (N25°11'30”: E091°47'30”) in the west and Dauki (25°11'10”N: 92°01'20”E) in the east. ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi numeral "khyndai" (SINGH, N 1906: 39) signifies the number 9 or »nine« (note 2), and "u khra" is the word for »a pitcher, an earthen water vessel« (SINGH, N 1906: 35, 39). CULTURAL HISTORY - treasure cave legend (note 3): There once was a rich lady who was too afraid to keep all her wealth in her house. She put her treasure in nine jars (in Khasi = khyndai khra) and stored these in this cave. People do not dare to enter this cave (Vivian 'Bibi' Kharnaior 1998.11.05 personal communication).
NOTE 1: I do not know the location of this »Bor Hill« (Vivian "Bibi" Kharnaior 1998.11.05 personal communication) or, perhaps, Lum Bor."ka bór" (Khasi), binomial: ”ka bór ka sór” (SINGH, N 1906: 14), »the power; an influence; an authority« (SINGH, N 1906: 14); »the ability; an agent; the comprehension; the potency« (SINGH, N 1920: 1, 12, 83, 391); »the power, the force« (OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxvii); »a horn« (BLAH, E 2007: 136)"bor" (Bengali), "ber" (Hindi), »a thorny tree producing a fruit like a small plum, Zizyphus jujuba« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: vi, vii). NOTE 2: »… in the Khasi Pnar tradition of interpretation of dreams, each individual is represented by a number … The number 7 is for a non tribal and 9 is the number for death. … All animal’s are numbered 7 except for the elephant whose number is 9. If one dreams of an elder like the daloi the number is [also] 9 … Perhaps if one understands Thoh-tim and the number associated to it then one can also have a little insight into numerology or people’s understanding of numbers and its usage in the Khasi Pnar tradition. For instance we already see the link between the number 9 and the dead and their abode« (MOHRMEN, H H 2012.06.12 : Gambling through archery.- The Shillong Times, 12th June 2012). NOTE 3: The Khasi noun "ka jingpahuh" (abundance) in the sense of "ka spah ba la kynshew" (the collected / gathered together / stored up wealth / riches) signifies »a treasure« (SINGH, N 1920: 538) and the verbs "kynshew“ (collect / gather together / store up) or "lum" (to heap) translate as »to treasure« (SINGH, N 1920: 538).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | UMKARAM (Cave near) | ||
| 8.5 | WAH DIENGPIAN (Krem) | ||
| 8.6 | POTTERY RIFT, Umkaram (aa -) | ||
| 9.0 | WAH LAMBYRNAI (Krem) | ||
| 9.1 | NIANGLABEIT 1, relic (Krem) | ||
| 9.1 | NIANGLABEIT 2, active (Krem) | ||
| 9.1 | WAH PDAH (Krem) | ||
| 9.5 | SYMPTUNG (Krem) | ||
| 9.7 | SHYMBRONG (Krem) |