PUKPUIA PUK, Serkawn

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 07/05/2016

Pukpui or »Large Cave« is a daylight-lit rock shelter (25 m wide, up to 2.5 m high and 4.5 m deep) at the very head of a valley descending to the north-west. It is crescent shaped in ground plan, covers an area of almost 50 square metres, and originates from the crumbling away of almost horizontally stratified mudstone which is suspected to carry some percolation water in wet weather.SITUATION: At the outskirts of Pukpui village and immediately below and to the right (north-west) of the old (western) road from Lunglei (N22°53': E92°44') and Serkawn (N22°54'45”: E92°45'30” (±4.8 m, WGS84) via South Zatlang, Saza and Aibawk to Aizawl. It lies shortly beyond the BSF (Border Security Force) camp and is marked with a sign board at the side of the road. The village Pukpui is shown on the map »Mizoram leh a Chhehvêl« (produced by RALTE, C Vawra, circa 1997 s.a.). CULTURAL HISTORY - Human use: The rock surface, covered with lichens and mosses, is flaking and could not support any rock art, perhaps with the short living exception of very deeply incised engravings: The shelter must have been used intensively by road workers but not the slightest trace of soot survived. The very flat floor of the shelters is obviously modified by man and continues into a spacious man-made level area in its front.