KHOLJONGKOL
25.323900,90.512000
Description
A tunnel cave, which drains an allochthonous catchment area in the north to the south-south-west, takes the entire flow (some 400 l/s in the dry season of February 2002) of the Rompa River (note 1). The cave connects several inlets (one penetrable) via a collector to a subterranean estuary. SITUATION: Opposite across the Rompa River from –>Chikrukol. The motorable track (jeepable in the dry season), which runs from the Asakgre- Imandura I.B. (note 2) to the Imelsang waterfall (also: Imilchang Dare; about 20 m high), ends about 200 m short of the waterfall (about 1.5 km in a direct line south (170°) of the I.B.). Climbing down on the left (southern) flank of the waterfall and following for some 400 m the river (that soon falls dry), the sinkhole entrance opens in the left (south-west) bank (near N25°21'38": E090°31'29", according to GPS readings 1.58 km in a direct line on a bearing of 188° from the IB). The resurgence entrance (note 3) is better reached from the I.B. by leaving the path towards Baghmara (five walking hours away) till the "sub-village" of Papha Asakgre (N25°19'44”: E090°30'28” WGS84: 225 m asl GPs) is reached, from where several jungle trails (guide!) descend into the Rompa valley. CULTURAL HISTORY: »The pilgrims also visited Imilchang Dare (Falls) … a falls as high as a hundred metres [sic! for: 100 feet = 30 m] and is shaped like a horse-shoe. Another beauty of Imilchang is that the water flows underneath the ground and not above. The water surfaces half a kilometre further down (LENTEN PILGRIMAGE… 2002).« PALAEONTOLOGY: A fossil bone protrudes from the orographically left (western) wall of Cold Inlet. CAVE LIFE: Tiny flies, one largish and apparently hibernating bat (Chiroptera, body length circa 18 cm), crickets, spiders (Heteropoda).
NOTE 1: The river Rompa is the »Rompha« on Survey of India sheet 78-K/SE (Half-Inch series, 1926 edition and 1930 edition). NOTE 2: Asakgre- Imandura I.B. (Inspection Bungalow) N25°20'16.6”: E090°30'51.0” (±5.5 m, WGS84): 230 m asl (GPS).NOTE 3: Kholjongkol resurgence N25°19'13.3": E090°30'39.7" (WGS84) or N25°19'12.7": E090°30'53.1" (Everest 1830).
Documents
Bibliography 02/04/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: Burnt relics of bamboo torches indicate that even the remotest parts of the cave have been visited by local explorers in previous times. 1995: Hemason M. Sangma, Nokma (village headman) of Nengkhong, reported a cave similar to –>Tetengkol - Balwakol ("small entrance, big inside") near Chokpot (i.e. Chokpotgre). 2002.02.07: Blen Marak (Asakgre- Imandura, assisted by his brothers Erok and Hellindro) guided two survey teams to the cave. H. Daniel Gebauer, Lindsay B. Diengdoh and Peter Ludwig map 738 m (67 legs), Mark Brown, Jörg Dreybrodt and Annie Audsley map 246 m (27 legs). 2002.02.10: A length of 822 m is harvested in the upstream section. 2002.02.14: The Marak brothers Erok and Blen, this time re-inforced by Singma Marak, guide Lindsay B. Diengdoh and H. Daniel Gebauer to the Resurgence entrance. A length of 303 m is added to the survey.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | CHIKRUKOL | ||
| 0.1 | CHIKRUKOL 2 | ||
| 0.9 | TETENGKOL, Chigitchhak Adugiri | ||
| 1.6 | DOMBE WARI | ||
| 1.8 | NOKPANTHE, Asakgre- Imandura (Cave at) | ||
| 1.8 | AKU CAVE | ||
| 1.9 | AA CAVE (Harper 2008) no. 06 | ||
| 1.9 | BANGDAPHAKOL | ||
| 1.9 | MATRONGKOL, Asakgre |