Unboo Lep
27.500000,88.500000
Description
The souls of the Sengdengmo (note 1), a Lepcha clan, enter and exit (key-word: exitcave) the hither world via a fabulous subterranean tunnel »through the gate of Un-boo-Lep (a horse's mouth shaped cave) in Monphu [note 2] … to the palace of the local deity of Kangchen« (Kanchenjunga N27°42': E088°08'). SITUATION 1951: »In the vicinity of Monphu« (NEBESKY WOJKOWITZ 1951: 36). SITUATION 1953: »In Monphu« (ROCK 1953: 945). SITUATION 1957: Near Monphu (HUMMEL 1957: 629). CAVE LEGEND 1951: »According to the old Lepcha belief … the place from which the soul [Muk nyam] comes and to which it again returns after a man's death, is called Rum lyang, the place of gods. It is believed, that this place lies somewhere in the hills, close to Mount Kanchenjunga. […] The Chronicles of the Maharajas of Sikkim mention a belief of the Sengdenmos, that the spirit goes to the "place of Gods" via a subterranean passage, the entrance of which is a cave in the vicinity of Monphu …« (NEBESKY WOJKOWITZ 1951: 23, 35-36). CAVE LEGEND 1953: »The Sengdengmo Lepchas believe that the spitits of their dead goes to the Kin-chen-junga local deities, through the gate of Un-boo-Lep (a horse's mouth shaped cave in Monphu), right through a subterranean passage to the Palace of the local deity of Kangchen« (ROCK 1953: 945). CAVE LEGEND 1957: »Für die Beziehung der … Höhlen Sikhims zu den Bergen des Landes bringt die … sogenannte Mun-Religion der Lepcha in Sikhim eindeutige Beweise. Danach kommen die Seelen der Menschen von Rum-lyang, dem Ort der Götter auf den Bergen, durch eine Höhle zur Erde, durch die sie wieder beim Tode zurückkehren (NEBESKY WOJKOWITZ 1951: 23ff, 1956: 143). Die Lokalisierung von Rum-lyang und entsprechend auch die der Höhlen variiert bei den verschiedenen Clans. Die meisten wähnen den Göttersitz auf den Gangs-chen-mdzod (mched)-lnga (Kangchenjunga) … Bei den Sengdeng-mo ist es die Höhle Un-boo-Lep bei Monphu … (ROCK 1953)« (HUMMEL 1957: 628, 629).
NOTE 1: »Sengdeng« (or so) is neither listed on nima.mil/geonames (accessed 16.11.2003) nor obviously shown on the tourist guide map "Sikkim" (1995, Madras: TTK Pharma Ltd) or shown in India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006) maps 26, 27). NOTE 2: »Monphu« is not identified unless it corresponds --but this is unlikely-- to the village positioned (in West Bengal state, Darjeeling district) as Mangphu, Mangpu, and Mangpur at N26°58': E088°22' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) on AMS sheet NG45-07 at a spot that lies at approximate linear distances of 12.5 km SW of Darjeeling (N27°02': E088°16') and 12.5 km NE of Kurseong (N26°53': E088°17').
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.8 | SING DANG (Cave near) | ||
| 17.4 | PHIM LEB CAVE, Lingmo | ||
| 17.6 | PASSAMPHYAKU | ||
| 18.6 | PASSAMPHYAKU CAVE | ||
| 22.7 | LHARI NYING PHUG | ||
| 23.7 | SITHA LINGDING | ||
| 24.6 | BE PHUG | ||
| 28.9 | TSE CHU PHUG 2 | ||
| 28.9 | TSE CHU PHUG |