DOBHAKOL, Nengkhong Matmagitik
25.305600,90.645800
Description
NOTE 1: It might have slipped from the attention of the sports explorers that they did not come across a pulsating, intermittent sink taking water at regular intervals but across a seasonal (periodical) sink active during the rainy season. NOTE 2: It is the river Rongdik, which BROOKS & SMART (1995) confuse with the Chibe and the so-called »left bank« is the northern bank of the Rongdik. NOTE 3: This strange »village of Bokbak« (sic! a corrupted Matmag?) is suspected to represent an attempt to refer to the village »Nengkhong Matmagitik« marked near N25°18'02”: E90°37'52” (Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 78-K/11 (edition 1972), which lies on the way to the central cluster of villages (market on Fridays) called Nengkhong Chibagiri (N25°18'30”: E90°37'00”: 90 m asl), Nengkhong Rangmatma (N25°18'17”: E90°36'40”: 80 m asl), and Nengkhong Doratading (N25°18'05”: E90°36'32”: 80 m asl). NOTE 4: The »track to Nengkhong« (i.e. Negkhong Chibagiri) leaves to the west from the »main Siju to Baghmara road« less than a kilometre south of the wooden (1972 to 2004) Rongdik bridge (N25°17'28”: E90°39'01”: 45 m asl) in the north of the village of Kharukhalgiri (N25°17'11”: E90°39'12”).
A so-called »large« (sic!) cave entrance without identified dimensions or shape, which faces an unidentified direction, gives access to »a complex maze of inter-connecting tubes containing considerable flood debris, evidently acting as a major sink for the nearby river in times of heavy rain. The large entrance (7 x 3.5 m) is an intermittently active [note 1] river sink …« (BROOKS & SMART 1995 after Antony 'Tony' Boycott, Helen Harper, Rob Harper and Christopher M. Smart). ETYMOLOGY: The Garo noun "bak" means »relation« (SANGMA, Milton S. 1979 edited 1981: 148) but it is difficult to reconstruct what Antony 'Tony' Boycott, Helen Harper, Rob Harper and Christopher M. Smart had been told when they recorded »Bokbak Dobhakol« as a cave name. SITUATION: In the limestone hill behind the village of Nenglhong Matmagitik and, according to BROOKS & SMART (1995) »Approximately 0.5 km up the stream valley in the left hand bank of the Chibe Nala [note 2] at the village of Bokbak [note 3], which is approximately 2 km from the main Siju to Baghmara road on the track to Nengkhong [note 4]. The approach to the cave is via the path across the fields behind the village. Ford the river and ascend the valley passing a small resurgence to a forested col. The entrance is at the base of the cliff on the far side of the col.« CAVE DESCRIPTION (BROOKS & SMART 1995): »The large level entrance passage divides into three after approximately 25 m. To the right a short ascending passage quickly chokes. Straight ahead the passage divides. Directly ahead it is choked with flood debris but a low crawl to the left allows access to an ascent through sand and boulders to a small collapse chamber with all ways out choked. Left leads to a series of phreatic tubes to CHAMBER ONE, from where three ways lead on. Straight ahead and left soon join and lead to another three way junction in CHAMBER TWO. At this junction the left passage is a large slowly ascending passage (10 x 8 m) leading to crawls through boulders. Following down through these boulders leads to a small sump. The ascending passage straight ahead leads to a right bend then a fork - left is choked but right leads down to join with the right hand passage from Chamber Two. From this junction easy walking passage leads to small descending tubes on the right which soon choke. The passage on the left is an oxbow. Back at Chamber One, the right hand passage (4 x 2 m) soon forks. The right fork leads through a low crawl through flood debris into a small streamway. Downstream is choked but upstream leads via an ascending squeeze to approximately 100 m of large walking passage which was not pushed to a conclusion. The left fork descends through boulders and flood debris to small crawls leading to sumps. From the flood debris it is obvious that this cave floods to the roof during wet weather. In dry conditions the stream sinks at several points about 50 m upstream from the entrance and is never seen in the cave.« PROSPECTS: Since UK sports cavers dislike, loath and hate 1st) non-single passage caves, 2nd) cave passages that split into two or even several passages, 3rd) mutiple ways on, and 4th) cave passages continuing into different dircetions, we can safely assume this »complex maze of inter-connecting tubes« contains many more passages than those entered in February 1994.
Documents
Bibliography 27/03/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1994.02: Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Helen Harper, Rob Harper and Christopher M. "Blitz" Smart visited, entered, explored and "surveyed" (sports caver standards) to a degree yielding a total of survey lengths. 1994.02.17: Christopher M. Smart (book), Boycott, Antony 'Tony' (scout), Helen and Rob Harper »… departed from Siju to drive south to Nengkong« (sic!) and »… explored Bok Bak Dobhakol [sic!] near to village of Bok Bak [sic!] … then returned to Baghmara and stayed overnight in Circuit House« (BROOKS & SMART 1995: 21). 1994.02.18: Smart, Boycott and the pair of Harpers (veterinaries) »… continued exploration …« (BROOKS & SMART 1995: 21).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.3 | TETENGKOL, Nengkhong | ||
| 2.8 | MATCHAKOL, Nengkhong Chibigiri | ||
| 3.2 | PAROAKOL, Nengkhong Chibigiri | ||
| 3.2 | MIHMANG CHIRING | ||
| 3.3 | DOBHAKOL, Nengkhong Chibigiri | ||
| 3.7 | MAKKREKOL, Nengkhong Chibigiri | ||
| 3.7 | BALWAKOL, Siju | ||
| 4.6 | AA CAVE (Harper 2008) no. 21 | ||
| 4.7 | DOBHAKOL, Nengkhong Jantagiri |