DWAR U KSUID
25.700000,92.016700
Description
Little doubt remains that the fully daylight-lit Devil's Door or dwar (Sanskrit, etc: door, gate, passage) is not only nicely photographable (note 1) but also ranks high among the smallest of the all the famous caves in Meghalaya. Kind of "in-shallow research" reveiled that this devil's door consists of an almost rectangular hole, which is said to be about 1.5 m wide, seems to be tilted by almost 45° (or so), and obviously pierces a free-standing base-rock boulder for nearly a full half metre. ETYMOLOGY: So far, I saw the pierced rock referred to either as »Dwar Ksuid« (LALOO, M 1999: 112) or corrupted into a »Dwark Suit« (KOWALL, RYMBAI & KOWALL 1995: 43), but mostly rendered for the international market as a Devil's Door (note 2). SITUATION: At a place called Khapwara near Bhoilymbong (N25°42': E092°01'), which lies on the watershed between the rivers Umiam and Um Lew, and about 5 km east-southeast from Umroi (±1 km N25°43': E091°58'). HOLE DESCRIPTION: The pierced rock is »another cave in Meghalaya« (TIRKEY 2002, with photograph) and, for that matter, counts not only among the most fully daylight-lit but also among the smallest caves known from Meghalaya. CULTURAL HISTORY: »Dwar Ksuid« (sic!) is not only locally known as a lover's paradise but also allows wondering »Why the devil did they name the doorway after the devil?« (LALOO, M 1999: 112).
NOTE 1: For photographs see KOWALL, RYMBAI & KOWALL (1995: 43), TIRKEY (2002), and Internet websites providing a quick and easy approach to some aspects of surfacial appearances. NOTE 2: The Khasi noun "ka duar“ (SINGH, N 1906: 73; 1920: 137), a loanword from the Indic word "dwar" (Hindi, etc.) from "dvar" (Sanskrit), related to the English "door" and the German "Tor" and "Tür", etc.) has been translated not only as »a door« (SINGH, N 1906: 73; 1920: 137) but also as »an opening, a mart« (SINGH, N 1906: 73). u ksuid (Khasi; noun, masculine), binomial: u ksuid u khrei (SINGH, N 1906: 49), a demon (OLDHAM, T 1859 / 1984 appendix C: lxvi; SINGH, N 1906: 49; SINGH, N 1920: 114; BLAH, E 2007: 74), the Belial, a goblin, devil, familiar, fetch, fiend, genius, goblin, spirit (SINGH, N 1920: 42, 203, 121, 173, 178, 179, 200, 203, 489); devil, fiend, ghoul, gnome, goblin, spectre, sprite (BLAH, E 2007: 77, 103, 116, 118, 118, 282, 284).. ka ksuit (Khasi, noun), abbreviated: ka 'suit (SINGH, N 1906: 213), the pus (SINGH, N 1906: 49; SINGH, N 1920: 413; BLAH, E 2007: 242), the matter (SINGH, N 1906: 49), »matter from a sore or wound« (SINGH, N 1906: 213).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.8 | UMSHARANG (Cave in the valley of the) | ||
| 6.7 | MAWJUD, Kyrdum (Krem) | ||
| 6.7 | MAWLIEHPOH, Umroi (Krem) | ||
| 6.7 | RYNGIA, Kyrdeng (Krem) | ||
| 9.2 | SOHPET BYNENG (Caves on Lum) | ||
| 10.0 | MAWKYRDOP | ||
| 11.3 | LAITDOM (Cave at) | ||
| 11.4 | LANGTHADÏAP (Krem) | ||
| 15.2 | BEAR CAVE, Umran |