SOHPET BYNENG (Caves on Lum)
25.708300,91.925000
Description
»There are caves … which are tenanted by bears« (GURDON, P R T 1906: 161) in the hill »Sohpet Byneng« (Sohpet Bneng). Compare Krem –>Khlaw (Nongpoh). ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for these "caves" (or so) called by the name of the hill Soh-pet-byneng SMITH, G (1882: 113) Sohpet Byneng GURDON, P R T (1906: 161, 172) Sohpetbneng GSI / Geological Survey of India & KESARI, G K (2009: 2) which combines the Khasi words "sohpet" (note 1), literally a navel (note 2) but figuratively an omphalos (note 3), and "bneng" (note 4), also: byneng (note 5), a heaven in the sense of an ideal but inaccessible place where he-goats have a nice smell and all the tigers eat strawberries, every human is good natured and mosquitos bite one's neighbours. SITUATION: Unknown. Somewhere on »Sohpet Byneng, … the first hill of any size that the traveller sees on the Gauhati [Guwahati] road when journeying to Shillong. It is close to the Umsning DAK bungalow« (GURDON, P R T 1906: 161). A nameless peak »4432« (1351 m) is shown near (±500 m) 25°42'30”N: 91°55'30”E on AMS sheet NG46-10 Shillong (U502 series, 1959 edition) about 5 km in a direct line southeast of Umsning (±500 m 25°43'50”N: 91°53'10”E). »Soh-pet-byneng … is 4000 ft [1219 m high]« (SMITH, G 1882: 113). »To the north of Shillong peak, there are many smaller peaks like … Sohpetbneng (Mai parbet) peak (1320 m) …« (GSI / Geological Survey of India & KESARI, G K 2009: 2-3). CULTURAL HISTORY 1882: »Soh-pet-byneng ("navel of the sky"), believed by the Khasias to be the centre of the world; it is 4000 ft« (SMITH, G 1882: 113). CULTURAL HISTORY 1906: »In olden days, when the earth was very young, they say that heaven and earth were very near to one another, because the navel-string of heaven drew the earth very close to it. This navel-string of heaven, resembling flesh, linked a hill near Sumer with heaven. At that time all the subjects of the Siem of Mylliem throughout his kingdom came to one decision, i.e. to sever the navel-string from that hill. After they had cut it, the navel-string became short; and, as soon as it shortened, heaven then ascended high. It was since that time that heaven became so high, and it is for that reason that they call that hill which is near Sumer [note 6] U Sohpet Byneng« (U Nissor Singh in: GURDON, P R T 1906: 172). CAVE LIFE: These "caves" or animal dens were said to have been tenanted by "bears" (Carnivora: Ursida) -- or so.
NOTE 1: u sohpet (Khasi; noun) a navel (SINGH, N 1906: 209; SINGH, N 1920: 335; BLAH, E 2007: 197); the ends of a twisted string (SINGH, N 1906: 209). NOTE 2: navel (noun) a rounded, knotty depression in the center of a person's belly caused by the detachment of the umbilical cord after birth; the umbilicus; the central point of a place (Oxford Dictionary 2006). NOTE 3: omphalos (noun) the center or hub of something; a rounded stone (esp. that at Delphi) representing the navel of the earth in ancient Greek mythology (Oxford Dictionary 2006). NOTE 4: ka bneng (Khasi; noun), the same as ”ka byneng” (SINGH, N 1906: 13, 18), the heaven, sky (SINGH, N 1906: 13); heaven, Paradise, sky (SINGH, N 1920: 216, 363, 477); paradise, sky, zion (BLAH, E 2007: 214, 276, 338). NOTE 5: ka byneng (Khasi; noun), the same as: ka bneng (SINGH, N 1906: 13, 18) air, sky (OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxi, lxviii); the heaven, sky (SINGH, N 1906: 18).NOTE 6: Sumer (±500 m) 25°41'4”N: 91°52'40”E. NOTE 7: »Ausflug nach Lum Sohpet Bneng, einem Ort der traditionellen Religion. Abendessen bei Neil« (Scherzer, H 2015.04.01 Mss "Tagebuch" Mi 21.01.2015).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | BEAR CAVE, Umran | ||
| 8.7 | MAWKYRDOP | ||
| 8.8 | UMSHARANG (Cave in the valley of the) | ||
| 9.2 | DWAR U KSUID | ||
| 9.5 | Mawlai (Khongmen 1994) (Cave near) | ||
| 14.0 | LAITDOM (Cave at) | ||
| 15.9 | MAWJUD, Kyrdum (Krem) | ||
| 15.9 | MAWLIEHPOH, Umroi (Krem) | ||
| 15.9 | RYNGIA, Kyrdeng (Krem) |