Dikkakol

(Baghmara - IN)
25.330750,90.600361
Length 1915m Depth 67m
Grottocenter / carte

Location

POSITION: WGS84 (possibly deceitful precision error allegedly ±13 m) 25°19'50.7”N: 90°36'01.3”E / 25.330750°N: 90.600361°E (Harper R or McManus S 2008.02.10 GPS Garmin Etrex Vista): 209,9 m (Harper R or McManus S 2008.02.10 GPS Garmin Etrex Vista). MAPS: Survey of India sheets: 78-K/SE, 78-K/11 grid square 6 Chibe - Nengkhong. AMS sheet NG46-09. India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 45 F4) Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 12/12/2015

Description

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 12/12/2015

A cave entrance with no specified shape or dimensions, which faces an unspecified direction, represents »a stream sink in boulders at the foot of a waterfall« (Harper 2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol…pdf) and gave the impression of leading to a stream cave passage, which drains a surface stream (without identified name) for more than 1.9 km approximately to the south-east. At one point, which lies at a travelling distance 1035 m down the main passage, an inlet from the east arrives from –>Asakol, the second known entrance to the cave system of Dikkakol - Asakol. ETYMOLOGY: Either Dikkakol or –>Asakol has not only something to do with a »clay pot« but also with »red soil« (note 1). SITUATION: A »local guide [is] essential« to explain the whereabouts of »Dikkakol« (Harper 2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'Sakol.pdf) as it was understood to lie somewhere »on ridge to North West« of one of the nine distinct Nengkhong villages (note 2) in the vicinity of the confluence (N25°18'13”: E090°36'52” WGS84) of the Chibe River and the Rongdik. According to the of recorded GPS positions, however, the entrances of Dikkakol (note 3) and Asakol (note 4) are 360 m in a direct line apart from each other but at exactly the same altitude (reputedly 209.9 m asl) on two distinct streams at approximate linear distances of 1 km north-west from Nengkhong Sholadugiri (note 5) and 4.3 km north-west from Nengkhong Rangmatma (note 6). CAVE DESCRIPTION: »A stream sink in boulders at the foot of a waterfall. A short scramble down into a low wide chamber (2 by 10 m), whence an active streamway can be followed for approximately 100 m to a sump that can be bypassed by a flat-out crawl over the top. The second entrance from A’Sakol enters on the right after a further 50 or 60 m and from here canals and a streamway continue to 4 m of low duck also with a tight bypass passage over the top. Beyond the duck, a 5 by 3 m large passage punctuated by boulder ruckles, leads to “The Steam Room” (a chamber measuring in one way or another 25 by 15 by 30 m), exited by a 2 m climb down into the continuation of the streamway … for an estimated total of 4 km with no significant obstacles« (Harper 2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'Sakol.pdf). PROSPECTS: A caving trip on 8th February 2008 was abandoned when this cave was »… left as a wide open continuing passage. Although there are numerous small oxbows, no significant side-passages apart from the A’Sakol entrance were noted« (Harper, R 2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'Sakol.pdf). CAVE LIFE: On 10th February 2008, Harper, Rob (2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'Sakol.pdf), H. Harper, S. McManus and Keith Sanderson noticed under inexplicable circumstances the unspecified presence of certain »crabs, bats« (Crustacea, Chiroptera).

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 12/12/2015

NOTE 1: »Clay Pot Cave - Red Soil Cave« (Harper 2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'sakol.pdf) either reflects English translations of the two Garo cave names or represents nicknames or fieldnames for the two cave entrances. NOTE 2: Survey of India sheet 78-K/11 (edition 1973) distinguishes between the villages of Nengkhong … Everest 1830 WGS84 N. Ashagithim N25°17'43”: E090°37'05” N25°17'45”: E090°36'55” N. Chibigiri N25°18'30”: E090°37'00” N25°18'30”: E090°36'50” on the left (orographically northern) bank of the Rongdik River N. Chigitchakgiri N25°17'50”: E090°38'40” N25°17'50”: E090°38'30” N. Dorotading N25°18'00”: E090°36'30” N25°18'00”: E090°36'20” N. Jantagiri N25°18'45”: E090°36'20” N25°18'45”: E090°36'10” N. Matmagitik N25°18'00”: E090°37'55” N25°18'00”: E090°37'45” N. Rangmatma N25°18'15”: E090°36'45” N25°18'15”: E090°36'35” with weekly market on Fridays, on the southern (orographically right) bank of the Rongdik N. Negritugiri N25°18'55”: E090°36'00” N25°18'55”: E090°35'50” N. Sholadugiri N25°19'25”: E090°35'45” N25°19'25”: E090°35'35” NOTE 3: Harper (2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'Sakol.pdf) recorded for Dikkakol the GPS position »E 90deg 36.021mins. / N 25 deg 19.845mins / WGS84 / 209.9 m Garmin Etrex Vista / 13 m Garmin Etrex Vista / 10-Feb-2008« According to Harper (2009.01.19 cave plan "dikkakol002colour_newcdrA1_revised" e-file) the GPS position of Dikkakol Entrance is N 25 deg. 19.845 mins., E90 deg. 36.021 mins., Accuracy [sic!] 13 m). NOTE 4: Harper (2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'Sakol.pdf) recorded for A'Sakol the GPS position »N 25 deg 19.695mins; E 90deg 36.159mins., altitude 209.9m with a GPS accuracy [*] of 29 m.« According to Harper (2009.01.19 cave plan "dikkakol002colour_newcdrA1_revised" e-file) the GPS position of A'Sakol Entrance is »N 25 deg. 19.695 mins., E90 deg. 36.159 mins., Accuracy [sic!] 29 m.« * Harper, Rob mistakes the estimated precision error (EPE) of a GPS reading for the accuracy (the agreement between a measurement and the true or correct value) of this measument. Since the true position is not known, the accuracy of a GPS measurement cannot be discussed meaningfully. What the EPE indicates, is one aspect of a GPS readings precision (the repeatability of measurement), namely the uncertainty (the interval around that value such that any repetition of the measurement will produce a new result that lies within this interval) of this peculiar GPS reading's error (the disagreement between a measurement and the true or accepted value). NOTE 5: Nengkhong Sholadugiri N25°19'25”: E090°35'35” (WGS84). NOTE 6: Nengkhong Rangmatma N25°18'15”: E090°36'35” (WGS84), with weekly market on Fridays.

History

EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2008.02.10: Guided by Prosanto Marak and several unidentified »local guides« without identified names, Rob Harper, Helen Harper, Stuart McManus and Keith Sanderson visited »Dikkakol - A'Sakol« and »surveyed 1800 m, and explored for an estimated total of 4 km with no significant obstacles« (Harper 2008.02.10 Mss: Dikkakol - A'Sakol.pdf). Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 12/12/2015

Caves nearby

Distance (km)NameLength (m)Depth (m)
0.4ASAKOL
0.6Sapek Chiring
0.6AA CAVE (Harper 2008) no. 24 chignap
0.6AA CAVE (Harper 2008) no. 24 chiring
0.8AA CAVE (Harper 2008) no. 21
0.8DOBHAKOL, Nengkhong Jantagiri
1.3AA CAVE (Harper 2008) no. 25
1.7MAKKREKOL, Nengkhong Chibigiri
2.1DOBHAKOL, Nengkhong Chibigiri