PRIANG, Nongjri - Therria (Krem)
25.186100,91.798600
Description
Three weather-eaten cave entrances near the top of highly dissected and serrated limestone outcrop give access to a solitary and profusely calcite decorated cave chamber (30 m by 20 m wide, 15 m high) containing enormous amounts of milk-white coloured, secondary calcite formations (speleothems). ETYMOLOGY: SINGH, N (1906) lists no Khasi word "priang" as such but ”phriang” (verb) means »to spread out; to scatter« (SINGH, N 1906: 158). According to an other interpretation, "priang" is a contraction of "pyn" (a prefix of many causative verbs) combined either with "riang" (adjective) »in order, in a row« (SINGH, N 1906: 172) or with "ri" (to keep, to take care of; a country, a province; a kidney bean; a cane, a kind of bamboo tie) and "ang" (note 1). SITUATION: About one kilometre in a direct line from the lower margin (near N25°11'30”: E091°47'30”) of Nongjri proper, at about the same elevation as Krem –>Priang and Krem –>Longkurdom, and about 100 m (or so) east of the bridle path (in parts overrun by the hardtopped road) from Nongjri proper generally SSE towards Nongjri Bazar. APPROACH: When descending from Nongjri proper generally SSE towards Nongjri Bazar, the bridle path hits near (±50 m) N25°12'18”: E091°47'50” the hard-topped road. Only 250 m (or so) further south-east and near (±50 m) N25°11'16”: E091°47'48” (WGS84) the sandstone slabbed bridle path descends to the bed of a stream and ascends, now paved with limestone slabs polished by generations of bare feet trotting to the top of a spur with two "mawliem" (stone walled resting places). An ascent of about 30 vertical metres from the second mawliem leads to an extremely weathered limestone outcrop. About 100 m from the footpath, the cave entrances are hidden in a mess of fallen karst pinnacles covered with jungle.
NOTE 1: ang (khasi, verb) to gape (OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxiv); to open; to crack (SINGH, N 1906: 1). kaba ang (Khasi noun) chasm (SINGH, N 1920: 67). ka jingpdang (Khasi; noun) chasm, chink, cleft, rift, rent (SINGH, N 1920: 67; 69, 74; 442, 433).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | LONGKURDOM (Krem) | ||
| 0.3 | DIENGNGAI (Krem) | ||
| 0.7 | KHRIANG (Krem) | ||
| 0.7 | WAH THYLLONG, Nongjri - Therria (Krem) | ||
| 0.8 | MAWKHYMLONG (Krem) | ||
| 0.9 | WAH REN (Krem) | ||
| 1.0 | LUM BNAI (Krem) | ||
| 1.0 | LUBON - LUM BNAI (Krem) | ||
| 1.1 | MAWKANONG, Wah Thyllong (Krem) |