LABIT, Chiehruphi (Krem)
25.203900,92.357500
Description
A hole at the bottom of a barren coal miner's pit gives access to a solitary stream cave passage draining to the south-west. At the upstream end in the north-east, the stream emerges from a sandstone collapse, flows through about a kilometre of horizontal cave passage and eventually disappears in a low, wet, sand-filled and, in February 1997, impenetrable crawl. ETYMOLOGY: Krem Labit (Synteng / Pnar Khasi) translates as »Bat Cave« (note 1). SITUATION: Not only according to G. Lyngdoh, K. C. Hiwot Passah, Uwe Scherzer, and Andrew "Andy" Peter Tyler (1997.02.17 personal communication), the entrance to this cave lies at an unidentified location, allegedly »near« (without identified spatial relation to) the village of Thangskai (25°11'45”N: 92°22'35“E) but actually much closer to the village of Chiehruphi (note 2). PROSPECTS: The low, wet, sand-filled and apparently impenetrable crawl in the south-west (downstream sink) is suspected to join Synrang –>Pamiang but was blocked by sand in February 1997.
NOTE 1: The standard Khasi ”lymboit” (adjective) means »almost naked« (SINGH, N 1906: 124) while the standard Khasi noun "ka lyngbit" (SINGH, N 1920: 38) signifies »a bat« (zoologically: Chiroptera) and corresponds not only to the Sohra (Khasi) "ka lymbit" (SINGH, N 1906: 124; BLAH, E 2007: 27) and the War Khasi "ka lymput" (Kharpran Daly, Brian D 1994 personal communication) but also to the Lakadong Khasi "ka labiat" (Kondrick Dkhar, Lakadong, 2001.02.23) and the Synteng "ka labit" (Mikir Siangshai, Chiehruphi 1997.02.16; Alfred Lanong, Lumshnong, 1999.02.10). NOTE 2: The GPS reading (25°12'14”N: 92°21'27”E), which has been recorded for the cave entrance to this Krem Labit, indicates a spot that lies about 1.5 km in a direct line approximately south-west from the village of Chiehruphi (25°12'36”N: 92°22'22”E).
Documents
Bibliography 05/04/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1997.02.16 - 17: Guided by Mikir Siangshai to the entrance, it was Uwe Scherzer (book), Andrew "Andy" Peter Tyler (compass, clinometer), Kyrmen 'Hope' C Hiwot Passah (measuring tape), and George "Whisky Joe" Lyngdoh who "surveyed" (sports caver standards) 991 m of to a degree yielding a "survey" (total sum of survey leg lengths) and a quite over-simplyfied cave survey (sketch plan). Brooks, S J narrates how »Paul, Andy, Sämm, Kaiman [Kyrmen 'Hope' C Hiwot Passah] and George« who went on »16-2-97 … to Thangskai to locate and explore cave called Krem Labbit and survey 818 m or reasonable sized passage« while it were »Andy, Sämm and George« who returned on »17-2-97 … to Krem Labbit and finish exploration of cave taking the cave to just under a kilometre in length« (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 28).1999.02.07: Richard Frank (book), Thilo Müller and Christian W Fischer pushed the downstream crawl and increased the amount of lengthwise measured cave distances across the one kilometre mark by adding some 40 m.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | MUSMARI (Krem) | ||
| 0.8 | Coffee Cave, Thangskai, 1st (aa -) | ||
| 0.8 | SHANTY SHAFT (aa -) | ||
| 0.8 | UMDA 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.9 | UMTYRA, 2nd (Krem) | ||
| 0.9 | Coffee Cave, Thangskai, 2nd (aa -) | ||
| 0.9 | UMTYRA (Krem) | ||
| 0.9 | UMDA - UMSO, Thangskai (Krem) | ||
| 1.0 | UR BLANG, Lumshnong: Chiehruphi (Krem) |