JAWBAW (Krang)
25.200800,92.210000
Description
A vertical cave entrance (about 15 m in diameter) gives access to a pothole where a shaft drops an estimated 40 m down to an unspecified base where potholers identified »no obvious horizontal development.« ETYMOLOGY: The Lakadong Khasi cave name »Krang Jawbaw« signifies something along the lines of a »Great Leak Hole« and has been translated as »Cave [of the] Great Drop« (Kharpran Daly, B D 1995.11.27 personal communication). The Lakadong Khasi "ka krang" (noun) is the same as the standard Khasi "ka krem" (note 1), which signifies a cave or hole (note 2), and "jaw" is the word for »a leak« (note 3). The Lakadong Khasi adjective "baw" was said to be the same as the standard Khasi "bah" (Kharpran Daly, B D 1995.11.27 after a Tarangblang villager) which has been translated as »great« (note 4). On the other hand, there are the Khasi words "jabar" and "jaboh" (note 5). So far, I saw the name of this pothole spelled, edited or printed as Krem Jabaw Boyes, P W (2000.02.23 Mss: Krem Jabaw / Krem Jawbaw) Krang Jawbaw BROOKS, S J & GEBAUER, H D (1997b); SANDFORD, E (1997a) Krem Jawbaw BOYES, P W (2000 s.a.); Boyes, P W (2000.02.23: Mss: Krem Jabaw / Krem Jawbaw). SITUATION (note 6): At a walking distance of some 15 minutes (about a kilometre) south of Tarangblang village, near the local edge of a plateau, and in a barren open area with a few bushes and trees (Gebauer, H D 1995.11, personal observation) or near what have been in February 2000 »isolated trees« (Boyes, P W 2000.02.23 Mss: Krem Jawbaw). CAVE DESCRIPTION: »Hole formed in sandstone [note 7]. Needs 50 m-rope to tackle. No obvious potential« (Boyes, P W 2000.02.23 Mss: Krem Jabaw / Krem Jawbaw; BOYES, P W 2000 s.a.: 12).
NOTE 1: "ka krang" (Lakadong Khasi, noun), »a cave; a pothole« (Charles Slong, Pdengshakap village headman, 1995 November personal communication; Kondrick Dkhar, Lakadong village headman, 2001.02.23 personal communication). "krang" (standard Khasi; verb), »to bore; to undermine« (SINGH, N 1906: 46); »to mine; to tunnel« (SINGH, N 1920: 319, 544). NOTE 2: "ka krem" (Khasi; noun), binomial imitative "ka krem ka kroh" (SINGH, N 1906: 46); »a cave« (SINGH, N 1906: 46; SINGH, N 1920: 63); »a cavern« (SINGH, N 1920: 63; BLAH, E 2007: 45); »a hole« (SINGH, N 1920: 222; BLAH, E 2007: 134); »a den« (BLAH, E 2007: 74). NOTE 3: "jáw" (Khasi; verb) »to leak« (SINGH, N 1906: 100; SINGH, N 1920: 287); »to drop« (SINGH, N 1906: 100; SINGH, N 1920: 140; BLAH, E 2007: 85); "kaba jáw" (Khasi; noun), synonymous with ”ka jingpei; ka jingjaw um” (BLAH, E 2007: 167), »a leak« (SINGH, N 1920: 287; BLAH, E 2007: 167). "jah" (Khasi; verb) »to loose; to be deprived of« (SINGH, N 1906: 96). NOTE 4: "ba bah" (Khasi, adjective), »great; big« (SINGH, N 1906: 7); »great; large« (SINGH, N 1920: 207, 284); »big; grand; great; large« (BLAH, E 2007: 30, 120, 121, 164). NOTE 5: "u jabár" (Khasi; noun) »a wild herb« (SINGH, N 1906: 95); "ba jaboh" (Khasi; adjective) »dirty; clumsy« (SINGH, N 1906: 95). NOTE 6: Two different GPS positions, less than 50 m from each other, were recorded at one or the other side of the estimated 15 m wide pothole entrance: 25°12'02”N: 92°12'37”E (±68 m, Everest 1830, Gebauer November 1995, Garmin 4): 680 m asl (barometric) or some 40 m further north-west (301°) near 25°12'02.6'N': 92°12'35.9'E' (without identified horizontal precision error, WGS84, anonymous recorder, February 2000, 12-channel GPS; modified from the original record 092°12.787' East 25°12.008' North, obsolete geodetic datum "India/Bngldsh" = Everest 1830). NOTE 7: The »sandstone« identified by Peter W Boyes (2000.02.23: Mss: Krem Jabaw / Krem Jawbaw) and confirmed by BOYES, P W (2000 s.a.) is known as the Upper Paleocene to Lower Eocene (Yppresian) Lakadong Sandstone (Middle Sylhet Formation), locally the capstone exposed on the surface, which must have collapsed into a currently inaccssible cave that had formed in the underlying and generally cavernous Upper Palaeocene (Thanetian) Lakadong Limestone (Lower Sylhet Stage).
Documents
Bibliography 21/03/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1995.11.27: Boycott, Antony 'Tony' and Estelle Sandford attempted to explore with insufficient tackle (BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 18) as the estimated 30 m long rope was found to be 30 feet long. Descending part way down gave the impression of seeing apparently large cave passages leading off in two directions from the bottom, both towards and away from the village. 2000.02.23: Jon Whitely, Lindsay B. Diengdoh and BOYES, P W (2000 s.a.: 5) descended, found no continuations and "surveyed" (sports caver standards) estimated 40 m to a degree yielding a "survey" (total sum of survey leg lengths) but no cave survey (cave plan).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7 | BHEH (Krang) | ||
| 0.8 | MANIK, Tarangblang (Krang) | ||
| 2.4 | LAPHIANG (Krem pdeng) | ||
| 3.2 | AM WAR, Thangsah, 3rd cave (Krem pdeng) | ||
| 3.5 | AM LYNTI, Am War (Krem) | ||
| 3.6 | AM WAR, Thangsah (Krem) | ||
| 3.7 | AM PYRCHOH (Krem) | ||
| 3.8 | AA CAVE (Lan Mulad 2014) | ||
| 3.8 | LYMBIAT, Pdengshakap (Krem) |