CHHIA, Hmuifang (Khur)
23.466700,92.766700
Description
A vertical entrance descends into a horizontal passage, from where one can climb down into a lower horizontal passage leading to an impenetrable rift. Tackle is required (ladder or rope and overhand exit). ETYMOLOGY: According to LORRAIN (1940: 270), the Mizo ”khur chhia” (noun) is sometimes modified to ”khur chhe” and is the name of »an unlucky cavity or subterranean passage supposed to be haunted« (note 1). Vanlalruata (Aizawl, 1999 personal communication) translated "Kurchia Puk" as »Stinking Cave.« SITUATION: Somewhere near the village of Hmuifang, which is said (Lalneihsanga 1999 personal communication) to lie at a travelling distance of 54 km along the road south from Aizawl. ATTENTION: Unidentified local explorers, who are said to have entered the cave with the help of a bamboo pole (and bamboo + kerosene torches?), experienced a weakness which was believed to result from a »lack of oxygen«. On a later occasion, Vanlalruata and other explorers of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Services (Aizawl) experienced breathing problems. Carbon dioxide (CO2) can be ruled out since none of the explorers suffered from headaches, but ammonia (NH4OH) from the bat's excreta is more likely the cause both for the bad air and the revolting cave name. CAVE LIFE: The cave is a home to numerous bats (Chiroptera) and badly ventilated.
NOTE 1: LORRAIN (1940: 78) translates the Mizo "chhia (chhe, chhiat)", adjective, as »bad, not good, rotten, inferior, not up to the mark, poor, unfertile, unsuitable for cultivation, common, ordinary, bad-conditioned, spoiled, ruined, damaged, wrecked, old, sour (as milk, etc), addled (as egg), inedible, nasty-tasting, ugly (as face or appearance), rainy or wet (as weather). v. to be bad, etc. adv. so as to make bad, etc.«
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.1 | BUKPUI, South | ||
| 19.5 | DARLUNG (Cave near) | ||
| 25.0 | MAMPUI HILL HOLE | ||
| 25.0 | MAMPUI HILL HOLE 2 | ||
| 27.0 | SAKUH PUK, North Lungleng | ||
| 28.8 | SUANDUNG PUK | ||
| 29.2 | KHUANGCHERA PUK | ||
| 32.0 | SALOMON'S CAVE, Aizawl | ||
| 32.1 | LIANA CAVE |