UMJASEW (Krem)
25.205600,91.647800
Description
Three known cave entrances (potholes) without identified shape, size and spatial relation to each other give access to an initially vertical cave that drops down to a steeply inclined, perennial stream cave passage, which contains secondary calcite formations (speleothems) and runs parallel not only to a water course on the surface but also concurrent with the local dip of the limestone - sandstone contact (on average circa 230°/-20°). ETYMOLOGY: The meaning and origin of the more or less recorded Khasi cave names Krem Umja Ksew or Krem Umja Sew and Krem Umshitja Ksew / Sew have not yet been discovered and remains fully in the dark till today (note 1). The recorded cave names appear, however, to be rather corruptions of a Krem Umjasieh (note 2) than references to a Cave [of the] Rice-Water Dog where a dog (note 3) has something to do with rice-water (note 4). Anyhow recorded have been the cave names Krem Um Jasew Arbenz, Thomas (2002 cave plan: Krem Um Jasew) Krem Umjasew Kharpran Dal, Brian D (2002 passim); JARRATT & AUDSLEY (2002); KHARPRAN DALY (2006: 15) Krem Umtijasew (sic! qua: Krem Umshitja 'Sew) Dr. (sic!) Martin Groves (2002). SITUATION: The shown cave entrances were in a bouldery valley (Jarratt, Anthony 'Tony' R 2002 Mss: Cave Log entry for 8/2/02) which was reached by an estimated about ten minutes walk from Mustoh [note 6] in an adjacent dry valley. The unprepossessing entrance was [and possibly is till today] located in a heap of boulders at the side of this valley where a short climb down dropped into the head of a stunning, steeply descending bore passage which obviously takes a vast amount of water during the monsoon (JARRATT & AUDSLEY 2002).KHARPRAN DALY (2006: 15) confirms that the track from the village of Mustoh towards east and down to the river valley leads to the three pothole entrances, two of which are just 5 m apart. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The two upper entrances (less than 5 m apart from each other) drop straight into a large monsoon dain. This is initially 15 m wide, down along dip, and narrows into a rift passage with pools until it drops into a 10 m pitch after 250 m. A certain -Red River Inlet- arriving from the left is choked after 40 m. A 3 m high -Totem Pole- stalagmite (speleothem) is called the -Betel Tree.- CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002a: Ka krem Umjasew kaba don ha Mustoh, kat hatduh mynta ka dei ka krem kaba lei na kiba jylliew tam hapoh ka ri India. Ka jylliew 197 meter bad ka dei ka krem tasam tam ban rung hapoh na ki krem hapoh ka jylla (KA MEGHALAYA KABA… Dongmusa, 21 Tarik Haduh 27 Tarik Lber / 21 to 27 March 2002: 2) CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002b: Ka Krem Umjasew kaba ha ka shnong Mustoh kaba ja jingjrongka ka long 197 metre ka wan balai na ki krem kiba jylliew tam ha ka Sub-Continent bad ka lah ban long kawei na ki krem kiba kham phylla tam kiba ym pat julap koit ha Meghalaya (LAP KREM PUBON… U Nongsain Hima, 21 Tarik Lber 2002: 4). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002c: Ka krem Umjasew kaba don ha Mustoh, kat hatduh mynta kadei ka krem kaba lei na kiba jylliew tam hapoh ka ri India. Ka jylliew 197 meter bad ka dei ka krem tasam tam ban rung hapoh na ki krem hapoh ka jylla (KA MEGHALAYA KABA … Dongmusa, 21 Tarik Haduh 27 Tarik Lber / 21 to 27 March 2002: 2). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002d: Ka Krem Umjasew kaba ha ka shnong Mustoh kaba ja jingjrongka ka long 197 metre ka wan balai na ki krem kiba jylliew tam ha ka Sub-Continent bad ka lah ban long kawei na ki krem kiba kham phylla tam kiba ym pat julap koit ha Meghalaya (LAP KREM PUBON… U Nongsain Hima, 21 Tarik Lber 2002: 4). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002e: Krem Umjasew at Mustoh village with a vertical range of 197 metres is currently the third deepest cave in the sub continent and also one of the most challenging cave ever surveyed in Meghalaya (MEGHALAYA RANKS… The Shillong Times, Thursday 21st March 2002: 3). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002f: Krem Umjasew at Mustoh village with a vertical range of 197 metres is currently the third deepest cave in the sub continent and also oneof the most challenging cave ever surveyed in Meghalaya, [B.D Kharpran] Daly pointed out (NEW CAVES EXPLORED… The Sentinel, Thursday 21 March 2002: 1). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002g: The Krem Umjasew cave at Mustoh village with a vertical range of 197 metres is currently the third deepest cave in the sub-continent and is one of the most challenging caves ever surveyed in Meghalaya (TOTAL MAPPED CAVES… Meghalaya Guardian, 21 March 2002: 1). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002h: Katba ka krem Unjasew la ngeit ba kan long ka krem jaba jylliew tam, ha kaba ka jing jrong ka kam duna shuh ka 197 m (anonymous [Brian D Kharpran Daly] 2002.03.21 in Mawphor, 21 Tarik Lber 2002: 5). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2006: … three pothole entrances, two of which are just 5 m apart. These two entrances drop into the perennial streamway, which narrows down into a rift passage with pools. The cave passage dips greatly (KHARPRAN DALY 2006: 15). TACKLE: 10 m traverse line for 1st pitch. 7 m ladder to avoid swim across lake. Lifeline or -Dniel type- 5 m joke ladder for part of the -North Face- climb. 10 m ladder for first part of 2nd Pitch. 25 m ladder for descent into -Desert of Despond-. Additional lifelines and handlines as appropriate depending on the climbing skill of the visitors. PROSPECTS: The obvious cave passages appear to have been surveyed and explored but the relatively tight and wet bedding plane cave passages off the -Desert of Despond- need another look as there is no easy way on known. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: The cave may have been used as a lock-up for a -dog- in the sense of a person regarded as unpleasant, contemptible, or wicked -- but this is mere guesswork suspected only due to cave name combining the Khasi word -sew- (dog) and -umja- corresponding to the Hindi term -conjee- (note 7). CAVE LIFE: Frogs, -snot gobblers- (larval stage of fungus gnats, Diptera: Mycetophilidae) in the vicinity of the entrance, crayfish, bats (Chiroptera) further in the cave. Lots of calcified bat bones were foun in the vicinity of the -Betel Tree-, crickets, and -- finally? -- harvestmen {Arachnida: Opiliones) in -Desert of Despond- (M. Groves 2002.02.08 amended by Jarratt 2002.02.11 Mss) and, perhaps, near the surface beyond the furthest reached point.niel type- 5 m joke ladder for part of the -North Face- climb. 10 m ladder for first part of 2nd Pitch. 25 m ladder for descent into -Desert of Despond-. Additional lifelines and handlines as appropriate depending on the climbing skill of the visitors. PROSPECTS: The obvious cave passages appear to have been surveyed and explored but the relatively tight and wet bedding plane cave passages off the -Desert of Despond- need another look as there is no easy way on known. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: The cave may have been used as a lock-up for a -dog- in the sense of a person regarded as unpleasant, contemptible, or wicked -- but this is mere guesswork suspected only due to cave name combining the Khasi word -sew- (dog) and -umja- corresponding to the Hindi term -conjee- (note 7). CAVE LIFE: Frogs, -snot gobblers- (larval stage of fungus gnats, Diptera: Mycetophilidae) in the vicinity of the entrance, crayfish, bats (Chiroptera) further in the cave. Lots of calcified bat bones were foun in the vicinity of the -Betel Tree-, crickets, and -- finally? -- harvestmen {Arachnida: Opiliones) in -Desert of Despond- (M. Groves 2002.02.08 amended by Jarratt 2002.02.11 Mss) and, perhaps, near the surface beyond the furthest reached point.
Documents
Bibliography 06/01/2018History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2002.02.08: Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt and Martin Groves surveyed 290 m after having been shown the cave by Badskhem Synrem and Aibor Shongwan from Mustoh village. On this occassion, … two young guides [Aibor Shongwan, Badskhem Synrem] took us [Jarratt, Boycott, Groves] … to a bouldery valley where a sinkhole led off on the RH side (looking downstream) under boulders. A 2 m climb down dropped straight into an impressive, steeply descending bore passage which obviously takes a huge amount of monsoon water. I had a quick look down the passage and decided it must be surveyed. The three of us, dressed in T-shirts, shirts, light trousers, were soon rapidly adding up the metres [note 8] … Fairly amazed by this fortuitous discovery we carried on downwards with lots of c. 28 m legs to end up at a c. 10 m pitch after a fairly straight line of c. 250 m. It is possible to see the entrance from this point! There is some superb flowstone and shallw green pools –one of which Tony fell in. The pitch is in a narrowing of the main passage where jammed boulders have caused a choke in the floor. It will be easily laddered tomorrow. On the way back we climbed into, and surveyed, an attractive high level 'chamber“ for c. 40 m (Jarratt 2002.02.08 Mss: Cave Log 2002: 8/2/02). Jarratt (in: JARRATT & AUDSLEY 2002): On the 8th we had planned to visit the unique living rubber tree bridges located in the jungle below Laitkynsew and then check out a supposed resurgence at the nearby village of Mustoh. 'Nearby' is a relative term in a place where everyone lives essentially part way up a gigantic, jungle covered cliff. Although only a few hundred metres from the Resort, Mustoh is reached either by a 40 minute jeep ride down a hairpin track or a direct walk down about 1500 sandstone steps for a vertical distance of 370 metres which takes about the same time. As it happened we never got to see the bridges as, following a natter with the vilage headman, we were shown a sink cave - Krem Umjasew - about ten minutes walk from Mustoh in an adjacent dry valley. The unprepossessing entrance was located in a heap of boulders at the side of this valley where a short climb down dropped into the head of a stunning, steeply descending bore passage which obviously takes a vast amount of water during the monsoon. Three of us, dressed in T-shirts and light trousers, were soon knocking up the metreage while the others continued with reconnaissance of some nearby rock shelters known to be the home of a nest of King Cobras!After a straight line distance of some 250 metres, from where we could still see daylight from the entrance, we reached the head of a 10 metre pitch caused by a choke in the floor of the main drag where it briefly narrowed down. … This was descended on the following day and the main passage followed on down dip to a deep lake where a traverse and short ladder climb gained the far shore without too much of a wetting. Hue wedged logs proved the power of the stream in flood conditions and prompted the appropriate name of 'The Log Flume' for the main passage. Beyond the lake the cave continued in fine style with a 45 metre free climb down a sculpted rock wall - The North Face - providing great sport. Here we temporarily lost the stream and reached another pitch - about 20 metres deep but passable with a 10 metre ladder. Both pitches are actually more easily passed by free climbing with a traverse line, the cave being particularly well endowed with jug holds and ledges. Beyond, the bore passage entered the ceiling of a huge, gloomy and mist filled chamber some 25 metres deep. Bats circled in the Dantesque regions below and with hopes of returning to follow gigantic river galleries all the way to Bangladesh we headed back to the Resort to overdo it on celebrating with beer and Captain Morgan rum. 2002.02.09: Boycott, Jarratt and Groves plus Shelley A Diengdoh, Thomas Arbenz, Denis P. Rayen, Brian D. harpran Daly and Jayne Stead surveyed 664 m, including the new entrance (Krem Umjasew 2), to the top of a huge chamber. Jarratt (2002.02.09 Mss: Cave Log 2002: 9/2/02): We put a 10 m ladder on the pitch -- though a lifeline traverse would be easier -- and pressed on down in this amazing, steeply descending gallery to eventually reach a deep lake which I was able to traverse above to a point when another 10 m ladder was used to gain the far shore. Huge wedged logs proved the power of the water in flood conditions. Bats, crabs, crickets, maggots (?), white woodlice and collembola were noted. Beyond the lake the passage continued in fine style and a very steep 45 m climb down a sculpted rock wall provided fine sport, Daniel's joke ladder being used for aid in one place. At the bottom we lost the water and entered a section of dry passage where we stopped for a very late lunch. Not far beyond lay another c. 20 m pitch which I laddered for 10 m and then free climbed back to the stream whle the others surveyed to the pitch head. Soon after a short descent led me to the head of a possibly 20 m deep pitch through the ceiling of a huge, gloomy chamber with lots of bats circling in the void below me -- very awe inspiring! … we spent the next hour and 40 minutes climbing and traversing our way out to the surface, pausing, beyond the top of the first pitch to survey a connection up the previously unclimbed aven where Martin and Shelley had entered from Umjasew 2 via some beautifully decorated passage below the pitches … Alltogether a fantastic day's caving, much enjoyed but found to be hard work for all of the team. This is one of the finest sporting caves I have been in and one's climbing and traversing skills are honed to perfection. A quite exceptional find for the first few days of a Meghalaya expedition and a great boost to cave potential in this beautiful area. We now suspect that the resurgence for the system is in the Shella area –a possible candidate being, accrding to the Mustoh villagers, located near the village bazaar. Jarratt (in: JARRATT & AUDSLEY 2002): … Lump and Shelley had pushed an adjacent cave - Krem Umjasew 2 - down a series of pitches and some superbly decorated passage to emerge in the main cave at the 250 metre point. 2002.02.10: Jarratt, Groves and Andrew 'Andy' Peter Tyler descended 25 m pitch into 'Desert of Despond' chamber. Total: 1040.52 m / -196.56 m. Jarratt (2002.02.10 Mss: Cave Log 2002: 10/2/02): The pitch into the huge bat chamber was found to be c. 25 m deep and needed our last three ladders. I managed to stupidly rig it in both a small stream and a heavy shower from the ceiling –very refreshing. At the bottom a steeply descending 'passage' led to a huge circular chamber with a sand dune floor and a couple of grotty choked passages leading off, including a stream sink -- very disappointing. An updip bedding 'passage' was followed to what we assumed to be another huge chamber but was, in fact, th continuation of the pitch chamber -- the two 'passages' actually being the walls of this great void with immense rock ribs forming the inner 'walls.' One end of the chamber had a loose boulder floor which Martin penetrated to a too tight bedding plane sink. Another bedding plane sink above it was not investigated and will be looked at tomorrow on Martin's planned photographic trip. As it was getting late we finished off the survey and painfully made our way out to the surface with heavy tackle bags.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | UMJASEW 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.3 | RAMSONG POT HOLE, Mustoh | ||
| 0.3 | UMBYRSIEH (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | WAH 'LAWBAH (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | UMBLAI 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | UMBLAI 1 (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | JASEW 1 (Krem) | ||
| 0.5 | LYNGDOH (Krem) | ||
| 0.5 | JASEW 3 (Krem) |