UMKSEH (Krem)
25.164700,92.383600
Description
A perennial stream of water (in February / March 1996, 1997, and 1998 an estimated litre or two per second) issued from a southeast facing, low but wide cave entrance (about 5 m wide and 1 m high) and served a much frequented washing place for people and clothes. The water rising from this exsurgence flowed into a densely vegetation-clad glen, which was said to lead downstream to the so-called –>Chilli Cave, Lumshnong. Immediately adjacent southwest of the "washing place" exurgence is a dry rift cave entrance (1.5 m wide, 8.5 m high) and adjacent northeast but 4 m higher up a relic cave entrance (2 m wide, 1.2 m high). A fourth cave entrance (Pinnacle Entrance 25°09'51”N: 92°22'59”E) is a relic exsurgence (perennially abandoned by flowing water) at the southernmost known point of the cave. A fifths cave entrance (25°09'57”N: 92°22'50”E) at the head of a possibly seasonally active inlet (insurgence) resulted from collapse and may be found in the open air at a point where the westernmost known parts of the cave end at the west-facing flank of a more or less north-south trending glen, which had been cleared of its jungle growth in 1998. The set of three "washing place" cave entrances give access to an interstratal cave with a network of interconnected cave passages, which are generally low (less than 1 m) but wide (more than 6 m) and contain not only a perennially active stream of water but also nice to look at (beautiful) secondary calcite formations (speleothems). The funny, if not weird but impossible to notice aspect of this cave is that the complex of cave passages is formed over a large area only an odd metre (or so) vertically above hydrographically independent cave passages in the immediately underlaying Krem –>Kotsati, from which it is strictly separated by an approximately 1 m thick intercalation of sandstone. ETYMOLOGY: The origin and history of the cave name "Krem Umkseh" is unknown but seems to refer either to resin (note 1) or to an "um" or stream of water called after a pine tree or pine wood (note 2). SITUATION: Not only south from the village of Lumshnong but also south of the Lumshnong Petrol Station (note 3), west of the National Highway NH44, again west to southwest from what had been in 1996, 1997, and 1998 a saw-mill, and about 170 m in a direct line approximately south-west (-109 m north and -135 m east) from the "Rift Pot" entrance (Krem –>Umlawan 1: Rift Pot) of Krem –>Kotsati. POSITION: Disputable. On the one-hand side (note 4) near (±135 m) 25°09'50”N: 92°22'40”E / N25.163889°: E92.377778° (Gebauer, H D 1996.03.08 unstable 4-channel GPS Garmin 4) but on the other hand (note 5) about 600 m further east and near 25°09'53”N: 92°23'01”E / 25.164722°N: 92.383611°E (Boycott, Jarratt & Sandford 1997.02.28 surface traverse). LENGTHINESS PRAISE: »Krem Umkseh is a beautiful two kilometre [sic! 1.29 km] long cave which superimposes the lower reaches of India's second longest cave system« (KHARPRAN DALY, B D 2014: 129). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: The spring of water issuing from the cave was used by resident people at least in the years 1996, 1997 and 1998 as a suitable place for washing clothes and themselves. CULTURAL HISTORY -- novel (fictitious prose narrative representing character and action with some degree of realism): »A hundred metres further up [from Krem –>Umlawan 1: Rift Pot entrance], Thrang [note 6] showed them the remains or what was left of the once stunning resurgence cave, Krem Umkseh. "Here is where the locals would come to bathe and wash their clothes. Now where is the water?" he choked, his heart filled with remorse at such a devastation« (KHARPRAN DALY, B D 2014: 175). CAVE LIFE: Dr. Antony 'Tony' Boycott noticed what must have been a vinegaroon (note 7) (Arachnida: Thelyphonida, formerly Uropygi). Also present were several relatively large sized spiders, apparently giant crab spiders (Arachnidae: Araneae: Sparassidae: cf. Heteropoda sp.), and a few medium sized bats (Chiroptera: cf. Rhinolophus).
NOTE 1: ka um kseh (Khasi; noun), literally: a pine liquid (hdg 2014.05.26); pitch, resin, tar, tar-water (SINGH, N 1920: 381, 436, 518, 519); resin (BLAH, E 2007: 254). NOTE 2: ka kseh (Khasi; noun, feminine), a pine tree (SINGH, N 1906: 49). u kseh (Khasi; noun, masculine), abbreviated ”u 'seh” (SINGH, N 1906: 186), a resinous pine wood (SINGH, N 1906: 49), also "ka diengkseh" (Khasi; noun) or ”ka dieng kseh” (SINGH, N 1920: 380), the pine-wood (SINGH, N 1906: 67); pine (SINGH, N 1920: 380; BLAH, E 2007: 225), botanically: Pinus kasia (BECKER, C 1927: 340), Pinus kasya Royle (BAZELY 1992: 28), Pinus kesiya (BAZELY, P J 1992: 29), Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon (en.wikipedia accessed 2012.01.20), Pinus Khasia (GURDON, P R T 1906: 7), Pinus Khasya (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 15: 255; SINGH, N 1906: 67). NOTE 3: Petrol Station, Lumshnong, near (±100 m) 25°10'08”N: 92°22'35”E / 25.168889°N: 92.376389°E: circa (±30 m) 595 m asl (Gebauer H D 1997 cave survey off "village well" GPS). NOTE 4: The first generation of hand-held GPS receivers was not only unreliable (usual EPE ±25 m) but also instable (±125 m). NOTE 5: Boycott and Jarratt made an exceptional team of surveyors.NOTE 6: thrang (Khasi; verb) to thirst, to pant (SINGH, N 1906: 229); itch, pant (SINGH, N 1920: 274, 362). NOTE 7: Thelyphonida (P. Cambridge, 1872) »is an arachnid order comprising invertebrates commonly known as vinegaroons (also spelled vinegarroons and vinegarones). They are often called uropygids in the scientific community after the former order Uropygi (which originally also included the order Schizomida). They are also known as whip scorpions because of their resemblance to true scorpions and because of their whiplike tail.«
Documents
Bibliography 02/07/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1996.03.08: H. D. Gebauer (book), Georg Bäumler (compass and clinometer) and Brian D. Kharpran Daly (measuring tape), assisted by Gregory D. Diengdoh, Fairweather W. Mylliemngap, Roiy Sayag and Franz Baumgartner, surveyed the first 230 m of cave from the washing place entrances up to Gregory's Duck. Gregory succeeded in finding a way through the duck and was the first who saw that the cave continues. 1997.02.28: »Estelle, Tony, J-Rat, Brian and Spindro … visit Krem Um Kseh« (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 30). 1998.02.20: Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt, Brian Johnson, Lindsay B. Diengdoh, Susanne Annette Becher and Fairweather W. Mylliemngap "surveyed" (sportsmen's standard) upstream of Gregory's duck to the two upper entrances. 1998.02.23: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt and Brian Johnson avoided surveying from the duck upstream due to »a bubble in the compass. Luckily this happened before we got wet, so we explored a couple of high level passages not on the survey …« (Jarratt, A R 1998.02.23 Mss "Meghalaya Cave Log" 23/2/98).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | UMLAWAN 1 Rift Pot (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | UMKHANG (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | Porcupine Cave | ||
| 0.5 | UMLAWAN 1: Lake Inlet Cave (Krem) | ||
| 0.5 | UMLAWAN 1: Cinema Cave (Krem) | ||
| 0.6 | CHILLI CAVE, Lumshnong | ||
| 0.7 | UMLAWAN 1: Y-Pot (Krem) | ||
| 0.7 | UMLAWAN 1: Surprise Exit (Krem) | ||
| 0.8 | UMLAWAN 5 (Krem) |