SOH SHYMPI (Krem)
25.199500,91.697000
Description
About three and a half cave entrances give access to a seasonal, north-south draining stream cave with some vertical development and complex side passages. — Entrance 1 = Krem RUMDAN (pothole entrance): 25°11'54”N: 91°41'53”E (± 62 m [sic!], Everest 1830, H.D.G 1995.11.21, Garmin 4): 277 m (barometric); 25°11'54.6”N: 91°41'41.9”E (±62 m [sic!), WGS84 modified from Everest 1830); 25°11'58.2”N: 91°41'49.2”E (±10.2 m, WGS84, A. Boycott? 2002.02.07): 260 m asl (GPS?).— Entrance 2 = Krem SOH SHYMPI (daylight window). — Entrance 3a = AERODROME POT (Jungle Entrance): 25°11'56.2”N: 91°41'45.5”E (±21 m, WGS84, A. Boycott? 2002.02.07): 265 m asl (GPS). — Entrance 3b = BAT CHAMBER WINDOW (opens half way up into Aerodrome Pot). ETYMOLOGY: The cave names »Krem Soh Shympi« and »Krem Rumdan« (Brian D Kharpran Daly 1995.11.21 personal communication) seem to derive, on the one hand side, from a Khasi "u soh shympi" -- apparently the word for a kind of fruit flourishing in the vicinity of the cave -- and, on the other, from "rumdan" (note 1) or "rumdam" (note 2).At an advanced stage of caving, not only Rob Harper (2002.04.31 Mss: megahlay #18) but also Stuart McMANUS (2001) eventually arrived close to understanding that they had one entrance to this cave »erroneously labelled as Soh Shympi is just the name of this shaft.« SITUATION: At a walking distance of 10 minutes from the village of Mawlong on the eastern road connecting Sohra (Cherrapunjee) with Ishamati. Reached with the help of a guide by taking the relevant track which descends from the Sohra - Mawlong - Ishamati (note 1) road to the left hand side and down to the river bed (dry in November 1995) which falls into the cave. ADVICE, in Antony 'Tony' Boycott's hand, accidentally found on the margin of an amended November 2001 version of South Asia Cave Register that had been taken along during the February 2002 excursion: »Bark at Right Hand bend 100 m beyond rulep sst 23 take track to left unto gunfle drum to lip SP pothole by abandoned oral minds« (note 2). One of the imaginable interpretations reads: Ask your driver to park the rented vehicle at a turn of the road, which lies at an estimated distance of 100 m beyond the kilometre stone 23, and take a track that leads downhill into the jungle and to the openings of abandoned coal mines near to the lip of the pothole. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1 - Southern part (after BROOKS & GEBAUER 1995: 13): Surrounded by four abandoned coal workings at 10 m below the level of the surrounding surface, an impressive collapse doline (looking NNW 36 m by 21 m wide, and 40 m deep) breaks through a sandstone caprock into an underlying limestone. The pothole drops 25 vertical metres to the top of a rubble slope which in turn leads down to a cave passage heading both north and south. The SOUTH PASSAGE (up to 25 m wide and 13 m high, 80 m long) runs into a collapse chamber which is crossed by a small streamway (carrying about 0.6 l/s on 1995 November 21) at its lower side before it climbs to the top of a talus slope. The stream sinks in a sump filled with sand. The NORTH PASSAGE opens into a single chamber (up to 30 m wide, 11 m high, 90 m long) with a large daylight window (14 by 12 m wide, 34 m above the floor). Beyond this, the northern branch passes a second, dark aven and soon dwindles to a winding gallery (3 m wide, 10 m high). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2 - Northern part (Thomas Arbenz, T 2002 April, amended by Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2002.05.19 Mss. Dimensions in metres: 1st length by 2nd width by 3rd height): MAIN PASSAGE: The letter box-like cave entrance (on the left hand side at the bottom of the boulder slope in entrance Pitch 1, Krem Rumdan, opens into a huge single chamber (30 m long, 8 m wide, 10 m high) with some impressive boulders sitting on the sandy floor along its length. A large aven leading to daylight (entrance 2: Krem Soh Shympi) is situated on the right side towards the end of the chamber. Beyond this, the passage passes a dark aven and soon dwindles into a meandering gallery. The sandy, sometimes gravely and scarcely decorated floor shows distinctive flood marks, and is characterised by a riverbed (dry in February 2002) that leads after 185 m to the end of the main passage. THE NORTHERN LINE (general direction 220 degrees): Some 30 m before the end of the downstream a passage enters from the left hand side, close by a prominent stalagmite (speleothems) on a calcite step in the middle of the main passage. A big boulder, wedged into the passage, forms an arch-like cave entrance to The Northern Line. From here a well decorated and spacious gallery can be followed for 63 m to a right angle bend where The International High Level starts, and narrows, further on, into a beautifully decorated terminal rift. THE INTERNATIONAL HIGH LEVEL (general direction 250 degrees): A 4 m high calcite cascade in the right angle bend can easily be climbed to reach a stooping to walking sized phreatic passage which leads up to a porch opening into a vast square chamber. On the left lies The Sleeping Beauty, a richly decorated chamber (18 m long, 6 m wide, 2 m high) with stalactites, stalagmites, columns, gours and countless calcite straws. On the right is a big boulder slope, littering the floor of a 28 m tectonic side chamber. Straight ahead the passage eventually brings us –moderately but steadily ascending– to a nice chamber, seemingly the end of the passage. Two leads, however, continue from here: A narrow phreatic tube plunges from a 2m high ledge on the left into a succession of nice little chambers linked by crawly and spiky tubular passages, The Appendix. Straight ahead on the same ledge a 1 m diameter tube enters which emerges in the upper third of "Sunflower Pot", 15 m above its floor, and looks down into "The Nature Trail" passage below. THE WIND TUNNEL: Five metres behind the arched cave entrance to The Northern Line is a sand filled depression in the floor. Here, a strong air draught is emitted from a small (0.5 by 0.5 m wide) tube on the right. A 30 m crawl reaches the lip of a 10 m pitch into a large rift with an active stream crossing the floor from the right to the left hand side: The Nature Trail. (Pitch, beware of loose rock and grit, is best rigged with a ladder). SHIT CREEK: Upstream a tight triangular-shaped passage has been followed for 30 m in waist- to shoulder-deep water. Beyond that a step leads up into an ongoing, tight and unpleasantly low tube which still awaits further exploration. (The general idea is to send the man responsible for the name of the passage for it –to wash his sins away…:–). MOSSDALE SERIES (general direction 190 degrees, flow about 120 lt./ sec): The downstream passage can be followed for 170 m through a maze of interconnected aquatic tubes. Initially small (0.5 by 0.5 m) with local constrictions at gour dams and later increasing to stooping / walking size. Mostly in knee- to shoulder-deep water (further aquatic poking suggested). THE NATURE TRAIL (general direction 140 to 300 degrees): Three short climbs straight from the stream crossing give access to the bottom of Sunflower Pot where The International High Level enters 15 m higher up. Its 80 m of winding phreatic passage lead to a short climb down into another cobble floored canyon and to a large chamber with two levels: The Cloud Chamber, named after the distinct mist in the air. On entering the chamber on the right, and above a prominent boulder slope, a series of phreatic tubes seems to connect to an upper hall (The Canyons) but these leads are all choked. Stepping up to the second floor, we reach the succession of The Nature Trail. It passes the cave entrance to The Crystal Palace passage and eventually leads to a pit-like floor collapse, the Picnic Pit. This obstacle can be mastered in two different ways: First: by abseiling or laddering down the pit (beware of loose pebbles and grit) and continuing along a low, meandering, sandy passage which connects after 47 m with The Nature Trail again. Second: by rigging a handline along a small ledge on the left (a bit "hairy" for the first person who‘s taking the rope over). A few metres further on a ladder or rope is needed to handle an 8m rift down to a sandy riverbed of larger dimensions (3 m wide, 6 m high). Right here the passage from the bottom of Picnic Pit connects. The riverbed, getting wider and higher, goes on for 106 m. Some rocky steps and a boulder slope eventually give access to a vast chamber, where faint noises of flying bats can be heard. On the left a not very safe 4 m climb , littered with loose rock and gravel, leads to a steep 6 m ledge. A boulder choke in the ceiling can be penetrated by proceeding carefully. The squeeze pops out from the floor of a huge 40 m aven, open to daylight. Thousands of bats swirl around this aven, hence the name: The Aerodrome (entrance 3). Halfway up the right hand wall a big letterbox-like window (6 m wide, 2 m high) opens to The Bat Chambers (entrance 3b). CLOUD CHAMBER - CRYSTAL PALACE - BAT CHAMBERS (general direction 250 degrees): At The Cloud Chamber 5 m down the passage continues towards Picnic Pit along 87 m of parallel, steadily ascending, relic passage of exceptional beauty. Passing a crossing (left: to The Nature Trail, right: to The Canyons) it ends at a bouldery and guano covered climb. On the left this climb leads directly down into Picnic Pit. On the right it goes up to The Bat Chambers: two huge, parallel bat roosts, black and smelly. Walls and floor are covered with knee deep guano alive with a myriad of maggots and centipedes. A square window at the far end of the roost overlooks The Aerodrome. BAT CHAMBERS - THE CANYONS - CRYSTAL PALACE: At the top of the bouldery climb, instead of heading straight on and left into the Bat Chambers a spacious and nicely decorated gallery of walking height links to another roomy chamber whose floor is incised by several small and canyon like ravines. The majority of them eventually lead into a canyon (continuously getting deeper) which links back down to the crossing in Crystal Palace passage (and from there to Cloud Chamber). Several canyons and tubes obviously connect directly to Cloud Chamber but all of them are choked. PROSPECTS: »Krem Rumdan/Soh Shympi, still continues beyond the current limit of exploration« (McMANUS 2001) but what had probably had been a passing shortage of stupefying liquids resulted in deciding that »We were not sad to see the back of this cave« (note 3]« (Jarratt 2002.02.12 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 12/2/02): Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt in: JARRATT & AUDSLEY (2002) narrates how he had »… decided a whip round was needed to purchase new spectacles for Rob Harper and to ignore all future "It's a real goer" tips from this man.«CAVE POTENTIAL: A certain part of the "North Passage" seems to be mapped. There is probably more potential and work for at least 2 or 3 days: 1. Up Shit Creek and The Mossdale Series may be worth further exploration; aquaphile and small cavers are required here. 2. The Canyons could reveal one or two leads. Serious poking is essential. 3. A high level rift on the left in the last 30 m of the North Passage‘s main passage is still to be explored. 4. Considering the rather vague description of the South Passage a thorough checking of the facts seems wise. 5. It might be worth locating all the cave entrances from the surface, GPS them and cross check them with the survey. Something for jungle fighters. CAVE LIFE: Many bats (Chiroptera) were noted when the cave was entered in spring 2001 and 2002.
NOTE 1:Brian D Kharpran Daly (1995.11.21 personal communication) had spelled »Rumdan« and »Rumdan may be the correct name. Thats what I assumed« (Jarratt 2002.05.20 personal correspondence). NOTE 2: ka rum (Khasi, noun), the lower or hinder part; the south (SINGH, N 1906: 176). ba dum (Khasi, adj.), contracted: badum (SINGH, N 1920: 154, 323; BLAH, E 2007 passim), barbarian (BLAH, E 2007: 26), black (SINGH, N 1920: 46; BLAH, E 2007: 31), blind (BLAH, E 2007: 32), dark (OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxvi; SINGH, N 1906: 74; SINGH, N 1920: 107; BLAH, E 2007: 71), dismal (SINGH, N 1920: 129), enigmatical (SINGH, N 1920: 154), ignorant (SINGH, N 1906: 74; SINGH, N 1920: 231), impenetrable (SINGH, N 1920: 235), inert (BLAH, E 2007: 148), indistinct (SINGH, N 1920: 249), murky (SINGH, N 1920: 331; BLAH, E 2007: 195), obscure (SINGH, N 1920: 345), »opague [sic!]« (SINGH, N 1920: 350), opaque (BLAH, E 2007: 206), sombre (SINGH, N 1920: 484), sombrous (SINGH, N 1920: 484), stygian (SINGH, N 1920: 502; BLAH, E 2007: 292), sullen (SINGH, N 1920: 507), tenebrous (SINGH, N 1920: 522; BLAH, E 2007: 303), wan (BLAH, E 2007: 329), wild (BLAH, E 2007: 333), as: badum bad kynjah [dark and lonely] sombre (BLAH, E 2007: 280); dum ne shai byrngut [dawn or dusk] twilight (SINGH, N 1920: 545). NOTE 3: Ishamati, near (±250 m) 25°09'54”N: 91°41'20”E (WGS84 modified from 25°09'55”N: 91°41'30”E Everest 1830, Survey of India 78-O/12 editions 1912, 1937) lies at linear distances of about 5 km approximately ESE from Shella (25°10'35”N: 91°38'20”E WGS84) and about 6 km WSW from Therriaghat (25°10'47”N: 91°45'05”E). Also: Iccimati Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J & GEBAUER, H D (1998: 17) Ichhamati Kharpran Daly, B D (1996.04.10 pers. comm.) Ichimati Dr. vet. Harper, Rob (undated February 2001 Mss) Isamati Survey of India 78-O/12 (edition 1912)Ischamati IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 11: 386)Ishamati Survey of India 78-O/12 (edition 1937). NOTE 4: Dr. med. Boycott, Antony 'Tony's script is written in »traditional Prescriptionese« (Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt (2005.08.15 Mss: South Asia Cave Registry 2002.04.18 amendments). NOTE 5: »Feb. 6th and 7th saw a ten person team surveying, exploring, photographing and bat studying in the Krem Soh Shympi/Rumdan system - partly explored but not mapped by last year's BEC team. This impressive horizontal cave eventually yielded 1.428 km of generally large and bat infested fossil passages but a nasty, low active streamway below was only partially surveyed and showed little promise of improving. It was while lying flat out in this particularly flood prone spot that we decided a whip round was needed to purchase new spectacles for Rob Harper and to ignore all future "It's a real goer" tips from this man. The writer, Denis and Thomas had the job of surveying behind the advance party but due to a fortunate communications failure ended up leaving the main route and providentially climbing into 203 m of superbly decorated fossil gallery ending at the lip of a 14 m deep pot (Sunflower Pot - named after a matchbox thrown down to later prove a connection with the lower levels). We had first assumed that this pot would enter the mythical enormous passage beyond Rob's streamway and had hurled huge boulders down it, not realising that it was actually an aven on the main "trade route" through the cave along which the others had recently passed« (Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt in: JARRATT & AUDSLEY 2002). NOTE 6: Needless to point out that the statement »well decorated phreatic passage« (Jarratt) contradicts itself. Probably mean was not a perennially water-filled cave passage in the phreatic zone but a vadose cave passage, which was long abandoned by flowing water but had developed under water.
Documents
Bibliography 31/05/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1995.11.21: Helped along by Brian D. Kharpran Daly (interpreter), it were H. Daniel Gebauer (book), Simon J. Brooks (tape) and Christopher M. Smart (compass, clino) who mapped (788.24 m / -71.0 m), assisted by Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Jennifer 'Jenni' or 'Jenny' A. Brooks, Lindsay B. Diengdoh and Estelle Sandford. Brooks, S J confirms: »21-11-95 Drive south to Wahlong village … Continue onwards to Mawlong and after making some initial enquiries [tea, bisquits], make abrief visit to the nearby Krem Lyngar. Visit another cave called Soh Shympi, where the rest of the day is spent exploring, photographing and surveying this cave« (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 17). 2001.02.24: Stuart McManus (book), Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Helen Harper and Rob Harper visited to enjoy recreational adventure tourism and stumbled into a »kilometre long« streamway, which was followed a long way downstream to a so-called »fossil« (sic! qua: relic) cave passage. 2002.02.06: According to Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt (2002.02.06 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 6/2/02), Thomas Arbenz, Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt and Denis P. Rayen »… left the others at a draughting junction, assuming that we were following the known way on. After a few survey legs we came to a dead end but I climbed up about 7 m on the left hand side to enter well decorated, walking sized phreatic passage [note 4] --obviously never before entered. This we surveyed for circa 203 m to the head of a 17 m deep and over 5 m diameter pot (Sunflower Pot, named after a matchbox) with a circa 12 m aven above. The sound of a stream could be heard below and may be an unexplored continuation of a passage pushed for a short way last year by Rob Harper … Adora Thabah and Andy [Andrew P. Taylor] went to study bats in the depth of the system. Martin [Groves], Brian [D. Kharpran Daly] and Shelley [A. Diengdoh] traversed over the pot near Fruit Bat Highway and explored circa 150 m to another doline entrance [Krem –>Soh Shympi - Rumdan 3]. There were lots of fruit bats and they intend to survey tomorrow [not the bats, the cave visitors]. Martin also took lots of photos, particularly of cave life. Tony [Boycott] and Jayne [Stead] surveyed back from the previously terminal pot to Rob Harper‘s streamway. A good day was had by all.« Brown (2002.05.05 Mss personal correspondence): »6.2.02: AB, ARJ, DR & TA 203 m and AB & JS 170 m.« 2002.02.07: Jarratt (2002.02.06 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 6/2/02), »At the junction of the cobble edged double pot I had a look upstream, by passing a sump for circa 30 m –ongoing but unimpressive. I then surveyed the low and aquatic downstream passage for circa 170 m to a maze area with low airspaces. This was like Stoke Lane Slocker entrance series with lots of annoying rimstone dams to bash the knees. We lost Tony and then Jayne on the way to the bitter end. There was no sign of Sunflower Pot. Tom and Jayne then surveyed back towards the entrance to tie in the surveys, then left the cave to walk halfway back to the Resort. I climbed on up into the impressive Cloud Chamber and on towards Martin‘s exit where he, Shelley and Denis were tidying up. Martin climbed out and spent a long time hacking through the jungle to establish a GPS point near some coal mines, from where he could hear vehicles on the road. I joined Tom and Brian who were surveying near here. We did a loop to tie in the loose pot below the traverse, then surveyed along a decorated low passage from Cloud Chamber up into a bat infested chamber with heaps of insect infested guano and lots of activity. A delightful spot! From here a jungle entrance could be seen but not reached due to a sudden lack of floor –this proved to be Martin‘s exit. From the lower part of the chamber we then tied back to the traverse and looped around into the low decorated passage. Having run out of time and enthusiasm everybody then left the cave, photographing and detackling on the way. There are still a few leads in Cloud Chamber to survey. The Sunflower matchbox was found on the floor of the high aven above the loose climb near the stream junction --good job nobody was underneath when we trundled boulders yesterday! Not a bad little system but it will be nice to have a change of scenery tomorrow. Total surveyed today was c. 602 m making the score 972 m.« Brown (2002.05.05 Mss personal correspondence): »7.02.02: AB, ARJ, JS & TA 602 m, SD, MG, BKD & DPR 237 m, AB & JS 46 m.« 2002.02.12: According to Jarratt (2002.02.12 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 12/2/02), T. Arbenz, Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt, and Denis P. Rayen »… resurveyed the Wind Tunnel, surveyed the rest of Cloud Chamber and linked Sunflower Pot. A necessary job which should have been done by the discoverers. We were not sad to see the back of this cave.« M.W. Brown (2002.05.05 Mss personal correspondence) understood »12.02.02: TA, ARJ & DPR 170 m.«
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | SOH SHYMPI 2, daylight window (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | DOLING (Krem U) | ||
| 0.4 | SOH SHYMPI 3, Aerodrome Pot (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | LYNGAR (Krem) | ||
| 0.5 | UMSHAI (Krem) | ||
| 0.6 | PRIANG, Mawkhlain (Krem U) | ||
| 0.6 | MONUMENT POT (aa -) | ||
| 1.2 | SHOH SHIAP 1 (Krem) | ||
| 1.2 | SHOH SHIAP 2 (Krem) |