KHYNDAI MAT, Mawsahew (Krem)
25.257800,91.648600
Description
Five south-facing major cave entrances and about two or three or, perhaps, four minor cave entrances ceased their play as I passed, in order to stare at the stranger, and gave access to relatively short rift cave passages which all intersect a generally east-west aligned and horizontal cave passage. ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi numeral "khyndái" (SINGH, N 1906: 39) is the 9 or »nine« (note 1) while "ka mat" is an abbreviation of "ka khmat" and means not only »an eye« but also »a joint, a knob« (SINGH, N 1906: 129) and thus is synonymous with the Khasi "pateng" (note 2). On the long run, this cave has been called or spelled Krem Khyndai Jingkhang Nine Doors Cave (note 3), Baton Thiaw Pomsomen, Sohra (1994 personal communication) Krem Khyndai Mat Nine Eyes Cave (note 4), AA [name lost], Mawsahew village headman (1995.11.20 personal communication); BROOKS & GEBAUER (1998: 17) Krem Khyndai Phyllaw Nine Compounds Cave (note 5), Brian D. Kharpran Daly (1995 personal communication) suggested »Nine Compounds Cave.« SITUATION: High above the east (orographically right) bank of the Umiew (note 6), and not only 8.6 km in a direct line approximately west (263°) of the Circuit House at Sohra (Cherrapunjee) but also 750 m south-east (127°) from the village of Mawsahew (note 7). Here, the cave entrances (note 8) lie at the base of an about 10 m high cliff that marks the edge of a terrace that runs across the hillside below the village. The second-most westerly of the seven entrances provides the easiest access to the cave. CAVE DESCRIPTION: A stooping height entrance passage leads to »bedding passage« (wide but low) that runs parallel to the generally east-west orientated cliff face. Short side passages off south from the solitary main passage soon lead to the other entrances. Beyond the most easterly of these entrances, the passage continues for another 80 m and contains an area of stalactites and stalagmites (speleothems). The cave is formed in what looks like sandy limestone (arenaceous or dolomitic?), had been dry throughout in November 1995, and was scented with a strong smell of tropical fruit bats and their bat guano spiced with a noteworthy measure of warm bats' urine. CULTURAL HISTORY - legend: The sirdar (headman) of Mawsahew said one should enter the cave with good heart else one will leave ill (note 9). Especially looking back on entering is said to cause serious sickness or even death (note 10). CAVE LIFE: Seen within the cave were frogs, millipedes (conf. Myriapoda, Diplopoda, Trachyjulidae conf. Trachyiulus mimus Silvestri 1924), sort of spiders, moths and a few half-naked bats (Chiroptera: conf. Microchiroptera).
NOTE 1: »… in the Khasi Pnar tradition of interpretation of dreams, each individual is represented by a number … The number 7 is for a non tribal and 9 is the number for death. … All animal’s are numbered 7 except for the elephant whose number is 9. If one dreams of an elder like the daloi the number is [also] 9 … Perhaps if one understands Thoh-tim and the number associated to it then one can also have a little insight into numerology or people’s understanding of numbers and its usage in the Khasi Pnar tradition. For instance we already see the link between the number 9 and the dead and their abode« (MOHRMEN, H H 2012.06.12 : Gambling through archery.- The Shillong Times, 12th June 2012). NOTE 2: ka pateng (Khasi; noun) a joint (SINGH, N 1906: 152; SINGH, N 1920: 277; BLAH, E 2007: 158); a link (SINGH, N 1906: 152); age (SINGH, N 1920: 12); ancestry (SINGH, N 1920: 18) but "ka khyndái pateng ñiamra" signifies »an infernal abyss, hell« (SINGH, N 1906: 39). NOTE 3: ka jingkhang (Khasi, noun) a door (SINGH, N 1906: 102; SINGH, N 1920: 137; BLAH, E 2007: 84; OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxvi; GURDON 1906: 215 after GRIERSON 1903, vol. ii); barricade, barrier, boundary, obstacle, obstruction (SINGH, N 1920: 38, 51, 346); a prohibition(SINGH, N 1906: 102). Generally said, "jing" is an abstract noun (SINGH, N 1906: 102) which is »employed to create a verbal noun out of a verb: for instance, take the verb "bam", to eat; if we prefix "jing" we have "jingbam", food. "Bat", to hold; "jing-bat", a handle« (GURDON 1906: 210) and "khang" (verb), synonymous with ”padan” (SINGH, N 1920: 499), has been translated as »to shut; to hinder; to forbid; to prohibit« (SINGH, N 1906: 25); »to block; to bolt; to bound; to close; to stop« (SINGH, N 1920: 48, 50, 51, 75, 499); »to barricade, to obstruct« (BLAH 2007: 38, 204); »to shut« (OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxv). Compare »bolt« (noun) " u dieng khang iing" (SINGH, N 1920: 50), literally: the house locking wood. NOTE 4: ka mat (Khasi, noun) the eye (SINGH, N 1906: 129; SINGH, N 1920: 171; BLAH, E 2007: 99; GURDON 1906: 203); sight (GURDON 1906: 203); an abbreviation of ”ka khmat” or "ka Khymat" (OLDHAM). NOTE 5: ka phyllaw (Khasi, noun) the front court of the house (SINGH, N 1906: 159); court, yard (BLAH, E 2007: 65, 336); compound (Kharpran Daly, Brian D. 1995 personal communication) but phylla (adjective) wonderful, strange (SINGH, N 1906: 159); marvellous, miraculous, queer, remarkable, strange, stupendous, surprising (SINGH, N 1920: 309, 320, 416, 431, 499, 502, 511); novel, strange, supernatural (BLAH, E 2007: 202, 290, 295). NOTE 6: The river »Umiam or Umiew« (GURDON, P R T 1906: 176 note) is shown on the Survey of India sheet 78-O/12 (edition 1912) to debouche as an Anglo-Indian »Shella River« (±2.5 km 25°10'N: 91°42'30”E) into the plains of Bangladesh where it joins (25°22'N: 91°40'E) the north (orographically right) bank of the Surma in the west of Chhatak (WGS84 25°02'20”N: 91°40'29”E: 15 m). So far, I saw the indigenous Khasi name of the Anglo-Indian's »Shella River« (25°22'N: 91°40'E Survey of India sheet 78-O/12 edition 1912) river spelled, edited or printed as Omeeam Hudson, C K in: ALLEN, W J (1858 appendix: lvii, No. 9A footnote) Omeyong Jenkins, Captain F. (1834 October 15th letter to Trevelyan, C E.- in: ALLEN, W J 1858 appendix: lvii, No. 9A) Oomeeam ALLEN, W J (1858: 81) Oomeeang ALLEN, W J (1858: 81) Shella River SURVEY OF INDIA (1912: 78-O/12) U'myang F. (1829: 253) Umiam GURDON, P R T (1906: 176 note); KIBRIA, Asjadul (2003); Roberts, H. (undated Mss in GURDON, P R T 1906: 165) Umiew GURDON, P R T (1906: 176 note); Hudson, C K in: ALLEN, W J (1858 appendix: lvii, No. 9A footnote); Roberts, H. (undated Mss in GURDON, P R T 1906: 165) Umiew R SURVEY OF INDIA (1912 toposheet 78-O/12) Umiew River AMS sheet NG46-10 Shillong (U502 series, 1959 edition) Umium River CHOWDHURY, J N (1978 edited 1998: 108) Wah Barka Colin Rogers (2001.03.16 personal correspondence) Wah Umiew American Military Service (1959: NG46-10 Shillong, U502 series) and the corresponding Bengali name as Boga Panee ALLEN, W J (1858: 81); INDIA FOREIGN … (1862: 84) Boga Pani OLDHAM, T (1859: 173, 176); ROBINSON, W (1841: 406) Boga-panee HOOKER, J D (1854-1855, 2; 287, 308) Boga-pani F. (1829: 252); OLDHAM, T (1854 / 1984: 19, 20, 21, 35, 39); OLDHAM, T 1859: 123, 124, 126, 151, 156, 157 footnote) Bogah Panee Hudson, C K in: ALLEN, W J (1858 appendix: lvii, No. 9A footnote) Bogapani MEDLICOTT, H B (1869: 170, 176, 184, 187, 192, 193, 199); YULE, H (1844: 615). Wah Umiew American Military Service (1959: NG46-10 Shillong, U502 series). NOTE 7: Mawsahew near (±250 m) 25°15'30”N: 91°38'50”E (WGS84 modified from 25°15'30”N: 91°39'00”E Everest 1830, Survey of India 78-O/11 edition 1974) but a GPS position for this village has been read near (±200 m) 25°15'42”N: 91°38'44”E: 1150 m asl (WGS84 modified from 25°15'40”N: 91°38'54”E Everest 1830, Gebauer, H D undated 1995 November unstable 4-channel GPS Garmin 4). NOTE 8: The only GPS position, which ever has been recorded for the whole lot of the cave entrances of Krem Khyndai Mat, is unreliable, ranges between useless and misleading, and reads 25°15'26”N: 91°39'06”E (±46 m, Everest 1830, HDG 1995.11.20, unstable 4-channel GPS Garmin 4). NOTE 9: Jarratt (2002.02.30 Mss: Amendments), considering the presence of bats, questioned »Could this be a contender for Histoplasmosis?« Without any doubt, this suspicion is heroic but little doubt remains that such a belief is untenable since testing HDG for Histoplasma antibodies was a failure even after two and a half decades of caving (1980 January to 2004 April) all over the Indian Subcontinent between Nepal in the North and Sri Lanka in the South, Pakistan in the West and Nagaland or Mizoram in the East. NOTE 10: Not even famed Orpheus was allowed to turn around when retrieving Euridike (Euridice, Euridike) from the underworld.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1994 February: Baton Thiaw Pomsomen, Sohra, told the cave name »Krem Khyndai Jingkhang« to Simon J. Brooks and H D Gebauer who wrote it down in view of coming back to it. 1995.11.20: H. D. Gebauer (book), Jennifer 'Jenni' or 'Jenny' A. Brooks (compass & clino), Simon J. Brooks (camera) and Lindsay B. Diengdoh (tape) returned to the cave entrances and entered, mapped and explored. Brooks, S J confirms: »20-11-95 … Travel onwards to village of Mawsahew, met and took tea with Sadar [sic! qua: sirdar, the village headman] before being led down to visit two caves. Daniel, Jenni and Simon accompanied by several villagers explore, photograph and survey Krem Khyndai Mat« (BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 17).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 | HAIDROM (Krem) | ||
| 4.3 | KITLANG, Laitkynsew (Krem) | ||
| 4.3 | SYNRANG, Laitkynsew (Krem) | ||
| 4.4 | LAITKYNSEW HALFWAY SINK | ||
| 4.5 | MAWJYMBUIÑ, Laitkynsew (Krem) | ||
| 4.5 | THLEN, Rangjirteh (Krem U) | ||
| 4.5 | LAITKYNSEW RESORT SINK | ||
| 4.6 | WAH RIT (Krem) | ||
| 4.6 | THEP MAWBAH (Krem) |