JRIEM (Synrang U)
25.188900,91.668300
Description
The cave appears to be a sink at the side of a picturesque natural rock bridge (actually a short tunnel cave, 8 to 11 m wide, 3 to 5 m high, 15 m long, 325° to 145°) spanning a seasonally active stream bed exposing sandstone, which descends by some 10° to the approximate south. The cave is formed in a coarse grained, sandy mother rock. ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi "Synrang U Jriem" translates either as »Cave of the [masculin] Jriem« (note 1) or as »Cave of Mr. Jriem.« Hellington Roin from Laitkynsew (note 2), however, reported a cave name very distantly reminiscent to something sounding like "Krem Jnginga Kwuias" (or so) but neither the native Telugu speaker Denis P. Rayen nor the German explorers were able to catch it properly. SITUATION: The cave entrance is said to lie not far from the footpath descending from Laitkynsew to Ishamati (note 3) but can be reached from either of the two villages only with the help of a knowledgeable guide. APPROACH 1995: Starting from Laitkynsew requires a very steep 01h45 downhill walk. For the first hour from Laitkynsew, the trail is followed steeply downhill using a series of stone steps, passing through a thick bed of limestone and eventually reaches an area of pinnacle karst. This is crossed on a nicely laid, elevated path of limestone slabs that winds its way through the pinnacles to reach the valley bottom. Half an hours walk from here, one reaches an obvious sandstone arch under which the only then obvious cave entrance is to be found (Brooks 1995.11.24). APPROACH 2002: Approaching from Ishamati is a bit faster (only one to one and a half hours or about 6 km to 8 km on foot) and much less strenuous as it includes an enchanting walk through lively jungle with strange voices of elusive birds. Don't cross the concrete bridge (spanning a tributary from the approximate west) but keep to the northern edge of the paddy fields and proceed along the edge of the forest for less than a kilometre (passing a village and three settlements) before turning towards north to north-west (upon approaching on the right-hand side) and into a valley descending straight from the emerald jungle wall rising all the way to the very top of that world. At one point, a trail to the north-east (upon approaching on the left) leads under the canopy of the forest. From now onwards, for the next 4 km (or so), a series of bifurcations connect trails which traverse, gaining or loosing only few tens of metres in height, along the foot of a steep escarpment on the north side, and follow a geological disturbance (indicated by linear but disconnected valleys, bouldery sinks and obscure exsurgences) and some soil floored stream beds. About 1.5 hours (some 6 km) from Ishhamati a path towards north is taken. This ascends slightly, gains a southward dipping sandstone floor, passes an old, about 1.5 m high masonry pillar or "border stone" (note 4) between Mustoh (Mawstoh) and Laisong, and follows, scarcely recogniseable, a streambed. The cave entrance lies some 400 m upstream from the "border stone" (maw put?), and on the orographically left (north-eastern) side of the streambed. CAVE DESCRIPTION: A partly collapsed cave entrance (7 m wide, 2 m high) gives access to a 4 m descent across fallen angular boulders and leads into an air-filled siphon (5 m wide, 2 m high, with shallow pools) and quickly rises again (3 m) to the dry and wide main passage (on average 10 to 15 m wide, 2 to 6 m high). This runs, slightly meandering, for 150 m from the WSW to the ENE and leads to a loose but apparently impenetrable boulder choke, which emitted a good air draught (02 March 2002, 14h00) but shows no traces of a near surface (neither leaves or washed-in soil nor spiders). The main passage is adorned, at places, by clusters of large calcite formations (speleothems) which, at places, are "bent" (by an air current established long ago?) towards the entrance. By descending 5 m through angular boulders against the left hand wall at the lowest point in the upper passage an active streamway (Kalahari Streamway) is reached. This starts as a noisily murmuring little rivulet emerging from an uninviting wet crawl and turns into a pleasant and well decorated stooping height streamway. This can be followed through many pools of water and across low rimstone dams to several inlets that all become too small to be enterable for humans. CAVE LIFE: In the first days of March 2002 there were pale woodlice (Isopoda), crayfish (Crustacea: Malacostrata: Decapoda), "snot gobblers" (larval stage of fungus gnats, Diptera: Mycetophilidae) and a few spiders (Araneae: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.).
NOTE 1: The Khasi "ka jri" (noun) signifies »the India rubber; the caoutchouc« (SINGH, N 1906: 105); »the caoutchouc« (SINGH, N 1920: 59) and the Khasi "ém" (adverb) means not only »no« (SINGH, N 1906: 76; OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxii) but also is equivalent to »you know« and used at the end of a sentence to soften the expression as, for example, ”ynda lah bam lah dih èm, nga sa leit noh” (SINGH, N 1906: 76). NOTE 2: Laitkynsew near (±250 m) 25°13'00”N: 91°39'25”E (WGS84 modified from 25°13'00”N: 91°39'35”E Everest 1830, Survey of India 78-O/16 edition 1912) at elevations below 896 m asl (modified from 2940 feet, Survey of India 78-O/SE edition 1917). Also: Laikenso OLDHAM, T (1854 / 1984: 40); OLDHAM, T (1859: 158) Leykanchoo F. (1829: 254) Likenso MEDLICOTT, H B (1865: 418) Lykunchau X. Y. Z. (1829: 276). 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: The Khasi ”u thum” (noun) is »a mound; a boundary masonry pillar« (SINGH, N 1906: 230) in distinction to ”u thup” which is »a regular heap of stones« (SINGH, N 1906: 230).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1995.11.24: Simon J. Brooks and Christopher M. Smart, assisted by Brian D. Kharpran Daly and Estelle Sandford explored and mapped. 2002.03.03: Hellington Roin guided Denis P. Rayen, H. D. Gebauer and Michael Laumanns to the cave. Unawares of accidentally resurveying a speleologically known cave, they only added a few details to the earlier cave plan.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | UMSONG CAVE, 1st (aa -) | ||
| 1.4 | UMSONG QUARRY (Cave in an) | ||
| 1.6 | SANGLET (Krem) | ||
| 1.7 | Alum Cave | ||
| 2.0 | DIENG SYNREM, Mawlong (Krem) | ||
| 2.0 | UMSONG SPRING (aa -) | ||
| 2.2 | WAH SANG (Krem) | ||
| 2.2 | UMSONG CAVE, 2nd (aa -) | ||
| 2.2 | JASEW 2 (Krem) |