CHIEHRUPHI SINK, 1st
25.216900,92.367500
Description
An east-facing and confessional-sized (up to 2 m wide and high) but bottomless niche gives access to the fluted top of a shaft of unknown depth, which was secured (in February 1999) with a perched grill of sticks that served as a floor and obviously had been installed to ease access to a trickle of water. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified (if one exists) for this dripping niche (note 1) near the village of Chiehruphi. SITUATION: North of the jeepable (fair weather) track from Chiehruphi (note 2) generally west towards Musianglamare (note 3) an in the south-west corner of an estimated 70 m by 120 m wide and 30 m deep doline. APPROACH: To reach this site, take a footpath from Chiehruphi north-west (315°) along the electricity line. After 0.75 km the rolling plateau steps down by about 20 m and the relevant doline lies some 100 m further north-east. A coal miner's track led in February 1999 down into the doline. The cave entrance lies at the base of an estimated 15 m to 20 m high sandstone cliff and opens into the underlying limestone, which was more hidden then exposed at the upper rim of the scree slope in the southern part of the doline's western wall. CAVE POTENTIAL: Access to the cave level where Krem Umsynrang and Synrang Pamiang consist of speleothem-decorated cave passages is likely, perhaps even to these caves themselves.
NOTE 1: On the approach to a home-spun but entirely pseudo-name for this cave entrance, one may compose a mixture of some of the Khasi words ka khyrnit (noun) a mantel-piece, a cornice (SINGH, N 1906: 39); cornice (SINGH, N 1920: 95); niche, shelf (BLAH, E 2007: 199, 271). ka kyndong (noun), abbreviated: ka kdong (SINGH, N 1906: 23; SINGH, N 1920: 95), ka dong (BLAH, E 2007: 63), a corner (SINGH, N 1906: 23, 54; SINGH, N 1920: 95; BLAH, E 2007: 63), an opportunity (SINGH, N 1906: 23). + hap jrop-jrop (intransitive verb) drip (SINGH, N 1920: 140) jáw (Khasi; verb) to leak (SINGH, N 1906: 100; SINGH, N 1920: 287); to drop (SINGH, N 1906: 100; SINGH, N 1920: 140; BLAH, E 2007: 85); kaba jáw (noun) leak (SINGH, N 1920: 287); ba jaw um (adjective) leaky (BLAH, E 2007: 167). jop (Khasi; adverb) falling in drops, as in: ka um ka jaw jop shi jop (SINGH, N 1906: 104), water that drips in one drop after the other. jreiñ (verb) to fall in drops, to ooze (SINGH, N 1906: 105); drain, drip, transude (SINGH, N 1920: 138, 140, 538). phla (Khasi; transitive verb) to confess (SINGH, N 1906: 157; SINGH, N 1920: 86; BLAH, E 2007: 58); to admit (SINGH, N 1906: 157); to acknowledge (SINGH, N 1920: 6). tûid (verb) to flow, to run (SINGH, N 1906: 236); flow (SINGH, N 1920: 184); drip (BLAH, E 2007: 85). NOTE 2: Chiehruphi, road fork (±20 m) 25°12'36”N: 92°22'22”E. NOTE 3: Musianglamare, old church, near (±32 m) 25°13'21”N: 92°21'26”E: 830 m asl (Gebauer, H D, unreliable 4-channel GPS Garmin 12) and an unidentified point 70 m further SSE near (±60 m) 25°13'19”N: 92°21'27”E (Chandler, I E undated March 1998 GPS reading).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1999.02.23: H. D. Gebauer peeped in and recorded a 4-channel GPS reading (unreliable).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | CHIEHRUPHI SINK, 2nd | ||
| 0.6 | PAMIANG (Synrang) | ||
| 0.8 | PDIENG SA LAH (Krem) | ||
| 0.8 | AA CAVE, Mynkre | ||
| 0.9 | UMSYNRANG (Krem) | ||
| 0.9 | UR BAN, Chiehruphi - Nongthymmei (Synrang) | ||
| 0.9 | STINGSON SIANGSHAI (Krem U) | ||
| 1.1 | CITRUS CAVE (aa -) | ||
| 1.1 | UMKHLAW, Chiehruphi (Krem) |