SIELKAN HMAR POUK

(Saipung - IN)
25.195600,92.458300
Grottocenter / carte

Description

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A relatively small entrance (note 1) with an unidentified shape faces northeast, is about 2 m wide and half a metre high, and gives access to what was done away with as a comparatively small limestone cave which featured a flow of water (in the dry season on 17th February of 2005 an estimated 0.5 ltr/sec) at a certain the end shaft (Bäumler, G 2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk). Actually small, however, is knowledge of the cave because only the first few metres of the entrance area had been -surveyed- in the sense -sized up-.(note 2) ETYMOLOGY: The origin, history and meaning of the strange cave name Sielkan Hmar Pouk (Bäumler, G 2005.02.17 Mss) has always been beyond the comprehension power of expedition cavers. It is possibly the result of confusing the Mizo words -Hmar- (note 3) and -hnar- (note 4). Later on, it was Thomas Arbenz, who cared to create all on his own the even stranger cave name Silken Hmar Pouk (Arbenz T undated 2005.09.19 silkan hmar pouk.pdf).SITUATION: The cave enrance of the Sielkan Hmar Pouk lies at an unspecified distance of 400 m (perhaps along a winding route, possibly in a direct line) in an unspecified direction from the shifting Khasi village of Sakwa (note 5), which once (February 2005) stood about a kilometre (or so) approximately north of Sielkan (Jantschke, H 2005.02.11 Mss: Fahrtenbericht Meghalaya 2005, v. 2005.04.17).APPROACH: Enter a forest without path on what once had been for a very short time Georg Bäumler's left (south) on a way from Muallian (25°11'49.4”N: 92°29'26.9”E: 794 m) eastwards and some 500 m (or so) short of Sielkan (±250 m 25°11'47”N: 92°27'12”E). Scramble through thickets of greenery and invoke guardian angels, propitiate forest demons and search for a more or less little doline (unidentified shape, unspecified dimensions) which was an estimated 150 m on foot from the path (after Bäumler, G 2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk). CAVE DESCRIPTION: A comparatively small entrance [without size, facing nort-east] to a boulder room (10 x 7 m) with large spiders. A crawl leads to a little shaft 3 m deep. At the bottom, two narrow passages can be followed for about 10 m (Bäumler, G 2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk). The sketch in the survey book of Georg Bäumler, G (2005.02.17) shows a north-east facing cave entrance (perhaps an insurgence draining a stream with an unidentified name) to a solitary cave passage, initially with what looks like a high level terrace, that gives after 38 m access to what was understood to represent a -crawl- beyond the limits of unbending cave spotters.PROSPECTS: One tributary cave passage (about 10 m north-west) was explored up to a chamber (approximately 4 m or 5 m in diameter, height unknown). Another tributary cave passage, opposite south-east across from the first one, was not pushed and remains unexplored. CAVE LIFE: Bäumler, G (2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk) had noticed the presence of relatively large spiders of unknown size (note 6), perhaps Sparasidae: conf. Heteropoda (Arachnidae: Aranea).-east] to a boulder room (10 x 7 m) with large spiders. A crawl leads to a little shaft 3 m deep. At the bottom, two narrow passages can be followed for about 10 m (Bäumler, G 2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk). The sketch in the survey book of Georg Bäumler, G (2005.02.17) shows a north-east facing cave entrance (perhaps an insurgence draining a stream with an unidentified name) to a solitary cave passage, initially with what looks like a high level terrace, that gives after 38 m access to what was understood to represent a -crawl- beyond the limits of unbending cave spotters.PROSPECTS: One tributary cave passage (about 10 m north-west) was explored up to a chamber (approximately 4 m or 5 m in diameter, height unknown). Another tributary cave passage, opposite south-east across from the first one, was not pushed and remains unexplored. CAVE LIFE: Bäumler, G (2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk) had noticed the presence of relatively large spiders of unknown size (note 6), perhaps Spara-east] to a boulder room (10 x 7 m) with large spiders. A crawl leads to a little shaft 3 m deep. At the bottom, two narrow passages can be followed for about 10 m (Bäumler, G 2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk). The sketch in the survey book of Georg Bäumler, G (2005.02.17) shows a north-east facing cave entrance (perhaps an insurgence draining a stream with an unidentified name) to a solitary cave passage, initially with what looks like a high level terrace, that gives after 38 m access to what was understood to represent a -crawl- beyond the limits of unbending cave spotters.PROSPECTS: One tributary cave passage (about 10 m north-west) was explored up to a chamber (approximately 4 m or 5 m in diameter, height unknown). Another tributary cave passage, opposite south-east across from the first one, was not pushed and remains unexplored. CAVE LIFE: Bäumler, G (2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk) had noticed the presence of relatively large spiders of unknown size (note 6), perhaps Spara-east] to a boulder room (10 x 7 m) with large spiders. A crawl leads to a little shaft 3 m deep. At the bottom, two narrow passages can be followed for about 10 m (Bäumler, G 2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk). The sketch in the survey book of Georg Bäumler, G (2005.02.17) shows a north-east facing cave entrance (perhaps an insurgence draining a stream with an unidentified name) to a solitary cave passage, initially with what looks like a high level terrace, that gives after 38 m access to what was understood to represent a -crawl- beyond the limits of unbending cave spotters.PROSPECTS: One tributary cave passage (about 10 m north-west) was explored up to a chamber (approximately 4 m or 5 m in diameter, height unknown). Another tributary cave passage, opposite south-east across from the first one, was not pushed and remains unexplored. CAVE LIFE: Bäumler, G (2005.02.17 Mss: Sielkan Hmar Pouk) had noticed the presence of relatively large spiders of unknown size (note 6), perhaps Sparasidae: conf. Heteropoda (Arachnidae: Aranea).

Documents

Bibliography 06/01/2018

Histoire

EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2005.02.17: Georg Bäumler (book), Christine Jantschke, Herbert Jantschke, Lindsay B. Diengdoh, Gregory D. Diengdoh and Rainer Hoss, guided by Ramhouplien / Ramhuoplien Tuolor (headman of Sakwa village) and his brother (unidentified) commence mapping and abandon exploration. Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Cavités proche

Distance (km)NomLongueur (m)Profondeur (m)
0.3BUK POUK, Sielkan
0.4KHUR MONGBO
0.6SIELKAN POUK
0.7SAIKHLAT POUK
1.0SHER POUK
1.0VELA LO POUK
1.0WAH DOHTHLI, Sakwa, 1st (Krem)
1.0WAH DOHTHLI, Sakwa, 2nd (Krem)
1.1SAKWA (Cave near)