KHLAW LAKHAR (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A cave entrance without identified shape, dimensions, or peculiar characteristics gives access to a pothole which descends (tackle required: 40 m, 20 m, 20 m, 10 m rope) to a perennial stream cave passage which heads to an unidentified direction. ETYMOLOGY: The Synteng -khlaw lakhar- is said to mean Forest of Straight Trees (Edgeworth 2001.02.21 Mss: Krem Khlaw Lakhar), which currently may be the case, but the Khasi -la- is a sign of possessive case (SINGH, N 1906: 108) and the Khasi noun -khar- is a short form of -dkhar- and means either a foreigner from the plains or one of the clans among the Khasis bearing that name (SINGH, N 1906: 27) -- hence Krem Khlaw Lakhar is rather a cave in the forest that has some association with one of the Dkhar (e.g. in which his head was collected). SITUATION: At an unknown location somewhere in the jungle (guide!) in the vicinity of Krem –>Mulale (Krem Umthloo, Tongseng, entrance 5) on the eastern flank of the Shnongrim Ridge and below Tongseng villae. POSITION 1: N25°19'28.3”: E092°30'31.2” (±8 m, WGS84, M.W. Brown 08.02.2001): estimated 1100 m asl (Edgeworth 2001.02.21 Mss: Krem Khlaw Lakhar). POSITION 2: N25°19'23.3”: E092°30'31.2” (unidentified precision error, unspecified geodetic datum, Anonymous): 1067 m asl (Anonymous 2008 Mss: Khlaw_1.Text). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1 (Edgeworth 2001.02.21 Mss: Krem Khlaw Lakhar): Entrance pothole descended & 1 re-belay total of about 30 m about 8 m diameter. Boulder floor leads downwards to head of 2nd pitch about 15 m, rift chamber 10 m by 1.5 m descended to dry rock floor & pool. About 4 m ahead is the 3rd pitch about 15 m deep again rift-like in nature 10 m by 1.5 m descended to rock floor. Traverse over pool to boulders (about 13 m) then 5 m drop to stream floor. Cave continues in narrow; about 1 m wide about 3 m high passage through pools and occasional boulders surveyed to 219 m, at presently left at semi-flooded passage and chest deep water 1 m wide 3 m high and draughting. CAVE ESCRIPTION 2 (Brown et al. 2008 Mss -Meghalaya 2008 diary- Wednesday 13th): Imogen -Imo- Furlong, Guillaume Beauchamp and Rowena Sheen noticed one bottom, which was sumped and pushed the sump – there may be an airbell without getting their bums wet by applying that mode of sump pushing where nobody went through. Needless to say it was beyond their observation power to consider noticing in which direction the sump continues --it only might have given an essential clue. SPELEOMETRY 2001: Edgeworth (2001.02.21 Mss: Krem Khlaw Lakhar): Length 219.9 m, depth 81 m. SPELEOMETRY 2008: Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Survey Summary): 12.02.08 RMS, JPB, IF, SG 2008 survey: 157.64; vertical 88.86. 13.02.08 RMS, GP, IF 2008 survey: 135.09, total 292.73, vertical 94.3 (metres?). PROSPECTS: 2001: Judging from the spatial relation to neighbouring caves, Krem Khlaw Lakhar may be connected underground to Krem –>Umthloo or Krem –>Muid. CAVE LIFE: Edgeworth (2001.02.21 Mss: Krem Khlaw Lakhar) had the impressionof having seen something resembling a kind of fish (Pisces).