NONGLWAI CAVITIES

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Relatively large cavités (large caves without identified dimensions), which resulted from the erosion of feldspaths / felspaths and flaking of granites (note 1), reported CHATTERJEE (1936: 41) from isolated hillocks rising in Nonglwai district (note 2). ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi noun ”ka 'nong” is an abbreviation of ”ka shnong” and means a village, a town (SINGH, N 1906: 144) while ”lwái” (noun) is a short form of ”lywai” where ”ka lwái” (feminine) signifies the wild honey and -u lwái” (masculine) a wild bee (SINGH, N 1906: 126). On the other hand, ”Nong Lwai” is also spelled ”Nonglwai- and -Nong-Lwai” is the name of a clan in the Khyrim State (GURDON 1906: 220 no. 147). SITUATION: The wide-spread village of Nonglwai is indicated near (±300 m) N25°27'35”: E091°19'35” (WGS84 modified from N25°27'35”: E091°19'45” Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 78-O/07 (edition 1972) above the orographically left (locally south-west, south, and south-east) bank of the Kynshi River (N25°3': E091°33').GEOGRAPHY: IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 19: 136) recorded from the now obsolete petty state Nonglewai (note 3): Lime and coal are found in the State, but only the former is worked.Relatively large cavités (large caves without identified dimensions), which resulted from the erosion of feldspaths / felspaths and flaking of granites (note 1), reported CHATTERJEE (1936: 41) from isolated hillocks rising in Nonglwai district (note 2). ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi noun ”ka 'nong” is an abbreviation of ”ka shnong” and means a village, a town (SINGH, N 1906: 144) while ”lwái” (noun) is a short form of ”lywai” where ”ka lwái” (feminine) signifies the wild honey and -u lwái” (masculine) a wild bee (SINGH, N 1906: 126). On the other hand, ”Nong Lwai” is also spelled ”Nonglwai- and -Nong-Lwai” is the name of a clan in the Khyrim State (GURDON 1906: 220 no. 147). SITUATION: The wide-spread village of Nonglwai is indicated near (±300 m) N25°27'35”: E091°19'35” (WGS84 modified from N25°27'35”: E091°19'45” Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 78-O/07 (edition 1972) above the orographically left (locally south-west, south, and south-east) bank of the Kynshi River (N25°3': E091°33').GEOGRAPHY: IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 19: 136) recorded from the now obsolete petty state Nonglewai (note 3): Lime and coal are found in the State, but only the former is worked.