SOITTAN (Krem U)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Not only a dome-shaped, 1.5 m wide and 2 m high cave entrance which either faces ESE (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan) or south-west (Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 cave plan SoitanPlan.pdf) but also another, smaller [cave] entrance (without identified size or shape), which is said to lie in an unidentified direction 4 m away (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan) but is not shown on the cave plan (Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 cave plan SoitanPlan.pdf), is believed to give access to what had been interpreted as a dendritic river cave (note 1) or, more likely, a stream cave which contained on 5th February 2010 not only clean cave walls exposing an unspecified kind of a fossiliferous limestone but also relatively clear water (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan). The apparently vadose cave seems to drain waters either from N-NW (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan) or the east (Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 cave plan SoitanPlan.pdf) to the Phud Tympew (note 2), Phudtympew or Um Tympw (note 3), which joins the Um Klung near (±250 m) Hat Mawdon (N25°20'40”: E091°33'40” WGS84) and close to the Bangladesh border. ETYMOLOGY: Kharpran Daly (2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan) translated the Khasi cave name -Krem Soittan- as a Christian's Devil's Cave but the pagan Khasi -Ka Suid- or -U Suid- is often rather a demon in the sense of a lesser deity or evil spirit (note 4). On the other hand, one should keep in mind that the standard Khasi verb -tàn- means not only to go and fetch a person; to go and meet a person on the way but also to pull, to drag (SINGH, N 1906: 220). ETYMOLOGY 2012: Somebody cared to introduce, most likely inadvertently, the interesting cave name Krem Sottian (anonymous Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) which, however, makes no sense. GEOLOGICAL SITUATION: Anonymous (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan) noticed that the cave is formed in fossiliferous limestone and the GPS position, which has been recordd for the cave entrance to Krem U Soittan, indicates a spot that lies at the northern edge of the WNW-ESE running belt of the Nummulitic as it is shown on the geological map in PALMER (1924 plate 27). SITUATION: On the southern slopes of the Khasi Hills and on the interfluve between the Khasimara River (N25°09'30”: E091°34') in the West and the Umiew / Umiam (Shella River 25°09': E091°38') in the East, the cave [entrance to the Krem U Soittan] is located at the head of a pool on the orographically right (probably western) or self-centered left bank facing upstream (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan). The GPS position (±19 m N25°12'20.2”: E091°31'29.3”: 1043 m asl WGS84, Yengkhom R S 2010.02.05), which has been recorded for the cave entrance to Krem U Soittan, indicates a spot that lies about 5.1 km in a direct line approximately south-west from the village of Lawbah (note 5). APPROACH 2010: A guide is a must to find the cave [note 6]. It is a 2 hr fast paced trek rom Lawbah along rough and steep rocky terrain to a river -Phudtympew (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan). APPROACH 2011: It is a two hours fast paced trek from the village of Lawbah along rough and steep, rocky terrain to a river called “Phudtympew”. The cave is located at the head of a pool on the left bank facing upstream. A guide is a must to find the cave (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2010: The dome-shaped 2 m high [and] 1.5 m wide [cave] entrance faces E-SE, with another, smaller [cave] entrance 4 m away. One steps into the entrance in water, which flows out into the river underneath the rocks [note 7]. The [deleted: passage] cave [passage] starts off as a 4 m wide x [by] 2.5 m high [cave] passage generally in the direction N-NW [note 8], and gradually becoming narrower and lower (Kharpran Daly 2010.02.05 Mss: Krem Soittan). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2011: The dome-shaped 2 m high by 1.5 m wide entrance faces ESE, with another smaller entance 4 m away. One steps into the water which flows out into the river underneath the rocks. The cave [sic! qua: the sportsman's penetration] starts off as a w4m x h2.5m passage heading generally in the direction N to NW and gradually becoming narrower and lower. The cave is formed in fossiliferous limestone with clean walls and clear water. The stream flows at a good rate. The stream flows at a good rate -- therefore the stream bed is either bare rock or mostly sand and rounded gravel (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss). CAVE POTENTIAL: Apparently only a fraction of this cave has been surveyed and explored so far: Kharpran Daly (2010.02.05 Mss) characterises Krem Soittan expressively as a dendritic river cave but the survey data (Roshan Singh Yengkhom 2010.02.05) show only one single cave passage without any ramification whatsoever. SPELEOMETRY: Among the lengthwise measured distances, which cavers fully measured inside the cave, we are told about several interestig lengths, including, for example 101.29 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 210.0 m Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) 339.58 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary (Team 2).xls) 440.87 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 825.79 m Arbenz, T (2011.12.14 SoitanPlan.pdf; Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 SoitanPlan.pdf). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use fishing ground: Thomas Arbenz had learned that the cave is used as a fishing spot just 5 to 10 m inside. The team were told by the guide that they had once caught an eel inside the cave (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss).CAVE LIFE: Thomas Arbenz had learned about the presence of unidentified bats, fish, woodlice, slug shells [sic! qua: snail shells (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss) or, if you prefer, unspecified Gastropoda, Isopoda, Chiroptera and Pisces, the latter including an eel or so (note 9).g lengths, including, for example 101.29 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 210.0 m Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) 339.58 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary (Team 2).xls) 440.87 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 825.79 m Arbenz, T (2011.12.14 SoitanPlan.pdf; Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 SoitanPlan.pdf). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use fishing ground: Thomas Arbenz had learned that the cave is used as a fishing spot just 5 to 10 m inside. The team were told by the guide that they had once caught an eel inside the cave (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss).CAVE LIFE: Thomas Arbenz had learned about the presence of unidentified bats, fish, woodlice, slug shells [sic! qua: snail shells (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss) or, if you prefer, unspecified Gastropoda, Isopoda, Chiropterag lengths, including, for example 101.29 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 210.0 m Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) 339.58 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary (Team 2).xls) 440.87 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 825.79 m Arbenz, T (2011.12.14 SoitanPlan.pdf; Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 SoitanPlan.pdf). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use fishing ground: Thomas Arbenz had learned that the cave is used as a fishing spot just 5 to 10 m inside. The team were told by the guide that they had once caught an eel inside the cave (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss).CAVE LIFE: Thomas Arbenz had learned about the presence of unidentified bats, fish, woodlice, slug shells [sic! qua: snail shells (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss) or, if you prefer, unspecified Gastropoda, Isopoda, Chiropterag lengths, including, for example 101.29 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 210.0 m Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) 339.58 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary (Team 2).xls) 440.87 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 825.79 m Arbenz, T (2011.12.14 SoitanPlan.pdf; Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 SoitanPlan.pdf). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use fishing ground: Thomas Arbenz had learned that the cave is used as a fishing spot just 5 to 10 m inside. The team were told by the guide that they had once caught an eel inside the cave (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss).CAVE LIFE: Thomas Arbenz had learned about the presence of unidentified bats, fish, woodlice, slug shells [sic! qua: snail shells (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss) or, if you prefer, unspecified Gastropoda, Isopoda, Chiropterag lengths, including, for example 101.29 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 210.0 m Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) 339.58 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary (Team 2).xls) 440.87 m Anonymous (Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) 825.79 m Arbenz, T (2011.12.14 SoitanPlan.pdf; Arbenz, T 2011.12.17 SoitanPlan.pdf). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use fishing ground: Thomas Arbenz had learned that the cave is used as a fishing spot just 5 to 10 m inside. The team were told by the guide that they had once caught an eel inside the cave (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss).CAVE LIFE: Thomas Arbenz had learned about the presence of unidentified bats, fish, woodlice, slug shells [sic! qua: snail shells (Arbenz, T 2011.11.14 Mss; Arbenz, T 2011.11.17 Mss) or, if you prefer, unspecified Gastropoda, Isopoda, Chiroptera and Pisces, the latter including an eel or so (note 9).