PHRIA (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 01/05/2016

A square metre large cave entrance gives access to a more than 17 m deep pothole cave in bright yellow to red coloured sandstone with rusty nodules indicating decomposed pyrite turned into iron oxides. ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi u phria (noun) signifies »a hailstone« (SINGH, N 1906: 158; BLAH, E 2007: 124), »the hail« (SINGH, N 1920: 211) but "u soh priam" (noun) is »a species of guava« (SINGH, N 1906: 209; BAZELY 1992: 34) and ”u (dieng soh) priam” (noun) is the word for »the guava tree« (SINGH, N 1906: 69; BAZELY 1992: 34); in Hindi: jam, jambu, jamrul, etc.; Botanically: Psidium guyava. SITUATION: In the jungle near the football pitch / playing field, and about a kilometre below Pynursla (N25°18'30”: E092°54') on the ridge which carries the footpath and road to Nongjri (N25°11'30”: E091°47'30”). CAVE DESCRIPTION (Uwe Kalmbach 1998.10.30 personal communication): About 3 m beyond the cave entrance (circa 1.2 by 1.2 m) is a first drop followed by another 5 m descent (ladder recommended but free climbable) to a spacious and dimly daylight lit chamber (circa 10 by 15 m wide) with a sloping floor covered with fallen rocks and animal bones, e.g. cow and dog (keyword: human use). At the deepest point a 3 m descent leads to a smaller chamber and the end of the cave.