DOBHAKOL, Chibe

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 27/03/2016

A perennial karst rising is fed by an exsurgence cave with a dendritic pattern of tributary passages arriving from the south. At the current state of exploration the cave consists only of a single level. Apart from muddy and pebbly floor deposits the cave is clean washed and calcite formations (speleothems) are scarce. The »… Garo rock caves on the right bank of Chibe, Dobakkol, Derang Era Aning, Durokma are also wonderful and provide a panoramic view of mysteries which lay half concealed in nature« (CHOPRA 1994, 22: 5). SITUATION: Near the village of Jadigindam in the upper reaches of the Chibe River valley (Chibe nala), and at a point approximately 6 to 7 km in a direct line approximately to the north of the villages of Nengkhong (12 km along the road from Siju Damokgithim, 20 km from Baghmara). APPROACH: Starting from Siju Songmong, the Upper Siju village, a track to the west leaves the main road on the Baghmara side of the village. This initially motorable track is followed at first uphill for about 100 vertical metres on a poor fair weather road and then downhill, heading towards the village of Garogiri (Garogri, Garugiri, some 3 km from the Siju - Baghmara road). Eventually the upper part of the Chibe Nala river is reached at Jadigindam, a small assemblage of houses, from where the Chibe valley is followed downstream for approximately 1.5 km passing en route several cave entrances (–>Chibe Caves 1 to 6) and a significant resurgence. Some 300 m beyond the resurgence and on the right (western) side of the river, a large detached block at the base of a limestone cliff is seen some 5 to 8 m above the river bank. This is the appropriately named "The Hiding Stone" and conceals the entrance and exsurgence. Due to a reported impasse in the Chibe gorge somewhere above –>Tetengkol cave, it is not possible to reach the cave by walking from Nengkhong upstream (north) along the banks of the Chibe River. CAVE DESCRIPTION: A short climb around the right-hand side of the Hiding Stone leads to the concealed entrance (10 m wide, 3 m high). This descends slightly to become a sizeable "Main Passage" (10 x 3 m) which carries a small stream (2 to 3 l/s in February 1994) in a river bed of muddy pebbles below a horizontal ceiling marked with a linear 4 m high rift. This passage runs almost straight for over 160 m to the "Main Junction" with three ways on. The passage to the right lowers and then turns to the south to continue as a much narrower, yet higher (3 m wide, 7 m high) canyon passage. This passage carries a small stream and due to the sticky black mud [humus] at its start has been named by intelligent spelunkers "Quick Guano Streamway" though there is neither quicksand, nor guano or a stream. This passage then runs for over 500 m getting gradually smaller in size to terminate in a low flooded section. The main way on from Main Junction is the large passage from the left, the "Eastern Tributary", which begins as a large passage (7 by 8 m) that maintains these proportions for the next 250 m before gradually decreasing in size over the next 100 m to end in an area of breakdown. Several small inlets enter from the south east along this final section of passage. At a point 250 m from the main junction, a significant inlet series heads off to the south east this can be followed for 100 m to a junction. The passage to the right leads after some 50 m to a dry chamber, the "Planetarium", not dissimilar in form to those found in –>Tetengkol. Ahead, the route continues as a joint controlled passage for another 200 m becoming gradually smaller in size and leading to an area of unstable breakdown. At some 30 m into this final section of passage a side passage to the left runs for over 60 m to terminate in an area of stalactites (speleothems) and plant roots entering from the surface. Again, several passages leads to an labyrinth of high, narrow, joint controlled passages which remain partly unexplored. PROSPECTS: At the Main Junction a small high level passage at roof level continues unexplored. CAVE LIFE: Despite its name "dobhakol" (bat house, bat cave) no bats (Chiroptera) were seen during two noon to afternoon visits in February 1992 and December 1995 when bat guano was also almost absent.