MAWIONG, Shella (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An east-south-east facing cave entrance (Colin Rogers 2001.03.21 personal communication), which is about 3 m wide (McManus undated 2002 cave plan: Krem Mauiong) or about 3 m wide and 1.5 m high (Tyler 2001.03.15 Mss: Krem Mawiong), gives access to a mostly horizontal cave passage which contains not only speleothems (secondary calcite formations) but also a rock bridge, and was interpreted as a) a sand-floored, relic trunk passage (abandoned by flowing water) with relatively short side passages (Andrew -Andy- Peter Tyler 2001.03.01 personal communication) b) a cave passage trending 300° - 120° and leading to a drop down in the north and a climb down in the east (Colin Rogers 2001.03.21 personal communication) c) a comparatively old phreatic resurgence with some vadiose [sic!] development (Harper 2002.04.31 Mss -megahlay.doc- entry # 26). ETYMOLOGY: The strange cave names Krem Maiuong (Harper, Rob 2002.04.31 megahlay.doc # 26; McManus, Stuart et al. 2001 s.a.) and Krem Mauiong (Stuart MManus undated 2002 cave plan: Krem Mauiong Shella) are private spellings of the Khasi cave name Krem Mawiong or Blackrock Cave (note 1). The Khasi ”Mawiong” (GURDON 1906) or -Maoiang- (note 2), however, is not only the name of a State in the Khasi Hills (GURDON 1906: 74) but also the name of a clan in the Khyrim State (GURDON 1906: 218 no. 125). SITUATION: The cave entrance to the Krem Mawiong, about 2.5 km approximately NNW from the town centre of Shella, was understood to lie in an unknown setting at an elevation of 57 m, 75 m or 40 m asl (note 3) above the western (orographically right) bank of the river Umiew / Umiam (the Shella River of the obsolete Imperial British administrators) and in an unidentified spatial relation to the nearby village of Lyba (note 4) but in an unspecified distance approximately west from Disong (note 5). APPROACH 2001a: From Shella cross the river [Umiew / Umiang / Bangra Pani] follow the road towards Nongtrai to the first quarry [Mawiong Quarry] on the eft (Tyler 2001.03.15 Mss: Krem Mawiong) where the entrance (3 by 1.5 m) lies 30 m up a steep scree slope. APPROACH 2001b: From the Shella Village Guest House, track from the Bazaar across the sand to the shingle & boulder approach to the bamboo bridge over the Shella River / Wah Barka (sic! qua: Bagra Pani). Follow the opposite bank upstream to a stone path until you reach a tarmac road. Look for the quarry (after Colin Rogers 2001.03.16 personal communication). APPROACH 2001c: From Disong village take bridges to west bank to road. South 5 [five] minutes walking to working quarries. Obvious overhang at south end. Cave under that. GPS = vertically below [sic!] cave (Harper undated 2001.02.10 Mss: Krem Mawiong; Harper 2002.04.31 Mss -megahlay.doc- entry # 26). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001a: Well decorated series of chambers (3 to 5 m diameter) -- lower series to rift down (needs further look) - climb (6 m) up stal at entrance to crawl to -railway tunnel- stal blocked both ends pit in floor (neds further look) (Harper undated 2001.02.10 Mss: Krem Mawiong). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001b: From the entrance the passage is 14x3x3 [1st length, 2nd height or width, 3rd width or height?] to a 4 m climb up flowstone to a passage to the right 20x2.5x1.5 m with formations. This emerges into a 40x3.5x3.5 m passage to the right near the end on the right is a 10 m+ pit. From here the passage 60x1.5x1 m meanders through sand and formations to a sediment blocked end (Tyler 2001.03.01 personal correspondence). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001c: 5 m climb into entrance leads to traverse to low crawl containing mist net for bats then a T-junction after a further 10 m in a large 10 by 10 m passage. Left to stal choke after 15 m and right ditto after circa 90 m (Harper 2002.04.31 Mss -megahlay.doc- entry # 26). PROSPECTS: Not only good (Colin Rogers 2001.03.16 personal communication) but also poor (Harper 2002.04.31 Mss -megahlay.doc- entry # 26) because the only superficially looked at known part of the cave eeds further look (Harper undated 2001.02.10 Mss: Krem Mawiong) and a pitch in the north of the trunk passage was not descended (McManus et al. 2001 s.a.; Tyler 2001.03.01 Mss). CULTURAL HISTORY: A much visited cave (Colin Rogers 2001.03.21 personal communication). HUMAN USE - bat hunting ground: Bats are harvested by the locals (Tyler 2001.03.01 personal correspondence). CAVE LIFE: Harper (undated 2001.02.10 Mss: Krem Mawiong) saw what he understood to represent Heteropoda spiders and Colin Rogers (2001.03.21) told me about an almost extinct bat population (Chiroptera).eds further look) (Harper undated 2001.02.10 Mss: Krem Mawiong). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001b: From the entrance the passage is 14x3x3 [1st length, 2nd height or width, 3rd width or height?] to a 4 m climb up flowstone to a passage to the right 20x2.5x1.5 m with formations. This emerges into a 40x3.5x3.5 m passage to the right near the end on the right is a 10 m+ pit. From here the passage 60x1.5x1 m meanders through sand and formations to a sediment blocked end (Tyler 2001.03.01 personal correspondence). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001c: 5 m climb into entrance leads to traverse to low crawl containing mist net for bats then a T-junction after a further 10 m in a large 10 by 10 m passage. Left to stal choke after 15 m and right ditto after circa 90 m (Harper 2002.04.31 Mss -megahlay.doc- entry # 26). PROSPECTS: Not only good (Colin Rogers 2001.03.16 personal communication) but also poor (Harper 2002.04.31 Mss -megahlay.doc- entry # 26) because the only superficially looked at known part of the cave eeds further look (Harper undated 2001.02.10 Mss: Krem Mawiong) and a pitch in the north of the trunk passage was not descended (McManus et al. 2001 s.a.; Tyler 2001.03.01 Mss). CULTURAL HISTORY: A much visited cave (Colin Rogers 2001.03.21 personal communication). HUMAN USE - bat hunting ground: Bats are harvested by the locals (Tyler 2001.03.01 personal correspondence). CAVE LIFE: Harper (undated 2001.02.10 Mss: Krem Mawiong) saw what he understood to represent Heteropoda spiders and Colin Rogers (2001.03.21) told me about an almost extinct bat population (Chiroptera).