THLEN, Pomdaloi -- the cave (Krem U)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Little has become known, except tales, about the cave of the Thlen at Pomdalai (GURDON 1906: 98), of which the entrance or, perhaps, the entire cave is said to be visible on a rather blurred monochrome photograph (with a standing person for scale), which is captioned The Haunt of Ka kma Kharai (RAFY 1920: 60) and rather blurred in my cheap 1985 reproduction (Spectrum Publications: Guwahati) of RAFY (1920) but shows a dark shadow (perhaps 6 m or 10 m by 3 m or 4 m large) amidst a confusion of what looks like rocky slabs of stone. IDENTITY: The photograph captioned The Haunt of Ka kma Kharai (RAFY 1920: 60) may show -- but this is far from obvious -- an early 20th century view of a part of what I had seen on 17th March 2002 when looking across the stilling basin at the base of the Dainthlen waterfall towards the cave entrance to Krem –>Dain Thlen 2 which, indeed, lies only 150 m in a direct line due south from where the square spot for the village of Pamdaloi in indicated on the 1913 edtion of the Survey of India sheet 78-O/11 (on a scale of one inch to a mile, circa 1: 63'360) but 30 m vertically lower down. ETYMOLOGY: So far, I have seen the village's name Pomdaloi (note 1) spelled as Pamdaloi Survey of India, sheet 78-O/11 (editions 1913, 1938)Pom Doloi GURDON (1906: 176 note) Pomdalai GURDON (1906: 98 note); BECKER (1909: 75; 1927: 89); STEGMILLER (1924: 224); GERLITZ (1984: 108 note 70) and Pomdoloi RAFY (1920: 60, 61). SITUATION: At a location, which is said to lie in an unspecified spatial relation at the village of Pomdaloi or Pamdaloi, Pom Doloi, Pomdalai, and Pomdoloi (note 2). Nowadays, the village of Pomdaloi, which was said to lie five miles west of Cherrapunji (note 3), appears to be the same as Laitduh, which lies about 8 km north-west of Sohra (GURDON 1906: 98; PAKRASI 1969, 1975: 71) and was GPS positioned at a spot situated immediately west of N25°17'43-: E091°40'33- and about a kilometre west of the -kshaid- (waterfall) Dain Thlen on the wtercourse indicated as Um Umpynjingthuli (clay making stream) on the 1913 edition of the relevant toposheet (Survey of India 78-O/11) but as Pynjingthuli Nala on the 1974 edition. SITUATION 1906a: This cave [i.e. Krem U –>Thlen] is at Pomdalai [sic!], some five miles west of Cherrapunji, close to the great waterfall called Noh Ka Likai … where there is a large block of stone, with some cuts over it, known as Dain Thlen [note 4], i.e. the snake cutting (place) (GURDON 1906: 98 note). SITUATION 1906b: … the -thlen's- cave [i.e. Krem U –>Thlen] is at a place called Pom Doloi [sic!] in the territory of the Siem of Cherra, where there is also a rock called -Dain Thlen- (the cutting of the -thlen-) (GURDON 1906: 176 note).SITUATION 1920: The Pomdoloi cave, in which a son was born to her [note 5], who proved to be a monster of hideous aspect, having the form of a snake and the characteristics of a vampire (RAFY 1920: 60), is said to lie somewhere on the way to the lew-blei, the fair of theBleis at Lynghingkhongkhen (RAFY 1920: 61) or at Langhiang Kongkhen (Reverend Dr. Roberts, of Cherrapunji, in: GURDON 1906: 173). BECKER (1927: 89) follow GURDON (1906: 98 note †) and locate die Höhle Pomdalai (the Pomdalai cave) about 5 Meilen (8 km) west of Cherrapunji (Sohra) and near the waterfall No ka Likai (Nohkalikai Falls). CULTURAL HISTORY - snake cave legend: RAFY (1920) narrates not only a version of the U –>Thlen legend (pages 58-67) but also provides a photograph captioned The Haunt of Ka kma Kharai (showing an about up to 10 m wide and 4 m high shadow, perhaps including a cave entrance , and apparently subsided slabs of rock): According to tradition the Hima (state) of Cherra was, in olden times, the haunt of many famous Bleis (gods) who dominated the lives of men. These deities were said to dwell in certain localities, which in consequence came to be recognised as sacred places, and frequently to be called after the names of the Bleis. Foremost among these gods was U Mwlong Siem … The only one of his family whose name and history have been transmitted was the daughter called Ka kma Kharai, which signifies one that roams about in trenches or hidden rocks. She was well-known in the Blei-world, and she possessed the power of assuming whatever form she pleased. She often assumed the form of a woman and mingled with mankind without anybody suspecting her identity. Many of the Bleis sought her in marriage, but U Mawlong Siem, her father, would never give his consent, lest his prestige be lowered among the Bleis. There was one suitor whom kma Kharai specially favoured. He was the god of Umwai, but her father forbade the union so sternly as to dispel all the hopes of the lovers. This so angered the young goddess that henceforth she rebelled openly against her father, and by way of retaliation, she encouraged the attention of strange and undesirable lovers. When it was discovered that she was with child, she fled from home … and put herself under the protecion of her maternal uncle, who lived in the Pomdoloi cave, and was one of the famous dragons, or Yak Jakors of the country. In this cave a son was born to her … who could be appeased only when fed with human blood. This monster they called U Thlen … (RAFY, K U 1920: 59-61).wlong Siem … The only one of his family whose name and history have been transmitted was the daughter called Ka kma Kharai, which signifies one that roams about in trenches or hidden rocks. She was well-known in the Blei-world, and she possessed the power of assuming whatever form she pleased. She often assumed the form of a woman and mingled with mankind without anybody suspecting her identity. Many of the Bleis sought her in marriage, but U Mawlong Siem, her father, would never give his consent, lest his prestige be lowered among the Bleis. There was one suitor whom kma Kharai specially favoured. He was the god of Umwai, but her father forbade the union so sternly as to dispel all the hopes of the lovers. This so angered the young goddess that henceforth she rebelled openly against her father, and by way of retaliation, she encouraged the attention of strange and undesirable lovers. When it was discovered that she was with child, she fled from home … and put herself under the protecwlong Siem … The only one of his family whose name and history have been transmitted was the daughter called Ka kma Kharai, which signifies one that roams about in trenches or hidden rocks. She was well-known in the Blei-world, and she possessed the power of assuming whatever form she pleased. She often assumed the form of a woman and mingled with mankind without anybody suspecting her identity. Many of the Bleis sought her in marriage, but U Mawlong Siem, her father, would never give his consent, lest his prestige be lowered among the Bleis. There was one suitor whom kma Kharai specially favoured. He was the god of Umwai, but her father forbade the union so sternly as to dispel all the hopes of the lovers. This so angered the young goddess that henceforth she rebelled openly against her father, and by way of retaliation, she encouraged the attention of strange and undesirable lovers. When it was discovered that she was with child, she fled from home … and put herself under the protecion of her maternal uncle, who lived in the Pomdoloi cave, and was one of the famous dragons, or Yak Jakors of the country. In this cave a son was born to her … who could be appeased only when fed with human blood. This monster they called U Thlen … (RAFY, K U 1920: 59-61).