Aladdin & His Thousand plus Caves in Meghalaya

The gorgeously green Meghalaya is  always on the radar of tourists, especially adventure seekers.  These days the State has turned into a hotbed of caving destinations. While many are travelling to bask in the postcard- like scenery, some are cautiously  inching their way through narrow rugged surfaces, scanning the details on untrimmed walls, admiring the naturally jagged edges on the ceiling of caves.

The idea of cave exploration as well as documentation in Meghalaya has successfully placed the State on the global caving map. Mawmluh Caves in the East Khasi Hills District continues to be the talk of the town for its inclusion in the list of the first 100 geological heritage sites listed under the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) by UNESCO.

Locally known as Krem Mawmluh, it is a parallel underground world that is believed to have formed more than 4,200 years ago. The 7.2-km- long cave flaunts a Hanging Garden,  stalactites resembling an icicle hanging from the roof. The latest addition to Meghalaya’s cave system is a 6.6-km stretch, a result of an international project undertaken in February this year. 

A team of cavers hailing from the UK, Switzerland and Ireland carried out an expedition with the members of Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association (MAA), the organisation behind the discovery of most of the caves in the State. The centre was in the Muallian area in the East Khasi Hills District and the focus was on three caves – Krem Rynjang, Pynnoh Um Sngad and Ram Khur. With an addition of 2,536 metres to the earlier mapped  length of 5,295 metres, the interconnected Pynnoh Um Sngad and Ram Khur cave systems now are of 14,950 metres length. With 20,445 metres, Krem  Rynjang is now the fifth-longest while the interconnected ones form the seventh- longest cave system in India.

Meghalaya, with all the newly discovered caves, has now become a major caving hub. It is home to the longest natural cave in the country – Krem Liat Prah. It has an explored length of 30,957 metres. Some of the major attractions include Mawsmai in Cherrapunjee, Krem Dam in Mawsynram and Krem Lymput in Nongjri among others. While caving is in vogue for its offbeat experience, it is wise to pursue the adventure with caution as exploring caves is part of travelling responsibly and respecting nature in its own glory.

Aladdin

Septuagenarian, Brian D. Kharpran, a former banker, was not a professional caver in the beginning. But he has discovered more than a thousand caves in Meghalaya and put the hill state famous for rains in the world caving map. After finishing his services, he took caving as a passion and now nearing 80 there is no stopping for him.

In many of his interviews, Karpan said that Meghalaya has the highest number of caves in India, including the longest one — the Liat Prah limestone cave system. Geologically, the state has all the ideal conditions for such formations to thrive- high-grade limestone, rainfall, and elevation, complete with a hot and humid climate. Thanks to the Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association which was formed by Karpan, most of the caves in the state came to limelight.

The Association is not just discovering the caves, but also studying the intricate cave system and guiding the adventurers with the help of professional guides. This is helping not only the mystery seekers but also preventing any damage to the nature’s boon by the curious visitors. Incidentally, because of all these efforts in 2018, Meghalaya became a part of geological history and the International Commission on Stratigraphy termed the present age in the planet’s 4.54-billion-year history as the ‘Meghalayan Age’.

It all started in 1992. There was virtually no specific information about caves in Meghalaya barring some information in some books. Caving as a popular adventure also did not spread that much in the 1990s nor were channels like National Geographic or the plethora of Y Tubers. He borrowed a rudimentary compass from the army headquarters which was present in the state for a long time and contracted the Department of Tourism in the state. In three years, he started organising a regular caving expedition and even held a ‘Caving in the Abode of the Clouds’ project in which many cavers from Europe participated.

They brought modern equipment and expertise and the journey continued. Later in 2017, the Association got the local people in Mawmluh to form a tourism society which trained local guides who took tourists inside. Later on, some tour agencies like Trailblazers also came up and carried on the expeditions. Last year a musical show “Ki Sur Na Pubon” (message from the cave) was organised by the state tourism department inside Cherrapunji’s Arwah Cave at Sohra which drew a huge crowd. According to the Association, 537.6 km of caves in Meghalaya have been explored and mapped. There are more than 1700 caves out of which 1100 have been explored. The Association itself had discovered three new caves in East Jaintiya Hills.

But despite nature’s mystery gaining popularity and attracting hordes of adventures and tourists alike, challenges remain. In Meghalaya, illegal mining, especially of coal, has been a concern for decades. Now it has increased and is threatening cave formation despite the blanket ban by the National Green Tribunal years ago. According to Karpan, four caves in Meghalaya — Krem Malo, Krem Umkseh, Krem Umkhang-Kharasniang and Krem Umlawan — were completely destroyed due to limestone mining activities recently. He also does not want massive publicity to the unique caves of Meghalaya which might lead to commercialisations.