By Bhogtoram Mawroh
Caves have played an important part in the culture and history of the Khasis. This is not surprising, considering the state has over 1500 caves, and many more await discovery. Tirot Singh and Kiang Nongbah, two of the most well-known Khasi freedom fighters, had used the caves to hide from their enemies and plot their attacks. The founding ancestress of the one of the most powerful Khasi Hima, Hima Shillong, traced her origin to a cave. This is the story of Ka Pah Syntiew, who was a goddess, and the daughter of Lei Shillong, a powerful deity who lived on Shillong Peak.
Legend has it that Ka Pah Syntiew used to dwell in a mystical cave near the village of Pomlakrai. One day, a group of cowherds found her sitting on top of a rock beside the cave. They told the villagers who came to see the sight of a finely dressed beautiful girl sitting all alone. Despite their urging, she refused to come down. It was then that U Mylliem Ngap, a wise chief of the village, lured her by tying a bunch of wildflowers growing near the cave to the end of a bamboo stick. Each time she leaned to get the flower, the chief would lower the pole just slightly, coaxing her to come down inch by inch. Finally, her feet touched the ground and everyone was relieved. U Mylliem Ngap adopted the girl and named her Ka Pah Syntiew, meaning “the flowered one”. When she grew up, she married a nobleman named U Kongor Nongjri and her descendents became the Syiems of Hima Shillong (which later got divided into Hima Mylliem and Hima Khyrim). So, in a way, the royal lineage traces their descent to the mystical cave in Pomlakrai.
The cave was also used by Ka Sngi (the Sun Goddess), who went to hide in it, plunging the world into darkness. It was the rooster that was able to bring her out of the cave and restore light to the world, echoing the phrase, “Let there be light!” It is for this reason the rooster is an important animal for the adherents of the indigenous faith. Colonial reports also reveal that till the early 20th century, the area around Lum Sohpetbneng, a present-day site of pilgrimage for the Khasis, had a lot of caves which were used by bears for shelter.
Although caves have been part of the Khasi culture, they have been present in Meghalaya long before the Khasis arrived in these hills. There are two types of caves found in Meghalaya: sandstone caves and limestone caves. The process of formation of both is a little different. Sandstone caves are formed by the mechanical erosion of water and wind, a process that can take hundreds of thousands to millions of years. Meghalaya, in fact, has the longest sandstone cave in the world, which is estimated to be “three times the height of Mount Everest”. People know it as ‘Krem Puri,’ also called the ‘Cave of the Fairies,’ in Laitsohum Village, an hour’s trek from Mawsynram.
A few weeks ago, I visited the cave with a friend, walking along a treacherous path that passed giant ferns and palm trees—known as Dieng Tlai in the local language—which stood over 40 feet tall and were heavy with fruit. The cave was located along the side of a steep sandstone wall, with a large stream flowing through the canyon. When we came upon the cave, we saw it had two passageways. The walls were smooth and round, a telltale sign the action of water had carved the cave over a very long period. While it was hot outside the cave, the temperature inside was much cooler. In fact, when I exhaled, my breath turned into vapour, drifting in front of me like wispy smoke. Since the passageways were narrow and dark, we decided not to take any risk, as we didn’t have the proper equipment. We returned after exploring another nearby cave where we found carnivorous worms that had spun sticky threads on the ceiling to trap insects.
Limestone is a special type of rock, formed by the accumulation and compaction of marine organisms. Therefore, any place where limestone is found was once underwater. Mawlyngbna, again in Mawsynram, in fact has fossils of an ancient species of sea urchins known as dollar fish believed to be around 450 million years old, older than the dinosaurs. The limestone found in the area, formed from fossils of animals like the dollar fish, dates from around 56-58 million years. This is the period which saw the rise of early modern mammals, which included the earliest primates from whom human beings ultimately evolved. The formation of the limestone caves we see today occurred after that time. These were formed when rainwater, slightly acidic and becoming more so as it passes through soil, seeps into cracks and fissures, dissolving the limestone bed. Over time, they created caverns which enlarged over time. The role of rainwater in creating these caves has, in fact, allowed scientists to reconstruct past climates.
In Mawmluh, a village around Sohra, there is a 7 km long cave where researchers started conducting geological surveys starting in 2003. Researchers found oxygen isotopes within the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave that revealed there was a global shift in climate pattern around 4000 years ago. Oxygen has two isotopes – 16-O i.e., the light one with 8 protons and 8 neutrons and 18-O i.e., the heavy one with 8 protons and 10 neutrons. The ratio of oxygen isotope reflects the variation of rainfall: the more rainfall there was, the less 18-O isotope there would be in the sample and vice versa.
In a paper published in 2012, after an analysis of a high-resolution stalagmite oxygen-isotope record from Mawmluh, scientists found that the higher ratio of 18-O in the stalagmite specimens revealed that around 4000 years ago the Monsoon regime had become highly weakened. This resulted in a mega drought across North Africa, the Middle East, the Tibetan Plateau, southern Europe, and North America. This led to the decline of ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greece, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Indus and Yangtze. Since all these cultures were agrarian, they found it difficult to sustain when water became scarce (a prospect that will repeat itself with climate change). This was a momentous discovery.
Until then, geologists divide geological time periods based on rocks and fossils, with changes in them delineating the different periods. However, in light of the findings from the cave in Mawmluh, the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) announced a new division in time to be called the Meghalayan Age. This time period, based on human history, now appears on all official charts depicting Earth’s geological past. Modern geological science will now forever remember Meghalaya, the village of Mawmluh, and its Khasi people.
Meghalaya is not part of the Himalayas, but part of Gondwanaland, which is one of the ancient landmass that makes up the continents in the world. This is much before life began on land. Because it lies in the path of the monsoon winds, it receives the highest rainfall in the world. And now, because of its caves, it can shed light on events that happened thousands of years ago, while there are fossils that give a glimpse to a time much older as well, older than humanity itself. It also has the oldest Neolithic sites in the region and served as a connecting link between South Asia and Southeast Asia. Through this corridor moved language, agriculture, and a people—the Khasis—who are the second-oldest community in South Asia. Their matrilineal culture dates back at least 5,000 years, connecting them to groups across South China and Southeast Asia. Meghalaya has been making good progress in attracting tourists. However, to date, the state’s focus has been primarily on natural scenery and indigenous culture. Perhaps it is time to also include history, pre-history, and geological heritage in the conversation. If this is done, it will bring many more benefits to the state, and the people will gain a deeper appreciation for the land they call home.
(The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect in any way his affiliation to any organisation or institution)