Senlung Cave Expedition - LD May 2012

The Stone Hut/ Gamnom caves: Songbuh cave is located towards the south western side of the Sajik Tampa, at a distance of ...................Kms. On reaching the spot we came to know that this cave was explore and excavated on the 23 May, 1983 and again in February, 1911 by the Anthropology department of the DM College and the students of the Manipur University. The team had collected about 216 tools perhaps belonging to the Palaeolithic culture. NJK Singh opines it to be the oldest and biggest rock shelter in the world and give tentative date between 2,00,000-50000 BCE.   The earlier visitor/explorer gives the name as Gamnom Cave.   While interacting with the people of Gamnom village, we came to know that another name of this cave is Songbuh (Hut cave).  The sound ‘Songbuh’ in local language express the structure of this cave.  Literally, ‘song’ stood for Stone and ‘Buh’that of hut. It is a simple rock-hut situated on a simple stream and the roof is of a single stone slab. A simple stream on its roof forms a simple waterfall across the cave. It can accommodate more than 40 (forty ) individuals. Perhaps, this cave would also serve as a hiding place in the event of Inter village conflict during the pre-colonials times. This we can projects based on the local traditions. In fact the Kukis hide their womenfolk and children during tense and all the able men go for war or raids.  Earlier explorer, particularly, NJK Singh, claims this cave to be the abode of Palaeolithic Men, the oldest known human culture and civilization established  based on the type of  tools and artefacts available. He give a tentative date between 2, 00,000- 50,000 BCE. This time frame falls within the time frame for Palaeolithic culture given by anthropologist and archaeologist. If his claims hold ground than the Manipur’s South could be included among the Palaeolithic cultures of the world and can be one of the centre from where mankind move to different direction. The Kukis folklore and oral traditions recorded give a description of the cave their ancestors had left. J. Shakespear informed us that all of them narrated cave origin version in different forms throughout the hills that separated the valley of the Burma and the Bengal. This Stone hut/ Gamnom cave can also be one of the caves as the accounts of the Aimol tribe mention Khurpui/Khurpi, meaning big cave. Perhaps, their ancestors have recorded in their memory, the big cave and neglect smaller ones. But we cannot ignore this cave as the earlier excavations and exploration clearly shown stone tools contemporary to the Palaeolithic culture established on the typology of stone tools.
Haosapu Cave/Sohlumol/Senlung caves: The people who inhabit this region call this cave by different names. There are people who give the name of this cave as sohlumol cave, after the name of forest goose berry growing in plenty in the surrounding areas.  This cave attracts and drew the attention of all the members as there was a rumour that it is a virgin cave. A single member of the team did not like to stay back even though our vehicles could not proceed from the Aigijang village. Because it was at Aigijang we discover another name of this cave as Senlung, which remind us in a fresher manner, about Sinlung cave origin theory  established by many scholars and writer though some of them pointed out to be somewhere in China without any identification and proved.  In the course of our interaction with the local people we were informed that this cave has many parts. A version of the local people who inhabit this reasons claims that this cave has a tunnel and if we enter at 11.am in the morning we get out in another area, on the source of Kana River. But his claims thus not appear in the reports of earlier explorer. This cave too was explored by anthropologist earlier.  The floor of these caves is filled with a mixture of the excreta of bats and soil.   But their reports are not perfect in the sense that local terms and terminology got suppressed in the hands of some valley terminologies. Because the reporter has to use the terms he can comprehend.  On reaching the spot at around 3.Pm on the 23rd February, the spot itself reminds us the cave origin account handed down by the Kukis of Manipur. The oral traditions of the Kukis of Manipur mention Gulheopi( python), humpi(tigers) and other wild animals. We are not a geographer and life science back ground. But some animals’ probably tiger had left this cave on hearing our footsteps and noise. Some of our advance team members have seen the fled of tigers from this place. The surrounding areas also proved the remains of deer, tiger, bats, birds etc. This reminds us the food chains of animals.  The account handed down by the descendants of Shonthu and his team tally with the cave structure of Haosapu cave or Senlung to some extend- at least the presence of wild beast and caverns if proved. The accounts of the Kukis can be reproduced here for retrospection and review. “ One day their king’s brother was hunting hedgehogs, (in the subterranean world in which they then lived), when his dog, in pursuit of one of them, entered a cavern, and he, waiting its return, remained at the mouth. After the lapse of some time, the dog not having returned, its master determined to go in and see what had come of it. The dog he did not find, but, observing its tracks and following them, he found himself suddenly on the surface of the earth. The scene presented to his view both pleased and astonished him. Returning to his brother, he related his adventure, and counselled him to ascend with his village to the new country. To this the king agreed, and, having made their arrangements, they started on their journey. They had arrived near the surface when they perceived a large serpent in the way, which stopped their further progress, and they also saw that the orifice by which they were to emerge had over it a great stone, kept up merely by the support a bird gave to it with its legs...”   This accounts once again reminds us the Sinlung theory of cave origin. Among the Kukis Sin means to close and Lung means stone. When we said Salung it means stone that possess spirits. Sa stood for animals and lung stood for stone that possess spirits.  Thus, Sinlung is the terms directly related with cave. In the Lushai hills and in the south west extreme part of Manipur it is again called Chienlungh which seems to be the term derived from the word Sinlung. Literally, the later term would means the one that is memorised or by heart. It is again related to cave even if it has another meaning other than Sinlung.
The Phuikon Haosapi Caves: It is the last caves we have visited during our expedition which last for three days. It is located towards the eastern side of Sajik Tampak and is within the territory of Lhangnom village (a newly established village). This single rock has three caves. Our team member wrote Gate No. I, 2 and 3.  Though it is the nearest cave from Imphal, we visit on the last day, while returning from Aishi village, near the 35th Assam Rifle post on the 24th February 2012. We proceed by two Boleros and a Maruti gypsy. The area seems to be a thickly forest once upon a time but due to exploitation of trees for charcoal and firewood, it become barren. We park our vehicles at Lhangnom village, and proceed towards this cave on foot. It was an interesting trip. Just before reaching the cave, we have seen, a very lengthy hut of about 200-250 feet long (cattle sheds). Perhaps, cattle breeding become a part of economic activity at least to few household or the chief rented it out part of his land to the Nepalis who practised cattle breeding in a large scale in Manipur. Towards, the north east of the cattle huts, several mounds like can be seen. The local people informed us that these are the graves or cemetery of the spirits who also took abode in these territories. To our expectation there are some disturbances on the surface possibly from inside. Interestingly it looks like a modern cemetery or graveyards. This is the cave that NJK Singh and his team recorded it as Phuikon Haosabee cave. The local people who lived here now said that in the remote past people address this cave as Haosapu and due to untold misery and suffering, out of helpless, the people address it as Haosapi. Our informer Nagamlen, existing chief of Lhangnom, claims that after changing the name from Haosapu to Haosapi the misery of the people heavily came down. This cave is a solid rocky hillock. It has three entrances and seems to be a very old cave. The eastern part of the cave is a vertical rock wall. The position of the caves here is in triangular. The upper part of the base entrance resembles that of the sloping part and peak of the traditional house. The floor of these caves is filled with a mixture of the excreta of bats and soil.  T.H. Lewin recorded the account furnished to him by the Bunjogi tribe (allied clans people who inhabit the Lushai Hills (now Mizoram. Their accounts pointed out that the cave where their ancestors had originated is located only in the southern part of the Lushai Hills. He also personally visited the site and gives a brief description of it. His recorded version is reproduced here for further study and analysis.
“Formerly our ancestors came out of a cave in the earth, and we had one great Chief, named Tlandrok-pah. He it was who first domesticated the guyal (tame bison); he was so powerful that he married God’s daughter. There were great festivities at the marriage, and Tlan-drok-pah made God a present of a famous gun that he had. You can still hear the gun; the thunder is the sound of it. At the marriage, our Chief called all the animals to help to cut a road through the jungle, to God’s house, and they all gladly gave assistance to bring home the bride,-all save the sloth (the h•ildq monkey is his grandson) and the earth-worm; and on this account they were cursed, and cannot look on the sun without dying. The cave whence man first came out is in the Lhoosai country close to Vanhuilen’s village, of the Bur-daiya tribe; it can be seen to this day, but no one can enter. If one listens outside, the deep notes of the gong and the sound of men’s voices can still be heard.” But contrast to propagation that the deep notes and sound can be heard when Lewin visited the site he did not hear any sound. Whatever it may be our concerned for this cave origin theory is about the location. The Anal tell the following tale: - “Once the whole earth was flooded, and the entire human race, except one man and one woman, were drowned. This couple took refuge in a high tree which stood near a large pond, the water of which was as clear as the eye of a crow. They spent an anxious night among the branches, and at daybreak they were surprised to find that they had been changed into a tiger and tigress. Pathian, the creator, seeing the sorrowful state of the world, sent a man and a woman from a cave to repopulate the earth; but this couple was afraid of the two tigers, and besought Pathian to grant them power to slay the beasts, which he granted, and they lived happily ever afterwards.”
Another folklore that is common to the Kuki communities is great darkness, dao sharpener and the legendary man Chura or Benglam. The pioneer explorers of this people were surprise to know that despite of their language variation and different location cave origins, darkness, dao sharpeners and the legendary man Benglam could be trace in a slightly manners.  The Kuki research Forum has many more caves to explore and visits. In the light of the caves visited by the Forum and reports made by the political agents and ethnographers we rule out the possibility of the cave describe in the folklore somewhere in China origins as speculated by some scholars and writers. This is because research needs authenticity and proved without which it has to be entirely subjectivity. So we do hope that different aspect of sources are in the lime light to proved that the location of cave in the Hilly regions of Manipur, Chin-Hills and also in the Lushai Hills. Etymological, religious literature, accounts of ethnographers, and oral versions of the native people accounts would surely help us in locating some of the caves describe in the oral traditions.
Dt. T. Letkhojam