The Cave Exploration in Meghalaya.....
Meghalaya is without a doubt the most beautiful, untouched, and unspoiled natural beauty. This state is one of the seven sister states of North East India. Surrounded by the hills - the Khasi, the Garo, and the Jaintia. Meghalaya is all about to think pixie rainforests, living root bridges, roaring waterfalls, mountain drives under dramatic clouds, mysterious caves exploration, spotless villages, crystal clear rivers, a trekker's paradise, bright blue natural pools, and the most innocent friendly people. What else anyone needs when they all this available in one platter, they do not have to go anywhere else, just this one is enough to make them feel home.
The Cave Exploration kept me inquisitive the entire time.....
Meghalaya welcomed me wholeheartedly, and I will never forget the time spend there because of so many reasons the very first one is I have done the first trekking of my life to Double Decker Living Root Bridge here, the first River Side Camping in Shnopadeng, the exploration of the cave which kept me hooked and left me speechless. I enjoyed the cave exploration which kept me inquisitive the whole time to know more and more about the mysterious caves. Though the time did not permit me much still I was able to explore two caves in Meghalaya that is Arwah Caves and Mawsmai Caves. I thought about this interesting experience and decided that next time I will surely go to Meghalaya again only for exploring the caves and the caves. God should bless me with this!
Caving in Meghalaya
Somwhere in MawsmaiCaves,Meghalaya....
Mother Earth has always astonished us with its magnificent beauty. Some we discover and some are introduced to us by her. The cliffs and mountains of Meghalaya have stored a hidden gem in the form of waterfalls and caves. Some tall, some narrow, some incredibly short, some with a long trail, some with a hidden waterfall inside, some with the difficult and tough roads, some with the easiest path, and some with a very confusing direction are carved in Meghalaya as Caves. These magnificent formations when water meets limestone created the otherworldly formations underneath our feet.
Meghalaya is known for the longest and deepest caves in India and some of them are featured even on the World Caves List. Meghalaya boasts the largest network of caves found on the Indian sub-continent with more than 1200 caves mapped and identified for now and still there are many which are unmapped.
Notice the picture,you will understand what I want to show through this....
The cave is all about the limestone and some freshwater stream running through them. And after I explored two caves which kept me thinking more about this out-of-the-world experience. Once inside the cave, one can marvel at the opulent formations created over thousands of years-stalagmites, stalactites, candle cave curtains, and cave pears to name a few. As of now, what I have experienced is the cave passage will have a rocky road, the passage may be steep or slippery sometimes or in some cases, no lights and some will have the rock formation just right above your head, so you have to be careful while exploring there for your safety.
This shot was taken in Arwah Caves,Meghalaya.....
What I learned from people in Meghalaya is there are caves where one has to swim, one will see bats at the entrance and in some nexus of underground streams, rivers, and waterfalls, Winter season is the best time for cave exploration in Meghalaya.
Caves Explored
Mawsmai Caves
The Exit ends of Mawsmai Caves,Meghalaya
Mawsmai Cave is revered as one of the most beautiful limestones and historical caves cave located at Cherrapunji in the North East India state of Meghalaya. This strikingly natural cave is flocked by visitors in great numbers. Though the caves are quite long only a distance of 1.5 km is open for tourists while the remaining section is closed. This natural wonder cave is the handiwork of years of natural erosion and underground water. The cave has a very spacious opening but soon it has narrows paths, so you need to bend and careful while crossing rocky stones above your head. While getting inside the cave, one can see constant dripping of water from the roof of the cave and the innumerable forms of stalactites and stalagmites and moving further those giants' iconic pillars. Overall, Mawsmai cave is a pleasant one – a short walk through a thicky area which is filled with chirps of birds and creaking of insects which makes this place special.
Arwah Caves
Some of the shots captured in Arwah Caves,Meghalaya
Some more form my cave exploration.....
For Arwah caves, one has to walk a little to reach the entrance and from there also a little walk is required. Arwah cave is situated in a kind of underground world. Arwah caves are easily accessible but the dark and dank atmosphere inside the cave adds to thrill, the cave is narrow, and one has to squeeze the body to move to the other side of the cave, this cave will surprise you with many turns and corners, a maze where you are walking one minute under a high cave ceiling and sliding the next minute through a narrow passage. This cave is picturesque because of the rock formation, the underwater paths aesthetically carved out here out of the thick vegetation. This cave is famous for its fossils which are at the end of the cave, you can find crustaceans shells, and fish bones in the limestone walls of the cave. Overall a different and mysterious experience this will cave will be giving to its tourists.