“Krem Liat Prah”-The hidden longest Cave of Meghalaya

‘Meghalaya’ as it denotes is a land of Cloud. Rolling mists and pleasant weather have always attracted visitors to the state, especially Shillong and Cherrapunjee. The entire region is naturally blessed, gorgeously green, and full of myths and mysteries. Apart from this Meghalaya is a great destination for caving enthusiasts.  Meghalaya is home to the longest natural cave in the world known as Krem Liat Prah.  Krem Liat Prah situated in the Jaintia hills. In the local Khasi dialect, a cave is called ‘Krem’.

Explored and surveyed as part of the Cloud expedition project, Its current length is about 34 kilometers will likely be increased as nearby caves continue to be connected.

The Jaintia, Khasi, and Garo Hills of Meghalaya are home to about 1580 cave locations, out of which there are 980 caves that have been fully or partially explored. With a total of 30, 957 m in length. Out of the ten longest and deepest caves in India, the first nine are in Meghalaya, while the tenth is in Mizoram.

Eight of these awesome Krems in Meghalaya are scattered across varied regions of Cherrapunjee, Mawsynram, Shella, Pynursla, Nongjri, and Langrin.

Krem Mawkhyrdop or Krem Mawmluh

Located in Mawmluh village, Krem Mawmluh is one of Cherrapunji’s major attractions. The cave is over 7 kilometers long and has slippery surfaces, narrow openings, sharp rock edges, and a pool of deep water. Exploring this cave in Meghalaya would mean exploring the fourth longest cave in the Indian subcontinent. Beautiful rock formations and stalagmites make this cave a popular destination.

Krem Dam
Krem Dam is located in the beautiful village of Mawsynram. With an entrance 30 meters wide, this cave is impressive. There are many archery competitions taking place in this cave area. Krem Dam is one famous limestone cave that impresses with oldness and hidden environment. Stalactite and Stalagmite have formed resembling a shiva linga.

Krem Lymput

Krem Lymput located in the village of Nongjri in Meghalaya. The cave is hidden amidst greenery and is defined by big boulders. There’s a staircase passage inside the cave that is quite slippery, so one has to be careful here. The stairs will take you through a series of galleries having rich calcite formations. One of the major attractions of the cave is Mughal Room, a 25 m wide and 25 m high calcite gallery.

Krem Liat Prah

Located in Jaintia Hills this cave is the longest natural cave in World. Its current length is 34 kilometers but is expected to be more when full exploration is done because the cave is connected to other neighboring caves as well. This 34 km long cave features a gigantic trunk passage which is called ‘Aircraft Hangar’. Krem Liat Prah is one of those spots in Meghalaya that you should be on the adventure list.

Mawsmai Cave

Near the Bangladesh border, this cave is a scenic one. Beautiful scenery welcomes you as you head towards the cave and once you are there you will stand face to face with a well-lit cave.

Synrang-Pamiang

Synrang- spamming is India’s third longest cave with a total length of 14,157 meters.  Synrang-Pamiang is a burst of colors. The formations inside the cave have got an unearthly beautiful shade of orange, red, black, grey, blue, green, and white. The cave floor of the ‘Titanic Hall’ chamber is a speckled beauty with cave-pearls everywhere.

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Siju Cave

Located in the Garo Hills Siju is a bat cave with some very attractive stalactites and stalagmites. Princess Di’s Chamber is a popular section of the cave with beautiful formations of limestone.

Krem Puri

Krem Puri is the world’s longest sandstone cave at 24,583 meters in length. This Cave was discovered near the village of Laitsohum in the Mawsynram area of East Khasi Hills district. Krem puri sandstone cave has also India’s second-longest cave in the general category after the limestone Krem Liat Prah. The cave system has fossils of dinosaurs, especially the Mosasaurus, a giant reptile that lived 66-76 million years ago.

Meghalaya is a beautiful state with a cool climate, Rolling Meadows, and a smattering of pine here and there.  Apart from this the people and communities are generous and kind. The state is perfect for a leisure traveler.

Limestone mining for the cement industry is a major threat to the Caves of Meghalaya. Ecologists and speleologists pressured the Government of Meghalaya to take effective steps to stop limestone mining in the vicinity of the limestone caves in the state.