Mawsmai Cave
Meghalaya a small state in the North Eastern region of India which is also termed as ‘the abode of the clouds’ consists in it a countless number of hidden beauty and mysticism. It is a home to plenty of waterfalls, lakes, rivers, peaks, caves and more than thousands of species of different flora and fauna. In short, if anyone really wants to do away with his/her boring life for some days and want to escape to nature and relish it then you must surely pack your bags for a trip to Meghalaya, as this state is packed with bombarding aspect of peaceful and harmonious nature as well as adventure in its very tourist destination. Nature has created Meghalaya in that way. Now, to rock you more we must state that here in Meghalaya exists a large number of caves in the, Khasi Hills, Garo Hills and the Jaintia hills. It might amaze you to know the fact that of the 10 deepest and longest caves in India, the state Meghalaya shelters the first nine, while Mizoram homes the tenth. And Mawsmai cave is one amongst the 9 caves which are located in Meghalaya. So all those adventurous cave lovers and expeditors who want to explore these caves should immediately pack your bags to the magical Meghalaya.
Locally in Khasi language a cave is termed as Krem. So, basically locals claim that this cave was discovered by some hunters who went for hunting animals in the forest nearby this cave. Well, it’s difficult to say whether this claim is hold high or drop down but anyway the good news is that Nature has created a beautiful mania with its long drawn process and gifted us with it. So that we can take a pleasure of viewing it and freshen up our mind by viewing its beauty with utmost relish, time to time by visiting it.
A beautiful limestone cave or Krem is located at a distance of 4.2 km from the main town of Cherrapunjee named Mawsmai cave (Krem Mawsmai :termed locally where ‘Mawsmai’, means ‘Oath Stone’).This cave is very popular and revered as one of the notable landmarks in Cherrapunjee among tourists. This cave hold some history of the geographical changes in Meghalaya which took place millions of years ago. This tourist destination is one amongst the best places to experience tourism in Meghalaya.
The entrance of this cave is beautiful and wide anybody can enter it easily. And when you start walking inside it you will notice that its quite spacious but at some points it gets narrow and visitors feels that they are squeezed. One more notable thing is that when you are walking inside this cave you can see water dripping constantly from the roof of the cave which makes the cave walls and floor damp, forming countless number of stalagmites and stalactites. However, its wet and cold in some areas inside the cave. The roof and the floor of the cave forms strong iconic pillars as they are joined together which can be observed by the visitors. The cave is very much illuminated by the lights comings from outside so visit can easily view every aspect of this cave and examine its natural formations, the process which takes place over millions of years ago. Mawsmai cave is quite long only up to 150 m is opened for visitors to visit which the remaining section remains close and not accessible. Furthermore, this is just a cave for us but shelter to various flora and fauna and makes a comfortable place for insects, bats and rats.
This stalactites and stalagmites caves comes in innumerable shapes, forms and size. One will be left surely amazed and puzzled questioning himself how this thing formed. The answer is the cave formation did not took place in one day, this mesmerizing magnificent wonder of nature is the handiwork of million years of process such as tectonic plates swapping, natural land erosion, underground water and earthquake. No man-made process of construction is involved, only and only Mother Nature made it possible with her divine aspect and we are indeed very fortunate to explore her beauty in forms of these caves. It is one of the best places for knowledge seekers about geography and rock and cave formation.
There remain a very large numbers of crowds of visitors coming from different parts of India as well as other foreign countries to visit Mawsmai Caves every year as these caves are a major tourist puller that leaves the tourists spellbound and in fact these caves and surrounding areas are a visual delight and natures worthy gift to us. One can easily gain peace of mind while visiting these caves. The view is mesmerizing and breath taking and its relaxes our anxiety and peace to the soul. One will merely have an idea of harming nature ever more after visiting this place because here in this place we feel unified with flora and fauna as we all are the creation of the divine. Its a magical experience one can ever have in his/her lifetime.
BEST TIME TO VISIT MAWSMAI CAVE
Post monsoons are the best time to visit this cave as the interior of the cave is filled with water and totally remains wet almost all the time during monsoon.
RECOMMENDATION
We would not recommend this place for kids, pregnant women and old aged people.
VISITING HOURS
Timings: 9 AM – 5 PM
ENTRY FEE
Rs. 20 for Adults.
Rs. 5 for Children.
Rs 20 for Camera & Rs. 50 for Video