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The group has single-handedly put the state on the world map for cavers. We are still exploring caves,” says Kharpran, giving a brief time capsule of the MAA. These from Europe could bring in the equipment and expertise, and here we are 30 years later.

“And since 1995, we organising these caving expeditions in Meghalaya under the ‘Caving in the Abode of the Clouds’ project. Kharpran got in touch with Meghalaya’s tourism department to find out about them whom he met in 1994. “I borrowed a compass from the Army, and that’s how we started in March 1992,” Kharpran says.Ī year later, when he went to explore the cave again, villagers told him about the earlier visits by four British cavers. There was no National Geographic or Discovery Channel that one could turn to for basic knowledge. When Kharpran started exploring caves, he had no knowledge about the art of mapping them. But I thought there must be caves because we have limestone,” says Kharpran, a former banker. I didn’t know that we had caves - just the few that had been recorded somewhere in books. Kharpran recalls how he “delved into the dark of the subterranean world of caves” in 1992. The International Commission on Stratigraphy termed the present age in the planet’s 4.54 billion-year history as the ‘Meghalayan Age’.Īlso read: Kashmir cricket is 20 yrs behind, says Jasia Akhtar, Delhi Capitals’ pick for women… It was because of a stalagmite found inside the cave in 2018 that Meghalaya became a part of geological history. IUGS came up with a list of 100 geological sites that are “ iconic and recognised by the geoscience community for their impact in understanding the Earth and its history”. In October 2022, Mawmluh Cave was identified as a geological heritage site by the International Union of Geological Sciences, a council that works closely with UNESCO. Kharpran, the 76-year-old founder-secretary of MAA. “We are discovering not only more caves but master cave systems too,” says Brian D.

It is thanks to the Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association that most of the caves in the state have been discovered. The state has all the ideal conditions for such formations to thrive: High-grade limestone, rainfall, and elevation, complete with a hot and humid climate. Meghalaya has the highest number of caves in India, including the longest one - the Liat Prah limestone cave system. The ‘Hanging Garden’ area inside Mawmluh Cave where numerous stalactite hanging from the cave’s ceiling | Photo: Monami Gogoi | ThePrint