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The first part of my treasure hunting was through the unexplored Arwah Caves in Meghalaya. The stunning walls, the low ceilings, and narrow crevices were truly an adventurous experience for my entire family. There was a certain thrill in meandering through those caverns that were dimly lit and filled with water streams. It definitely added that punch to the whole treasure trail. However, the exploration was far from being over. Typically in a treasure trail, you have arduous trails and monsters that guard those trails. Right? So, we did our bit with the difficult trail (well! Not so difficult, just being dramatic!). We still had the monsters’ to tackle and guess what – we found them right at the next set of caves – Mawsmai Caves in Meghalaya.
Well, technically, there were no monsters! However, the Mawsmai caves in Cherrapunji had a lot of their formations that resembled monsters and those dreary beasts that typically guard the treasure. It was fun spotting these strange formations and giving them an identity. My daughter found these caves much easier to walk through as there aren’t too many of those crazy turns and twists. “Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy” is how she termed it.
Contents
- 1 Introducing Mawsmai Caves in Cherrapunji
- 2 Monster One – The Entrance of Krem Mawsmai
- 3 Walking into the belly of the monster (Inside Mawsmai Cave)
- 4 Out from the rear – Exiting Mawsmai Caves in Sohra
- 5 How to reach Mawsmai Caves in Cherrapunji?
- 6 What is the best time to visit Mawsmai Caves in Meghalaya?
- 7 Travel Tips
- 8 Booking Resources
Introducing Mawsmai Caves in Cherrapunji
Mawsmai caves in the local language mean “Oathstone caves“. I tried to find the reason behind this name but for the first time, I seem to have hit a dead end as to why it is so-called. I was even more curious after I visited the caves for they definitely have some eerie shapes – that makes you feel as if you are in the world of the undead! (Yes, I do read a lot of those Vampire and underworld creatures books).
Krem Mawsmai (Krem means cave in the local language) are limestone caves that are actually around 250 m long. However, only 150m of it has been open to the public. These caves are possibly the most famous among all the Meghalaya caves and are quite well developed for the tourists. There are little bridges built over the cave streams making it easy for the visitors to navigate through the dark caverns. It has its share of narrow crevices and low ceilings that require you to squeeze or crawl. And at times, you will also, encounter shallow water pools. As for my monster trail, you enter from the mouth of a giant monster and exit from its rear. Do you think I am kidding? See for yourself on this tour of Mawsmai Cave.
Monster One – The Entrance of Krem Mawsmai
Jubilant with our victory at the Arwah caves, the A-team (aka us) walked confidently along the wooden pathway to conquer the next set of caves. Expecting the same body contortions, we felt we were all prepared until we stopped dead in our steps. A large monster with open jaws lay waiting for us.
The guy was ancient with lots of gray wrinkles, some of which was covered with a green beard. His teeth looked like as if he has not brushed for ages. He sat there motionless, staring at us, beckoning us to enter his large belly that we could see from the entrance of Mawsmai caves.
Mawsmai Caves are right in the middle of a lush green forest. The walk to the entrance will showcase a variety of plants including some unique orchids and ferns. The rocky facade actually looks stunning owing to those green highlights. In fact, you must go closer to the rocky surface and see how those little saplings sprout out of nowhere. Of course, here and there, you might encounter a few sparkly spider webs.
Walking into the belly of the monster (Inside Mawsmai Cave)
Definitely, this guy had a bad tummy. I mean look at the whole path strewn with his ingested food. What was even more interesting was that this guy did not just allow humans in but also, his fellow monsters. Some of them looked like snakes, some like dragons and some even looked like a phoenix!
The stalagmites and stalactites are quite well developed in these caves. They dominate the various caverns as masterpieces of natural art. These rock formations take place over millions of years. Arwah Caves too, had tons of these and though, they are dated around 56 million years back, the formations were still a little smaller. With such dominating structures in the present caves, you can imagine how far back the Mawsmai Caves history goes.
The strange shapes kept staring at us as we walked past them till we reached the grand old man, waiting to ask us a riddle. I think he was just so surprised to see us that he was dumbfounded. We quickly walked past him to reach the point that looked like the epiglottis of the cave monster. From here, we seemed to have crossed over to its belly.
Drooling Monsters – the streams in Mawsmai Caves of Cherrapunji
I am really not kidding when I say we had to squeeze past the epiglottis into the belly. A narrow cave passage led us to the most interesting sights. Coated with the gastric juices of the cave monster, the smaller ones within its belly were staring back at us – Drooling!
Basically, these drops of so-called drool were actually the rainwater and the limestone water that kept falling from the cave roof. It had been raining and this water fell along the walls of the caves and made them glisten in the low lights. Here the journey was quite like the Arwah caves but not as raw. We crouched and balanced through the narrow parts of the cave to finally reach a tiny hole.
Squeezing through the gut (Passages of Mawsmai Caves)
This is the part where I felt I had to squeeze through the guts into the open, dark caverns filled with pools of ……Water! What else, you crazy people.
The center of the limestone caves was a little low lying and that caused all the rainwater to form mini pools. There are little bridges that will help you walk over the deeper ones but nonetheless. there is a bit of wading to be done. Trust me! It is fun to walk through them.
Out from the rear – Exiting Mawsmai Caves in Sohra
The crazy ride with high ceilings and small slits of sunlight continued till we reached this point where suddenly, we were out in the open. Our treasure trail ended here This is where the treasure trail ended with us having picked up some memorable gems along the way. This monster’s lair turned out to be a beautiful end to our underworld quest. Once outside, you will also, see a lot of the ancient rock formations around the caves. The Mawsmai caves are an absolute must if you are a geologist.
Personally, I found the Arwah caves more adventurous but the Mawsmai caves were artistic. The experience through them gets your imagination wild – as you have seen in this post. I am pretty sure that what I discovered and saw might look different to you. This is the magic of Nature’s abstract art. I wonder what you felt like as you came along with me. You know where to let me know. And in the meantime, don’t forget to pin this journey to your board.
How to reach Mawsmai Caves in Cherrapunji?
- Guwahati is the closest railway and airport to Meghalaya. You will need to get here and then, take a cab to Shillong or directly to Sohra.
- The North East Explorers helped me with the cab and the stay in Sohra. I had hired the cab from Guwahati back to Guwahati for around a week.
- Mawsmai caves are located close to the Seven Sisters’ falls in Cherrapunji (Sohra).
What is the best time to visit Mawsmai Caves in Meghalaya?
In terms of the weather, it is advisable to avoid the monsoon months – June to September. The caves get flooded during this time and might be closed for safety. The rest of the year is perfect for visiting Krem Mawsmai. The Mawsmai Cave timings are from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on all days.
Travel Tips
- The Mawsmai caves tickets cost INR 20 per adult, provided you are more than 3 in a group. If you are less than 3, then it is INR 60. Check the capture above to know more.
- The caves are slippery and wet. Hence, I recommend comfortable footwear that helps you grip and walk along the cave.
- Please carry a light raincoat or windcheater here. Even within the cave, there is water dripping and you are bound to get wet.
- A torch is advisable as certain parts of the caves are dark
- You should be able to finish these caves in half an hour
- There are restrooms and small cafes here in the parking area.
Booking Resources
- Booking.com can be used for booking hotels for Sohra. They have limited option.
- I recommend North East Explorers for all your travel bookings in Meghalaya. They are also provide end-to end tours that pick you from the airport and leave you back there.
- If you use Amazon for your online shopping, do consider using this link to get to the site and buy your requirements.
Popularly referred to as a Restless Ball of Energy. My Mom refuses to entertain my complaints about my equally restless daughter & assures my husband that I was born with a travel bug.
I am a Post-Graduate in Marketing by qualification and a travel blogger by passion. Besides travel, I enjoy photography and if you don’t find me at my desk, I would be out playing badminton or swimming or just running. I believe in planning for every long weekend through the year. And when I cannot travel physically, I travel virtually through this travel blog. My travel stories have also, got published on various websites and magazines including BBC Travel, Lonely Planet India and Jetwings. I have recently published my first book – When Places Come Alive – a collection of stories that are based on legends, landscapes, art and culture of a place which is available in both ebook and paperback format.
This is a very interesting narrative and ties in geology with the fantasies of a fairytale !
(It is also like Pinocchio’s adventure when he was swallowed by a giant whale 🙂
Now that is a nice imagination. Thanks for stopping by Rohini
Nice post good information will soon plan to visit here thanks for sharing.
Hope you get there soon. Thanks for stopping by
It is very wonderful and helpful post. Really it is very narrative. Thanks for sharing this post.
Glad you enjoyed it
Was there a couple of days back and I must say monsoons are the best season to visit the place.
It sure is. Glad you too agree!
Thank you for the appreciation
It is very interesting cave story, and it was also thrilling (i have wild imaginations) to visit a cave. Never done it before, but hopefully soon. Is it cold inside?
The path leading to the cave looks quite mysterious. If I have a chance to visit this place I might feel like I’m exploring a hidden world or something like that. This is definitely a worthy attraction to visit Meghalaya.
It is a magical place – Meghalaya. There are so many lores and interesting things to do here. YOu definitely must visit and especially, visit Mawsmai caves
Ahhhh!!! This is too much!!! I really gotta pack my bags and head in the north eastern direction. I have to agree, the formations, do look like how monsters are depicted in animation! Lolz! This is just awesome!!!
Doesn’t it feel like a page out of fiction? You will so love it Bhushavali. Plan quickly.
Amazing – I love places like this, it looks mysterious and wild! I love the narrow passages and the rock formations. It’s great to discover such wonders – thanks for showing them, especially that they’re not that well known around the world!
Thank you Tom. It was a pleasure discovering these ourselves.
Thank you.
The Mawsmai caves really look intriguing and full of mystery. The entrance indeed is like the open mouth of a monster. However what I am really fascinated by is the bizarre and somewhat grotesque shapes of the rocks inside the caves, it does give an eerie aura to the place.
It was not at all eerie but fun. However, I loved imagining all this. Fun isn’t it?
wow!! very interesting place though I must say inside was eerie.. I admire you and your companions for managing to get into the narrowest and darkest parts! I hope one day we can all be enlightened with the origin of its name!
I too want to know why it called so but well, for now, we just had fun. Cheers
Mawsmai caves look great! I was a bit disappointed with the entrance. In andaman islands, there is Limestone caves and the entry to those caves is through a canopy walkway so i had expected something similar here too! But anyways the shapes of the caves betray Stalactites and Stalagmites that we had been taught in our geography classes!
Interesting. Though my opinion of the same is a little different. The ones in Andamans were impressive in a different way . These ones I felt were more artistic. In any case, both of them are amazing. Thanks for stopping by Ambuj
I think one needs to be there to gather the different aspects of both the caves! Since you have been to both the places, you know much better! Hope to head to Mawsmai caves sometime soon!
I hope you manage to get there soon. It sure will be an adventure.
I love exploring caves. Looks like you had an amazing time. I visited India last year and its been one of my best travel experiences so far. Your blog makes me realize how much I still got to see and look forward to!
Thanks Lisa. India has so much that we Indians are unable to cover it all. You must come back again for these.
I noticed that the stalactites and stalagmites are of dark color, what could be the reason for such discoloration? I have entered caves before but this is the first time I’ve seen one that has black tint. I like how you made this post interesting by creating a story, it did make me feel a bit like you guys were entering the belly of a monster.
Thanks Marjorie. I have a feeling that the colors that you see are owing to the low light pictures that I had to resort to. Else they seemed fine. Glad you had fun with my imagination.
Hey Ami. Would love to know more about the history of this place and how these formations happened. Was it spooky inside there?
The caves were not spooky at all. They were fun. On the history, there is only geological evidence. Sadly could not find anything else. Thanks for stopping by
This is actually very informative and detailed post. I love to explore caves always and I’m always left in awe whenever I gaze to its stunning mineral formations. This cave is truly beautiful, but I’ve noticed that some of the mineral structures are dying, and some are recovering. I hope that they can preserve it. Thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us.
Thanks a ton for your comments. I am not so sure of them dying or so. My pictures may not have caught the whole story as there was really low light within. Nonetheless this is a lovely place and for that reason, they should preserve it.
Very beautiful! I’m just afraid I would panic there, as it’s soooo narrow. But great for you brave ones!!! 🙂
ohh, we just had the time of our lives. Fantastic experience here. Thanks for stopping by Jane
Great narration and very interesting cave journey. BTW, are you sure that was ummm water ?
He he…maybe the Monster’s digestive fluids 😉
I have never heard of something like this before.It sounds so unique and exciting.Inlove the way you described the monster as epiglamis and the acidity thing.It made me laugh.I shall definitely visit Meghalaya for sure
Thank you Harini. The cave monster was real in my head and I loved going through it. Cheers
I enjoyed reading this article and I like the helpful information in it. I have always been fascinated with caves. They are full of mysteries. That’s why I love exploring them. Their aesthetics are just different from any natural wonder. Anyway,thank you so much for sharing your adventure.
Thank you so much. It was a fun and interesting cave. I hope you can sometime make it here.
Awesome spots in this post. The photos are really good. Well done.
Thank you.
In the history of Sohra (Cherrapunjee), it is written that the then king of Sohra, Borsing Syiem, learnt that his younger cousin, Morsing Syiem, wanted the kingship of Sohra as his own, and to achieve this, there was no other way but to overthrow his elder cousin in battle. Borsing however had no wishes to see blood shed especially considering that it would have to be a fight with his younger cousin. So he gathered 7 of his loyal ministers and left Sohra in search of other places and as History tells us, “they reached a place further downstream and decided that to be the location of their new kingdom”. Here the 7 loyal ministers took a fresh pledge of loyalty to their king Borsing Syiem. They erected monoliths both male and female in this place as a sign of this Oath.This place came to be known as Mawsmai (Oathstone).The monoliths still stands even today to remind us of this event. The Mawsmai Caves lies in this vicinity, hence the name Mawsmai Caves. (This is to let you know in brief about how the name of Oathstone came to be.) Hats off to you – very well presented.
Wow, now that is an interesting story and I will be adding it to the post with due credits to you. Thanks a bunch
It is so interesting to learn all about how locals used to believe that these were monsters. Sounds like a fun and interesting place to explore, however, I’m not sure about how I feel about thas small bridge inside. I feel like it must have created a lot of disruption in the cave when built. caves are extremely fragile ecosystems.
The cave bridge is a small plank, hopefully will not interfere much with the ecosystem. More than anything else, I wish people would stop touching the stalagmites and stalactites
It’s always fun to go through caves. I haven’t been in too many though. The Mawsmai caves do look like they have some spooky formations! I think going through the tight gaps like you had to do would be a little nerve-wrecking for me! Looks like a great adventure though 🙂
This is paradise for young kids, they tend to LOVE exploring, and are pretty much fearless at that age! A little sad that there were no actual monsters LOL, but the formations were just as cool! I’m really scared of tight spaces, but to see such really cool formations, I would definitely do this. When formations look so much like something, I have to sometimes wonder what the chances of likeness are!?
This is a great post and its high time we start discovering India in its true glory and we figure out the hidden gems. Thanks a lot for this post
I am sure it was fun looking for rock structures that resembled the monsters. But good thing they are just fiction. The walls do seem very narrow in place and I can understand why you felt like you were walking into the monster’s belly. So cool that the interesting rock formations were still found after you exited. What an interesting experience.
I’ve never seen cave formations that do look like monsters, haha! Or at least monster innards, especially your epiglottis. 🙂 I can’t believe the gut crevice that you had to crawl through! Super good tip about the walkways being wet and slippery so that we can plan for proper shoes when touring the Mawsmai.
You’re so right that these caves look like the world of the undead. I think I’d feel a little claustrophobic having to squeeze between the tight spots, but the shapes and rainwater/limestone water droplets are all so interesting! Can’t believe how old these rock formations are are and mother nature never ceases to amaze!
I had recently visited such type of cave in Oman and found it very interesting. This Arwah cave in Meghalaya really look interesting surroundings of lush green forests. I loved the drooling snake shaped rocks and also narrow holes look claustrophobic. Thanks for sharing all tips and guide for these rocks.
Mawsmai looks like one artistic cave. I had read about it in the context of Cherrapunjee but had never read about it in detail. This was interesting and lively. The pictures do all the talking and indeed blend in with your storytelling. Some of the pics indeed make it look like a large monster with breathtaking maze within. I would love to explore these limestone caves and will keep it in mind whenever I get a chance to be around.
Exciting place. What a great adventure. The caves are so fascinating. This one looks a little claustrophobic. It is tight and humid. You had to squeeze through these wet walls, impressive. It looks like a monster. I love this rock formation, stalactites, stalagmites, geology of caves.