Officials of Tamenglong forest division and villagers at
Arai Bat Cave.
IMPHAL — The
divisional forest officer of Tamenglong district headquarters, Kharibam Hitler
Singh, led a team of officials and villagers and explored a promising
eco-tourism site, locally known as ‘Arai Bat Cave’, at Keikao village.
Namkaoluang/Keikao is located at about 5 km from Khongsang
junction (along the Imphal-Jiribam highway) and 40 km from Tamenglong district
headquarters.
The exploration team included range forest officers Joel
Gangmei and A Promeshwor Singh; chairman of Namkaoluang/Keikao village, Kadirei
Kamei; village authority members; youth and staff of Tamenglong Forest
Division.
The Arai Bat Cave was kept hidden by the village from the
outsiders for a very long time.
The cave has historical and cultural significance for the
locals. It is also the breeding and resting site of at least two species of
bats, according to Tamenglong Forest Division.
The cave has three entrances and a section of the cave is
about 400 feet long. There is also a deep pool inside the cave.
It may be mentioned that Khangkhui and Tharon are two
important pre-historic caves located in Ukhrul and Tamenglong districts,
respectively.
Khangkhui cave attracts tourists for its limestone deposits
while Tharon cave is popular for its intricate network of tunnels.
