4.16 Borpanee River

4.16       

Borpanee River (Khri)[151]

In 1835, William Griffith travelled on this road and noted that a small stream ran at the foot of the descent, however he did not know its name[152].  About 2 hours’ walk from this stream, flowing along a valley was the Bustapanee. 
The stream was really the only respectable river he had seen, or rather the second one that can be called a torrent, the other being the Bogapanee.  It ‘boiled’ along, and the body of water was great even in winter.  It had forced enormous holes in the large masses of rock that formed its bed. A few yards beyond the bridge of bamboos by which he crossed, it fell 70 feet into a fine basin, which however was only partly visible from above.  Those who had been on the edges of this basin said that the fall was really fine. According to him, Moosmai was the king of the falls between Terrya Ghat and Ranee Godown.

In 1850, Joseph Hooker traversed the same road and noted that the Bor-panee then was about 40 yards wide, and was spanned by an elegant iron suspension-bridge, that was clamped to the gneiss rock on either bank[153]. Beneath this was a series of cascades, none high, but all of great beauty from the broken masses of rocks and picturesque scenery on either side. Many curious plants grew on its stony and rocky banks, and amongst them Rhododendron at the low elevation of 2,000 feet. He also saw a most splendid fern that was abundant along with the dwarf Phoenix palm.

In 1854, Thomas Oldham reported that the elevation of the bungalow was 4,688 feet, and by a rapid descent of about 1,000 feet, the road led down to a tropical forest rich in figs, birch, nutmegs, horse-chesnuts and oaks, with tall pines growing on the drier slopes and measuring from 80 to 90 feet in height[154]. The descent continued by a zigzag road through this forest, down to the very bottom of the valley, in which flowed the Bor-pani, a broad and rapid river, that descending from Chillong, winded round the base of the Nongklaw spur.

In 1865, James Thornton resumed his march, and after descending the slopes beyond Nunklow by a succession of zig-zags carried through the dense forest which covered the hills at this point, they arrived at the Bor-panee, a considerable stream, which they crossed by a handsome iron suspension bridge[155].