| |
HOME
| MEGHALAYA
|
Meghalaya or 'abode of the clouds'
is a source of inspiration to any poet,
a dramatic canvas for an artist's dream,
and the ideal retreat for people in
search of beauty and solitude. Declared
as a state on 21st January, 1972, Meghalaya
is one of the most picturesque states
of India, offering a spectrum of sylvan
surroundings, rich cultural heritage,
misty heights, luxurious vegetation,
flora & fauna.
 Carved
out of the former state of Assam, Meghalaya
is one of the seven sister states of
the North Eastern Region, bordered by
Assam in the north and Bangladesh in
the south. Meghalaya is divided into
five administrative districts of the
Jaintia hills, East and West Garo hills
and East and West Khasi hills.
Meghalaya experiences the two seasons,
of winter and monsoon, and is characterized
by a cool climate throughout the year.
The Cherrapunjee-Mawsynram belt in the
southern slopes of Khasi Hills records
the heaviest rainfall in the world.
Numerous rivers flow through Megahalaya,
although none of them are navigable,
due to rocky beds and strong currents.
Predominantly tribal, the original inhabitants
of this state are Khasis, Jaintias and
Garos. Khasis and Jaintias trace their
ancestry to the Mongolian race, while
the Garos belong to the Tibeto-Burman
race. Their cultural trails and ethnic
origins remain distinctive, mainly due
to their geographical isolation. The
Khasi language spoken here is believed
to be one of the few surviving dialects
of the Mon-Khmer family of languages,
in India.
A common cultural tradition of all the
tribes of Meghalaya is the matrilineal
law of inheritance by
which, custody to property and succession
of family position runs through the
female line, passing from the mother
to the younger daughter, instead of
the male line as is common elsewhere
in the country.
Agriculture is the main occupation of
Meghalaya, with eighty three percent
of the total population, dependent on
it for their livelihood. Rice and maize
are the major food crops. Important
fruits grown here are pineapple, orange,
lemon, guava, jackfruit and bananas,
while potato, jute, cotton, ginger,
turmeric, betel leaf and black pepper
are the chief commercial crops.
|
| Shillong |
Shillong (1496 m), the capital
city has a number of beautiful sites
like Shillong peak (10 km from Shillong,),
at an altitude of 1965 metre, offers
a dazzling view of the idyllic surroundings.
Butterfly Museum (closed on Sundays)
is another interesting place to visit.
|
| BURRA
BAZAR OR IDEW MARKET |
 Burra
Bazar or Idew Market (closed
on Sundays), one of the most interesting
markets one can see over here. For hours
one can explore the different levels
and myriad alleys with shops displaying
mind boggling items. To visit this market
one has to walk for at least 1 kilometer
as traffic in this area always remain
near standstill. Walk along narrow lanes
and squeeze past porters bent double
under sacks of potatoes. Khasi women
wearing traditional Jain Kyrshahs -
an apron of chequered material worn
slantwise from one shoulder over a blouse
and skirt manage all the shops.
|
| ARCHERY
STAKES |
Another unique spot of Shillong is Archery
Stakes. Archery stakes - a gambling
sport which is held everyday (except
Sundays) at 4.00 PM
where some 60 odd archers assemble in
a small field surrounded by ticket selling
booths and small shops selling liquor.
At 4.15 PM, the archers begin shooting
at a target where they shoot more than
thousand arrows in the next four minutes.
The archers, ranging in age from boys
of twelve to men of seventy plus, hunker
down their hunches in a line, 15 yards
away from the target. At the signal
the air is thick with the "whop"
of arrows whizzing like meteors across
the field. The officials then count
the numbers of arrows that hit the target.
The target is a cylindrical reed drum
about twenty inches high, mounted on
a short bamboo pole. The last two number
after counting is the winning lottery
number. Information is passed across
Meghalaya. 980 arrows on target means
80 is the winning number. The Meghalaya
Government legalized the archery lottery
game in 1982, but according to the local
people the game is running for over
100 years.
|
| THE
SACRED GROVE, Mawphlang |
The tribal communities of Meghalaya
in northeast India, the Khasi, Garo,
and the Jaintia have a tradition of
environmental conservation based on
various religious beliefs, which have
been passed on from one generation to
the other. Based on these beliefs, certain
patches of forests are designated as
sacred groves under customary law and
are protected from any product extraction
 by
the community. Such forests are very
rich in biological diversity and harbor
many endangered plant species including
rare herbs and medicinal plants. The
sacred-groves, which have been preserved
since time immemorial, are in sharp
contrast to their surrounding grasslands.
These groves are generally rimmed by
a dense growth of Castanopsis kurzii
trees, forming a protective hedge, which
halts intrusion of Pinus kasia (Khasi
pine), which dominates all areas outside
the sacred groves. Inside the outer
rim, the sacred groves are virtually
Nature's Own Museum. The heavily covered
grounds have a thick cushion of humus
accumulated over the centuries. The
trees in every sacred grove are heavily
loaded with epiphytic growth of aroids,
pipers, ferns, fern-allies and orchids.
The humus-covered grounds likewise harbour
myriad varieties of plant life, many
of which are found nowhere else.
One of the most celebrated sacred-groves
of the State is the grove at Mawphlang
about 25 kilometres off Shillong. This
particular grove has for long years
been a reservoir of interest for eminent
and internationally known botanists.
The sacred-groves, which make a unique
contribution to the flora and avi-fauna
of the State, are undoubtedly of immense
interest to all naturalists.
Cherrapunjee (1300 m) and
its surroundings areas are blessed with
many breathtaking views of nature in
her pristine beauty with cool springs,
mind soothing waves of thick green jungle
foliage, gurgling mountain streams finding
their way through rocks, enthralling
milky white waterfalls leaping into
deep gorges in a thunderous applause
to the record-breaking rainfall that
resounds through the valley. The pregnant
monsoon clouds embrace and kiss the
mountains as they swept across the plains
of Bangladesh from the Bay of Bengal
and are coaxed to shed their moisture
to drench the mountains in a deluge
to provide home to one of the most bio-diversity
rich vegetation in the world. During
the monsoon months it is a thrill to
catch sight of nature in the prime of
her beauty when the clouds lift their
mantle over her for fleeting moments.
Cherrapunjee has the distinction of
being the wettest place on Earth, having
the highest recorded rainfall, year
after year. The Caves of Cherrapunjee,
Mawsmai and Mawmluh, are the longest
limestone caves in India, formed over
3500 years, a must go destination for
cavers and adventurists.
|
| LIVING
ROOT BRIDGE, near Cherrapunjee |
The lower reaches  of
the southern slopes of the Khasi and
Jaintia Hills are humid and warm and
are streaked by swift flowing rivers
and mountain streams. A specie of rubber
tree flourishes alongside these rivers
and steams. The tree usually perches
on rocks and reaching out to soil for
nourishment. Thus, they have adapted
themselves well to high soil erosion,
caused by these fast flowing rivers
and streams. The exposed roots grow
strong and reach out over long distance
from the tree trunk.
The early War-Khasis had
noticed these qualities of these trees
and had adapted it to serve their need
for bridges to cross-rivers and streams.
In order to direct the roots in the
desired direction, they use hollowed
out areca nut tree trunks. The thin
and long tender roots are then passed
through the hollowed out areca nut tree
trunks, which are positioned as per
the requirement of the proposed bridge.
The roots start growing towards the
directed end. When they reach the other
end of the stream or river they are
allowed to take root in the soil. Where
required, the roots are redirected back
to the side of the river or streams
where the tree stands. The bridges usually
have base spans numbering more than
two. There are also two protective railing
spans. Stones are
used to fill any gaps in the base span
roots. Some of these bridges have roots
brought down from the tree branches
joining the middle of the bridge from
the top as support spans. These root
bridges are so strong that some of them
can carry 50 or more people at a time.
These bridges probably take 20 to 25
years to become fully functional. They
keep growing in strength by the day.
Perhaps their life span is 200 to 300
years after the bridges are well formed.
These bridges are eloquent testimonies
of man living in harmony with nature.
A unique Double Decker Root Bridge in
the vicinity has one deck 70 feet long
and another 56 feet long. This must
be the only one of its kind in the entire
world.
|
| MAWLYNNONG |
Mawlynnong village, situated 90 kms
ahead of Shillong, on the Shillong-Dawki
Road, 30 kms from Pynursla, is a village
of 75 households with a population of
400. A idyllic location, this village
epitomizes a standard which all other
villages need to aspire to be. Dubbed
the cleanest village in India by Discover
India Magazine, the primary village
School till class V boasts of it's no
dropout record and the village of 90
% literacy. Paved walkways and beautiful
flowerbed all along mark the village,
with waterfalls, a living root bridge,
hilly rivulets, acacia plantation and
an excellent view of the faraway plains
of Bangladesh all contribute to the
ambience of this village. Farming of
betel nut & leaves, broomsticks
and pepper along with bee rearing are
the primary economic activity of these
village and with the village headman
himself taking the responsibility of
making visitors comfortable, a day in
this village gives a insight into the
life of the Khasis, the influence of
the Church and it's metamorphosis.
|
| SOHPETBNENG
PEAK |
1,343 meter, 20 kms from Shillong, regarded
as sacred by the Hynniewtrep people,
is set amidst a beautiful scenic view
against the backdrop of a sacredforest.
This 'Navel of Heaven' as per Khasi
mythology is a heavenly peak which offers
to fill the spiritual void and emptiness,
to those who seek and desire solace
and peace of mind.
|
| MAWSYNRAM |
56 kms from Shillong and is known for
the giant stalagmite formation shaped
into a Shivalinga, called locally as
'Mawjymbuin'.
|
| MAIRANG |
40 kms from Shillong, capital of Nongkhlaw
states. Home of the legendary U Tirot
Sing Syiem (Raja of Nongkhlaw), who
spear-headed a war against the British
invaders to defend the territorial integrity
and cultural identity of the Hynniewtrep
people. He raised the battle cry on
April 4, 1829, but was finally captured
and died in captivity in Dhaka on July
17, 1835.
|
| JAKREM |
64 kms from Shillong, a popular health
resort having hot-springs of sulphur
water, believed to have curative medicinal
properties.
|
| DAWKI |
96 kms from Shillong, is a border town,
where one can have a glimpse of the
neighbouring country of Bangladesh.
The colourful annual boat race during
spring at the Umgot river is an added
attraction.
|
| Ranikor |
140 kms from Shillong, is a scenic spot
and an angler's paradise of carp and
mahseers. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Guwahati
- Manas - Nameri - Kaziranga
Tour
Kaziranga
is known all over the world
as the home of one-horned
rhinoceros....
 Read
More |
Tribes, Monasteries, Temples,
Cultures,
Wild Life & Crafts of
Assam
Assam, the eastern most
state of the Indian sub-continent........
Read
More |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
