MEGHALAYA (NO SPECIAL PERMISSION REQUIRED)

The state of Meghalaya derived its name from the beautiful description detailed by the great educationist Suniti Kumar Chatterjee of Calcutta University in his research paper about the cloud-clad hills around Shillong. Dr. Chatterjee mentioned the place as ‘Meghalaya’ and truly the definition conjures up thoughts of high hills crested with clouds. So, it is. The abode of clouds. The meaning is 'abode of cloud', on the analogy of Himalaya, 'abode of snow’. The name ‘Meghalaya’ derives from Sankrit word megh (cloud) and alaya (home).

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 (Season: Throughout the year)

Road connectivity: National Highway 40, on all-weather road, connects Shillong with Guwahati

Burra Bazar: 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: A unique sport 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 numbers 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 kilometers 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 adventurisms.

Iew-Sohra – Market Day at Cherrapunjee
The magic of market day at Sohra / Cherrapunjee is something to be experienced by the discerning tourist. It is not just a market place to buy and sell the produce / things alone but it is a socializing event. There are two types of markets – ‘Iewbah’ meaning Big Market and ‘Iewrit’ meaning small market.

Iewbah is held once in eight days. If this market day (Iewbah) falls on a Monday, the next ‘Iewbah’ will be on Tuesday. The advent of Christianity has brought some modifications to this rule. To enable people to devote Sunday to attend church services they pre-pone all Big Market days falling on Sunday to the preceding Saturday. However, these days you do see a few vendors turning up on Sunday – other than the ones who keep their shops open on all days of the week. The small market day i.e. ‘Iewrit’ is held on the 4th day from Iewbah.

When you come to Cherrapunjee try to manage your stay to fall around one of these Big Market days. You can see Cherrapunjee come alive on Iewbah with the Bazaar buses disgorging loads of people from all the surrounding villages. People of Sohra especially those having regular shops and those who vend on market days are all primed for a busy action filled day.

The Syiem of Sohra (King / Chieftain) has a toll tax collected from every vendor for the upkeep of the market place. The ‘Ambassador’ Taxies ordinarily meant to accommodate 6 people including the driver have people packed like sardines up to 12 or even more. The drivers have half their bum on the seat and manage to drive squeezing themselves between their door and their ‘kwai’ chewing fare. (‘Kwai’ is a combination of betel leaf, supari / areca nut / betel nut, lime and often times a pinch of tobacco.) . Sometimes 2 or 3 persons manage to sit in the boot with the lid up.

The market has different departments for meat – pork, beef, fish, dry fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits, bamboo baskets, iron implements for agriculture, construction work and home uses, beaten rice, bakery products, spices, tobacco, textiles, ready made garments and furniture. When the sky opens up in torrents which often is the case during the monsoon months, the milling crowd from Sohra town and the villages all around can be seen scurrying around with the traditional rain shield ‘kunup’, all types of umbrellas of different colours and also wrapped up in colourful plastic sheets.

The area around the market place is choked with buses and taxis moving at snails pace plying people to and fro the market place. Sometimes you can get caught up in the traffic for the better part of half an hour during the peak hours. There seems to be no progressive effort taken for easing the traffic congestion and for the scientific management of the flow of traffic on market days by providing easy exit without clogging the only entry point. These days there is a person directing the traffic and helping to ease the traffic jams around the market place.

Market day in Sohra is the day when all the Government Offices and Extension Services have full attendance of their staff. People having work at these offices can often times meet the office people only on market days. The system of keeping the offices manned throughout the week by a couple of staff with nobody losing attendance is an art perfected in all these offices. The casualty, of course, is the involvement and commitment of these educated elite for the development of these backward places and their underprivileged brethren who are in need of help to better their lot. Most of them contribute to the earnings of the Sumo Shuttle Taxi operators by retracting to their hearths in Shillong on those days they grace their office with their presence. No one has any qualms about accepting the full pay packet at the end of the month. So one can understand the slow pace of development of this area despite government initiatives through its various arms.

Market day also finds the Civil Hospital and the private clinics of medical practitioners filled with patients – pregnant women, mothers with babies, young and old and those who are cutting short their life span with their passionate liking for the local brew ‘ka kiat’ - hailing from all the surrounding villages. It is a busy day for everyone including the medical personnel, much in contrast to other weekdays.

By evening kerosene lamp stands called ‘dongmusa’ – originally made of cut bamboo with kerosene in the cavity and cotton rags as wicks but now metal replicas replacing some – are propped up around the market place for the late buyers and bargain seekers. The day draws to a close around 7 p.m. for the buyers, vendors, taxi and bus drivers, helpers, porters and shopkeepers. The major buying crowd would have dissipated by 5 p.m.. For many, a sip of the locally brewed rice beer or Indian made foreign liquor (rum/whiskies/vodka/gin) caps another hectic market day.

Main Market Days at Cherrapunjee (Iewbah, Sohra)

January		February		March
2nd January	Saturday	3rd February	Wednesday	5th March	Saturday
9th January	Saturday	11th February	Thursday	14th March	Monday
18th January	Monday	19th February	Friday	22nd March	Tuesday
26th January	Tuesday	27th February	Saturday	30th March	Wednesday

April		May		June
7th April	Thursday	9th May	Monday	2nd June	Thursday
15th April	Friday	17th May	Tuesday	10th June	Friday
23rd April	Saturday	25th May	Wednesday	18th June	Saturday
30th April	Saturday			25th June	Saturday

July		August		September
4th July	Monday	5th  August	Friday	6th October	Tuesday
12th July	Tuesday	13th August	Saturday	14th October	Wednesday
20th July	Wednesday	20th August	Saturday	22nd October	Thursday
28th July	Thursday	29th August	Monday	30th October	Friday

October		November		December
8th October	Saturday	1st November	Tuesday	3rd December	Saturday
15th October	Saturday	9th November	Wednesday	10th December	Saturday
24th October	Monday	17th November	Thursday	19th December	Monday
		25th November	Friday	27th December	Tuesday

January		February		March
4th January	Wednesday	4th February	Saturday	1st March	Wednesday
12th January	Thursday	13th February	Monday	9th March	Thursday
20th January	Friday	21th February	Tuesday	17th March	Friday
28th January	Saturday			25th March	Saturday

April		May		June
1st April	Saturday	4th May	Thursday	5th June	Monday
10th April	Monday	12th May	Friday	13th June	Friday
18th April	Tuesday	20th May	Saturday	21st June	Wednesday
26th April	Wednesday	27th May	Saturday	29th June	Thursday

July		August		September
4th July	Friday	8th August	Tuesday	1st  September	Friday
15th July	Saturday	16th August	06th December	9th September	Saturday
22nd July	Saturday	24th August	Thursday	16th September	Saturday
31st July	Monday			25th September	Monday

October		November		December
3rd October	Tuesday	4th November	Saturday	6th December	Wednesday
11th October	Wednesday	11th November	Saturday	14th December	Thursday
19th October	Thursday	20th November	Monday	22nd December	Friday
27th October	Friday	28th November	Tuesday	30th December	Saturday

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 species 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.

Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort: Only place to stay at Cherrapunjee is at Mr. Denis P. Rayen’s Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort – family run nature resort. Mr. Denis P Rayen from Tamil Nadu marrying Mary Carmela Shati is the man responsible for changing the economy of Cherrapunjee (Sohra). Cherrapunjee did not have a place where tourists could stay for night, except for excursion from Shillong.

To visit Living Root Bridges one has to stay at Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort.

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. An 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 its 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 this Village and with the village headman himself taking the responsibility of making visitors comfortable, a day in this village gives an insight into the life of the Khasis, the influence of the Church and its metamorphosis.