DISCOVER INDIA: The Oriental Scotland - MEGHALAYA

 Dec 2021

The North East has always been a less frequented holiday destination as compared to the rest of India. Also, since its location is far for tourists from South and Western India, there always is a reluctance to explore these uncharted territories. So, when we decided to embark on a North-East sojourn, we had to plan very meticulously, considering the COVID restrictions too. The most popular and easiest seemed to be Meghalaya and Assam.

Sometimes, planning for a holiday is as exciting as the holiday itself.   

MEGHALAYA

The base of our stay was  Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya,  and all the tours in this state would be from this city.  

SHILLONG

Shillong, known as Scotland of the East, is also called India’s Rock Capital because of the many monoliths found across Meghalaya. Most of the places in Shillong begin with the prefix ‘Maw’ which means ‘rock’ in the local Khasi language.

From Guwahati airport to Shillong takes 3.5hrs. Sunset during winters is at 4.30pm and the  temperatures drop immediately after that and could go as low as 6 degrees C during December. A flash of hailstorm and snow a couple of days before our trip had warned us enough. 

The Central townplace of Shillong is called Police Bazar, which is always bustling with tourists and locals. Here, one can get winter wear, shoes, purses and make up stuff at cheap rates. Also available are Shillong handicrafts. Roadside eateries selling grilled chicken, grilled pork, sweet corn, noodles, and biryani line one of the lanes. Vendors selling locally grown vegetables and fruits are found in another lane. One must try the local Khasi fruit - ‘sohphlang’, which is white and oval in shape with a nutty flavour. Hotels close to this place are relatively expensive. 

We selected Shillong Hills Guest House, located 3km away from Police Bazar.

Day 1: Trip to Cherrapunji

Cherrapunji - once boasted of being the wettest place on earth, but now this title has been taken up by Mawsynram (also in Meghalaya). 

The original name for this town was Sohra (soh-ra), which was pronounced "Cherra" by the British. This name eventually evolved into a temporary name, Cherrapunji, meaning 'land of oranges', which was first used by tourists from other parts of India. It has again been renamed to its original form, Sohra.

A trip to and fro from Shillong almost takes up the entire day since there are a lot of places to visit.  

1. Elephant Falls 

Your Meghalaya waterfall exploration is not complete without a visit to the Elephant Falls, located on the outskirts of the state capital, Shillong.

The Khasi name for Elephant Falls is Kshaid-Lai-Pateng, which roughly refers to the three levels over which the water plunges.

2. Mawkdok Dympep Valley

Mawkdok Dympep Valley Viewpoint is a wonderful vantage point located on Shillong - Cherrapunji road in Meghalaya. Also known as Duwan Sing Syiem Bridge Viewpoint, it is one of the prominent places to visit in Cherrapunji.

3. Nohkalikai Falls

It is a breathtaking fall fed by the rainwater collected on the summit of a plateau. It has a tragic tale of a woman named Likai after which it is named…

 

4. Mawsmai Caves

 It is a maze of caves in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.  We learnt that exploring of caves as a hobby is called spelunking…

5. Arwah Caves

The fossils in this cave enlighten us about the history of earth. Did you know that millions of years ago Meghalaya was underwater and plate tectonics gave rise to the Himalayas and the North Eastern terrain?

6. Wah-kaba Falls

Cascading down the cliff the blue waterfall and the green hills enthralled us. There is a local legend that two fairies live at the falls who hypnotise men and they disappear for months and return back later as if they had never gone…

We had already started learning a lot about Meghalaya culture from our cab driver cum guide, Rapborlang. The Khasi and Garo tribes in Meghalaya are matrilineal.  They take up the maternal surname.  Youngest daughter of the family inherits and after marriage the husband stays with the wife and her family.

 Day 2: Trip to Mawlynnong. 

It's a full day’s trip from Shillong and at the end of the day it may just make you wonder whether you had needed a visa to enter this region - It's simply outta this country!

1. Umnagot River, Dawki - The cleanest river of India

Indo-Bangla border

It is one of the main attractions of Meghalaya. Winter is a good time to visit the Umngot river when the waters are crystal clear. Dawki is a border town between India and Bangladesh. We notice a blend of cultures and a gradual change in topography and climate here. 

2. Nohwet Living root bridge - A man-made natural wonder

   
   
   

The bridge is symbolic of the harmony between man and nature. It is made by the Khasi tribals by interweaving the roots of the Ficus Elasticus tree. The bridge grows stronger as the tree grows. 

3. Mawlynnong Village

   
   
   

It is the cleanest village in Asia. Vehicles are prohibited from entering the village. A walk through takes a couple of hrs. The sight that beholds is unimaginable. 

Probably other places of Meghalaya try to emulate this village because throughout Meghalaya we saw bamboo dust bins, solar panels and no litter anywhere. 

4. Balancing rock, Mawlynong

   
   
   

How this huge Boulder balances on a smaller rock is a mystery…It was probably an ancient shrine before the advent of Christianity in Meghalaya. 

Day 3 was a toss up between a trip to Mawsynram v/s spending the day in the vicinity of Shillong city. We opted for the latter and boy, we sure did not regret it later.

1. The Laitlum Canyon

   
   
   

One of the lesser visited places it has amazing views and justifies the pseudonym ‘Scotland of the East’ given to Meghalaya. 

The village 3000 steps below is called Rasong village with a population of 300 people who depend on the pulley system for transporting heavy items. 

 

2. Mawphlang Sacred Forest

   
   
   

This was where the coronation and sacrificial rituals were held by ancient Khasi people. There are many medicinal and anti cancer plants  found in this forest. 

One can feel the aura of sacredness and mysticism when inside the forest. 

3. Umiam lake

It is a very picturesque locale for avid photographers. One can sit in the park overlooking the lake and enjoy a serene sunset here…

Mr. Rapborlang also mentioned that the Khasi language has no script of its own. It is written with English/Latin letters. A Welsh missionary, Thomas Jones, first wrote the language in Latin script. Prior to that, the language was written in Assamese and Bengali scripts. Many establishments have “KA’ added before their name. For eg, The ICICI bank was called KA ICICI bank. ‘KA’ is used for female gender and ‘U’ is used for male gender. 

It is said that the best time to visit Meghalaya is the monsoons, to enjoy the heavy rains here. September is a good month too if you desire less of the rains but waterfalls and greens everywhere. November has the famous Cherry blossom festival. And December has tolerable winters and a rare snowfall.

But for us, neither the 4-5 layered winter clothing, nor the tiring journeys could take way even an iota of the bliss that we had experienced. And we promised ourselves that we would be back soon in this region during November to have a go at the popular festivals.

Useful info:

Rapborlang (Shillong driver cum guide): 8732089632

George (Owner of Shillong Hills Guest House): 7085941299

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