INDIA'S UNDISCOVERED GEM: THE HILLS OF MEGHALAYA

 

Meghalaya seems to be somewhat of a forgotten paradise... perhaps that is because it is the wettest place on earth and is often shrouded in fog... In fact the name means "abode of the clouds"...

Nestled in the hills of eastern sub-Himalayas is Meghalaya is one of the most alluring states in the country. It is blessed with abundant rainfall, sun-shine, virgin forests, high plateaus, crystal clear rivers, tumbling waterfalls, meandering streamlets and above all with hardy, intelligent and hospitable people.

 

 

Meghalaya is a storehouse of richly varied and colourful orchids with as many as 325 species, which grow all over the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo Hills in the meadows, hill-slopes, and swamps, even on the wayside.

The local market place, characterised by criss-crossing narrow alleyways, often allowing only one person to pass at a time, is a world in itself. It’s a street photographer's dream come true! One can easily get lost in this labyrinth selling all things under the sun for everyday needs, and there are whole alleys specialising in one single product- from obvious fruits, vegetables to kitchen utensils, cane furniture, fish, all kinds of meat, grocery, cloth, sweets. Morning hours are the best time to see the entire buzz, consider having breakfast in one of the alleys serving poori-bhaji.

The village also has a couple of restaurants to cater to travellers visiting them during lunch hours. The Menu is fairly simple. There are a couple of families also who run just simple tea & lunch service made within their home kitchen.

The Mawsmai cave is one of the caves one mustn’t give a miss to. The caves have been looked after by the tourism department and can provide good fun to beginners interested in cave explorations, or even regular travellers who are interested in a little adventure. The cave is about 800 ft long, well lit and over all easy to navigate.

A part of the cave is made up of glistening stones shining in the light reflecting on it. Very near to this part is also a natural opening in the roof, letting some natural light in, which not only provides an enchanting visual, but also relief to those feeling eerily awe-struck.

 

Mawlynnong is a village in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya and at a distance of about 90 km from Shillong.  It was Discover India magazine in 2003 and then later on BBC in 2005 and 2009, which first claimed Mawlynnong to be Asia's Cleanest Village.

 

 

Another very important and significant aspect is that this village is 100% literate i.e. each person in the village can read and write. Young ones are all sent to school and are fairly conversant in English. Another matter of great significance is that every single house has a toilet. And well, we pretty much know that's no mean feat in country like India where majority of the population is still reeling under poverty.

The people of the village are shining examples of how you don't need massive equipment or stifling procedures to make a difference to your environment or to protect the local ecology. The two schools in the village have durable, clean toilets and drinking water with tanks, which is something very rare in village schools in the country. Cleanliness seems to be a habit passed on from generations!

 

 

The village boasts of clean cemented paved pathways, dustbins made of bamboo at every corner, separate pits to make compost out of green waste, ban on plastics, environment friendly housing and structures, well defined piped water supply, gardens in an already very green habitat.

 

 

 

Ever wondered where the Indian household's quintessential broom came from?

It’s typically from these regions of East Khasi Hills, where it is grown, in form of a grass, in abundance. One can take a walk out of the village and visit these plantations which cover several kilometres on either side of main road.

All Khasi villages are connected by a network of stone pathways known as the King’s way which traditionally kept the local betel nut trade alive with Shillong.  Throughout this network, hundreds of living root bridges form the bridleways over the myriad of water channels that criss-cross the area.  A few minutes walk from Mawlynnong is what I consider to be the most beautiful of all the bridges in the East Khasi Hills, namely the bridge at Wahthyllong. The view from above reveals the majesty of this masterpiece.  Over the years, stones and earth have been lodged between the gaps of the banyan tree roots to form the beautiful pathway and underneath, the ancient organic mesh work weaves its beauty.

 

Another short hike, and one can witness one of world's most amazing and unique phenomenon, the living root bridges. These bridges are made out of thick entangled roots growing out of Ficus Elastica tree. Mawlynnong and Cherrapunji are counted among world's wettest places and hence the greenery, vegetation and forest cover is really dense. The Khasi people living in these forested areas over centuries discovered this tree which had several secondary roots growing out over ground level and they quickly turned it into a growing bridge, connecting two raised banks separated by one of the several streams within the area. These bridges are extremely sturdy and are made walkable by fitting smooth rock boulders through it. It can take up to 15 years for a bridge to become fully functional. And for those in need of more adventure there is a double-decker living root bridge at Cherrapunji, which can be reached after about 2-3 hour hike.

 

A picturesque but tiny state that has remained cut off from mainstream India for a long time due to some ethnic problems, Meghalaya has been able to survive the onslaught of crass commercialization that has taken over other famous tourist centres of India.