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Excursions
A
56 kms. drive along a narrow winding road takes you to
Cherrapunjee, one o f the wettest places in the world. Indeed,
this town, now known as Sohra, and the village of Mawsynram,
on a neighbouring hill, have competed with each other for the
record of the wettest place on earth. For weeks, there is no
let up from the pounding of the rain on tin roofs. But
waterfalls leap and roar from the edge of the road into deep
gorges below, including the famed Nohsngithiang Falls. On a
fog-shrouded day, however, you can hear the waterfall and yet
not see it. This lovely town is also famous for its limetsone
caves and orange honey. A centre of Khasi culture and
literature, it also has the oldest Presbyterian Church. The
Ramakrishna Mission, which has been actively in spreading
literacy in the region, has a large centre here.
A
bit further down the road to limestone caves, one can stop by
a graveyard where British missionaries and their close
relatives lie buried. Before reaching the caves, visitors are
awed by a series of giant pillars or megaliths that have been
erected near a stream. Such megaliths are to be seen in
different parts of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and are usually
erected to commemorate great deeds or to honour dead
chieftains. Visitors can stay at the Circuit House or return
to Shillong where they can stay at the government-run Pinewood
Hotel or in numerous private hotels.
The
summer capital of the Jaintia kings, Nartiang is about 65 kms.
east of Shillong. The Jaintias are one of the three main
tribes which inhabit Meghalaya: the others being the Khasis
and the Garos. Nartiang's greatest attraction is to be found
off the small road that runs amid forest, streams and hills in
a quiet and shaded glen. A short walk and you will find
yourself in the playground of giants, it appears: huge stone
slabs are positioned erect or flat or sloping. But this is
more than what meets the eye: it is a park of megaliths, some
of which, are said to have been placed there by a giant called
U Mar Phalyngki. The tallest is 8 mtrs. high and 2 mtrs. wide.
Megalithic cultures have existed across the world, including
the one at Stonehenge in England. A 500 year old Temple of
Durga is another attraction at Nartiang.
Enroute
to Nartiang, 64 kms. from Shillong, is the small but pretty
lake of Thadlaskein, good for picnics. The gently rolling
meadows around the lake are an invitation to relax. This lake,
according to legend, was dug by the ends of bows by members of
290 clans of a rebel general of a Jaintia Raja.
64
kms. from Shillong is Jakrem, a popular health resort having
hot-springs of sulphur water, believed to have curative
medicinal properties. Dawki, a border town, 96 kms. from
Shillong gives you a glimpse of Bangladesh. The colourful
annual boat race during spring at the Umgot river is an added
attraction. 140 kms. from Shillong, is Ranikor, a scenic spot
and an angler's paradise because of a huge population of carp
and mahseers. |
