If you have never been to Meghalaya, Shillong or the Khasi Hills here are some pictures giving you an idea of what you can expect to see. Meghalaya is a combination of the sanskrit words 'megh' meaning 'cloud' and 'alaya' meaning 'abode' so it literally translates to 'abode of clouds'
a typical landscape view in the Khasi Hills
lush green cloud covered hills with seasonal summer waterfalls
misty and cloud covered rice fields
a view of Shillong from Shillong Peak
rolling hills cradling a small quiet little stream
a paddy field in Mylliem a few kms away from Shillong
"how green was my valley"
the long and winding road...
where the clouds come home to rest
umiam lake from the old Shillong-Guwahati road or lynti rim
one of the many places you can go to for a quiet drive
a view of one part of Shillong
shad nongkrem or the nongkrem dance usually held sometime in november at Smit near Shillong
a living root bridge, a sight you should not miss
The living root bridges of Meghalaya have just recently become a tourist attraction. These bridges have always been there but no one realised that they are unique and that they would attract so much attention. The roots of a banyan tree 'ficus benghalensis' are planted on each side of a river or stream and are basically guided over a river or stream using the hollowed out split trunk of a betel nut tree or bamboo pole. over many years the roots stretch and intertwine to form a living mass of linked roots, stone slabs are then laid on the floor to make a walking path and thats it, you have a bridge, of course it is not as simple as that, it takes years and years for a bridge to be grown and to be fully functional and requires a collective effort, as one person cannot complete one bridge in his or her lifetime, this kind of venture demands patience and loads of it.
Cliched as it may sound, necessity has always been the mother of invention and when people who needed to cross a river or stream everyday, did not have access to modern engineering and resources to build modern bridges, innnovation and utilisation of available resources is usually the only option. These bridges today have begun to attract attention in a world that is increasingly realising the value of sustainable living and anyone who sees them are amazed at the simplicity of the concept and the effort that went into making these bridges a reality.
Meghalaya is also famous for its limestone caves, attracting cavers from all over the world, some of these caves are among the longest in the world. The link below is from youtube about caving in Meghalaya
The living root bridge in the picture is very real of course, it is in a village called nongriat and near sohra (cherrapunjee the place famous for receiving the highest rainfall in the world) in Meghalaya, India, you will have to travel to Shillong which is the capital city of Meghalaya and then proceed to Sohra and on to another village called Tyrna, from there you have to follow a pathway, which quite obviously leads to the bridge, ask someone for directions and they will be able to point the way to you. There is another place where you can find these living root bridges and it is near a village called Mawlynnong, which became famous after National Geographic gave it the name of cleanest village in Asia. Once you arrive in Shillong it will be fairly easy to get directions to get to Mawlynnong.
I like the picture of the living root bridge, is it real? where exactly is it and can you post some more pictures? Fascinating! thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe living root bridge in the picture is very real of course, it is in a village called nongriat and near sohra (cherrapunjee the place famous for receiving the highest rainfall in the world) in Meghalaya, India, you will have to travel to Shillong which is the capital city of Meghalaya and then proceed to Sohra and on to another village called Tyrna, from there you have to follow a pathway, which quite obviously leads to the bridge, ask someone for directions and they will be able to point the way to you.
ReplyDeleteThere is another place where you can find these living root bridges and it is near a village called Mawlynnong, which became famous after National Geographic gave it the name of cleanest village in Asia. Once you arrive in Shillong it will be fairly easy to get directions to get to Mawlynnong.