Meghalaya- The House of Clouds

The state of Meghalaya in The North-Eastern region of India is one the most beautiful state. Meghalaya is also known as the adobe of clouds. The word “Megha” is derived from the Sanskrit word "cloud" and Alaya means "adobe". It is one of the tourist attractive states in India. The capital of this state is "Shillong", which is also named as the "Scotland of East" by the British imperial authorities. On the northern side lies Assam and on the south lies Bangladesh, which is also called one of the seven sister states of the North East of India. It was formed by carving out the two districts from the Assam, united Khasi hills, Jaintia hills, and the Garo hills. Many states in India follow the rule that the inheritance of the family will be descendent to their sons, but not in Meghalaya, where they follow the matrilineal system. The youngest daughter of the family inherits the family properties as well as take care of her parents.

Eco-park, Cherrapunjee

                                                                                  

The attire of every tribe is quite strange. The traditional costume for women is known as Jainsem which is made up of mulberry silk, a local speciality. Over the mulberry silk, they wear a cotton shawl which is called "Tap-moh khlieh". Garo tribe women wear "Eking", which is a wraparound, wearing long blouses along with the Dakmanda, another floral pattern garment with attractive embroidery work looks like a Sarong. The Loincloth is a traditional dress for the Garo tribe men, whereas Khasi tribe men wear an unstitched long cloth around their waist. This long cloth is worn along with the jackets, turban and some other headgear. This long cloth is similar to dhotis that are worn in many states in India.

Khasi Tribe's Attire. 

                       

 

Meghalaya comprises lakes, huge valleys, hills, caves, forests, waterfalls, and much more to explore. It is also called one of the wettest state in the country. Families can have plenty of relaxation, couples can have a romantic good time by enjoying the pleasant climate here. There are several options for the people who love trekking; in other words, one will never get bored here. People in Meghalaya are very cheerful and very friendly. They are here mainly belong to Khasi, Jaintia, and Garu, which now, many of them have converted to Christianity. While travelling around you can also find many churches, mosques, temples, gurudwaras, and monasteries as well. People follow the tribal culture and folk tradition, they drink and dance with the sound of buffalo horns, flute, and mridanga, which is an internal form of their social and religious ceremonies. The official language of Meghalaya is English so the international tourist need not be worried. Other than English they also have two main languages Garu and Khasi along with Panar, Tiwa, Baite, and Nepali. English is usually spoken by the people in the cities and the people living in the rural areas can be seen speaking in different languages.

There are a total of 11 districts in Meghalaya, Tora, Jowai, Cherrapunjee, Nongpo, Baghmara, which are some of the famous tourist destinations here. Travellers who are keen to know the history of Meghalaya have some options such as parks, museums, and caves. Amusement parks namely, Ward's lake, Lady Hyadri Park, The Butterfly Museum, Mawsmai caves and Thangkarang Park are other options to check out. Even if you aren’t some park or museum person you should still visit these places, it is worth giving a try.

 

Cherrapunjee is one of the famous towns in Meghalaya, located 58 km away from the capital of Meghalaya. It is also known as Sohra. There is a bridge called Living Root Bridge, which is made of rubber trees, it is a double-decker trekking root bridge that carries around 50 people. It gets more exciting when the bridge leads to the dense green jungle, one of the most famous tourist attraction places. Cherrapunjee is the wettest town in India. It rains almost every day here, hence one can witness attractive skies, green forests, wonderful waterfalls. Just like Seven sisters waterfall in Norway, India's northeast state has this one too.

Living-Root Bridge

                                                                    

From the peak of Shillong which is also known as the viewpoint of Shillong, one can also have a clear view of the Himalayan range and Bangladesh plains. Apart from this, Shillong offers Umiam Lake, Mawphlang sacred forest, Don Bosco centre of indigenous culture, Laitlum Canyons, Elephant Falls, Ward's Lake, and many places to explore.

 

Other than these one can indulge in playing golf in the Gleneagles which is located in Shillong. This golf court is one of the highest, oldest and largest natural court in the world. It is covered by tall pine and oak trees. For shopping purpose, one can visit Police Bazaar, as it is the main market in Shillong. Here you can find all types of local items. To encounter a tribal village, there is a trail named David Scott. This trail is the longest trekking trail, named after the first famous trekker and discovered by David Scott himself. There is a cave called Siju cave, which is quite famous as Bat Caves. This cave is the first natural limelight cave of India and is full of flying bats.

 

As for the places to eat in Meghalaya, there is a famous cafe called Trattoria. This cafe isn't that big but it is too popular among the tourist, situated in Police Bazaar. This place serve Jakhaw Khasi, Dhonud, Tungtap, Dohjam, Doh khelia and many more. There are also some food items that everyone needs to try in Meghalaya that as Jodoh, a rice dish mixed with different spices and pork. Nakham Bitchi is a soup that should be consumed after a spicy meal. This soup served to guests in Meghalaya is made of dry fish and vegetables. Another dish you need to try is Pumaloi, it is steamed rice and a favourite dish of Khasi people. They have it anytime, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Another offering is the Bamboo shoot, considered as the favourite dish. This is basically made of marinated pork. Last but not the least one is Momos, every one of us had momos in our cities but the origin and the best one can find is in Meghalaya. On every stall you will find momos, it is too common there. The filling is either veggies, chicken or pork. You can have both steam and fry as well.

MOMOS

                                   

Meghalaya is one of the wettest places in the world where it rains almost 12 months a year. The people in Meghalaya are too friendly and helpful. The best time to explore this state depends upon you if you want to explore it in a warm climate then you must go from April to June. The temperature during that period is between 15-25 degree celsius. If you want to explore Meghalaya during the rainy season that means from July to September the temperature at that time would be around 23-33 degree celsius. Planning to explore it in October, November then the climate will be a little humid and the temperature will be around 22 to -19 degree celsius. From December to February the temperature drops and it gets between 4 degrees to 16 degrees when you experience a windy climate and foggy morning. One must visit and explore every corner of Meghalaya once in a lifetime. It's a place full of surprises.

                                        

NohKaLikai Falls
Picture- credits: Pinterest