Meghalaya is one of the 7 North-east Indian states (or Seven sister states located in the north east of the Indian sub-continent). Shillong is the capital city of Meghalaya state.
The Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia tribes of Meghalaya had their own kingdoms until they came under British administration in the mid-19th century, after which the land of Meghalaya was incorporated into Assam province (in 1835). Though it was made a part of East Bengal and Assam province in 1905 (after the partition of Bengal), this was reversed in 1912 and Meghalaya again became a part of Assam.
Post-independence from the British, a movement for a separate Hill State began in 1960 and in 1968 the Indian Government constituted an autonomous state within the state of Assam comprising certain areas (which come under Meghalaya today).
Meghalaya state was formed by takin in two districts from the state of Assam: the Khasi Hills, (that included Jaintia Hills too), and the Garo Hills, and Meghalaya finally became an independent Indian state in 1970.
Meghalaya state consists of around 120 cities and towns which are divided into 11 districts.
Some popular cities, towns and villages of Meghalaya include: Shillong, Cherrapunjee, Jowai, Tura, Nongstoin, East Garo Hills, West Garo hills, Mawlynnong, Williamnagar.
Mawlynnong – a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya is often classified as the cleanest village in Asia.
There are about 38 lakhs (3.8 million) people in Meghalaya. Of these 75% follow Christianity, 12% Hinduism, 4.5% Islam and more than 8% follow religions of the regional tribal groups.
The people of Meghalaya are known for their hospitality and friendliness.
The people of Meghalaya are known for their hospitality and friendliness.
The state is full of diverse tribes, communities and cultural groups and each of these has its customs and cultural traditions.
The main tribes that are predominant in the state, i.e., the Khasis, the Garos (of Tibeto-Burman origin) and the Jaintias are said have migrated here from South East Asia.
Among religions – people following Buddhism and Christianity are the highest, followed by Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam. The state is highly secular, with churches, temples, monasteries, gurudwaras and mosques.
Some popular festivals celebrated in Meghalaya are:
The Khasi and Garo tribes are predominant in Meghalaya, so the languages spoken by these tribes (Khasi and Garo languages) are the most prevalent in the state, followed by Bengali, Nepali, Waar, Hindi, Hajong and Assamese (1.34%).
The staple food in Meghalaya is rice with different variety of meats (of goat, pigs, chicken, ducks, cows, etc) and fish cooked in flavourful spices, and sometimes with a side of pickled bamboo shoots.
Some popular dishes from Meghalayan cuisine include:
The major modes of inter-city transportation within Meghalaya are trains and buses and for inter-state travel, the state has airports connecting to cities in other states. For travel within cities, there are many other modes such as taxi/cabs, buses, and private vehicles like 2-wheelers and cars, or even walking and cycling.
Airports – Meghalaya has 2 domestic airports, with flights connecting to cities in other states in the country –
Meghalaya has 2 main train terminals or stations from where trains to various cities, towns and villages within the state or surrounding states can be boarded.
Meghalaya has many inter-city and inter-state buses that provide the connection between different cities and towns; these can be boarded at MTC (Meghalaya Transport Corporation) terminals, and the tickets for these can also be booked through MTC. These include luxury as well as semi-luxury buses.
Meghalaya comprises of many incredible and unique places that people can experience, being close to nature, such as:
These are some places in Meghalaya which are great for a short getaway during weekends or small holidays, to spend some peaceful time and do fun and interesting things, such as –
Meghalaya also offers some activities and experiences for the adventure lovers. These include the following –
Following are some major places of historical significance in Meghalaya, that will interest History buffs and archaeology and architecture enthusiasts –