About Shillong
Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is a hill town, situated in the north eastern part of ....
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A Rhapsody Of Nature
Posted by tanushri podderNov 19, 2007 | 4931 views
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It was a simple case of love at first sight. As soon as the verdant vista unfolded before my eyes, on starting from Guwahati, I fell in love with Shillong, aptly called the ‘Scotland of the East’. I have been to many hill stations but my romance with Shillong has not ended.
We had already traversed 107 kilometres on road and I was getting impatient to reach the destination when the driver pointed out a fantastic sight. Just ahead was the Umiam Lake, also known as Barapani. ‘Barapani’, meaning big water, is a majestic serene lake with surrounding sylvan hills, and arrives sixteen kilometres before Shillong, on the Guwahati – Shillong Road.
As the cab rounded the bends offering us the sight of undulating grasslands, water bodies and tall pine trees, we let out loud sighs of appreciation. The three-hour uphill drive from Guwahati was nothing short of a venture into Utopia. Halfway to Shillong, we halted at Nongpoh to stretch our legs and savour a cup of the local tea. The road was lined with small stalls selling pineapples and bananas, honey and pickles in bottles. I went quite shutter-happy clicking the pretty women behind the counters of the stalls. Their ready smile and rosy cheeks were an added bonus.
We had already traversed 107 kilometres on road and I was getting impatient to reach the destination when the driver pointed out a fantastic sight. Just ahead was the Umiam Lake, also known as Barapani. ‘Barapani’, meaning big water, is a majestic serene lake with surrounding sylvan hills, and arrives sixteen kilometres before Shillong, on the Guwahati – Shillong Road.
It was buzzing with picknickers and anglers. We stopped at the Orchid Lake Resort, designed by the famous architect Charles Correa, and constructed amongst pine woods overlooking the lake – a veritable dream place. Paddleboats, water scooters, speedboats lined the peripheries of the lake.
The lake water literally lapped at the bay windows of the lounge, as we refreshed and fortified ourselves with cups of hot tea and snacks. I resisted a visit to the Lum Nehru Park, which lies adjacent to the resort, and continued our drive to Shillong, but not before I saw some anglers net massive fish.
We arrived at our destination accompanied by a sheet of rain. In any case, how could we imagine visiting a state called Meghalaya, the abode of clouds, without expecting rains? The hills and the trees looked scrupulously clean and green as we winded our way to where we would stay for the next one week.
It is all romance and poetry. I stayed amidst the tall pine laden trees that dot the skyline juxtaposed with woolly tufts of clouds that float overhead. The numerous waterfalls gushing from the rocky terrain, and the mysterious winding roads added to the romance of the place. I guess it is called the Scotland of the East because of its climate and the likeness with the Scottish Highlands. It is said that the remarkable similarities between the undulating moors, ‘Welsh’ hills and mist-shrouded ‘Scottish’ Glens gave Shillong the title.
My first rendezvous was with the Shillong Peak. Shillong derives its name from the deity Shyllong or Lei Shyllong, which is worshipped at the Shillong Peak. It is located 10 km from the main town and stands 1,965 metres above sea level. This is the highest point in the state and commands a panoramic view of the entire Shillong valley. In the evening, the city lights, below, glitter and twinkle like a giant Christmas tree. The forested Shillong Peak acts as a vast catchment area. Water from nine streams flows out from the foot of Shillong Peak and is supplied to the entire town from here. A steep and winding road goes right to the top of the peak and it is said that one can catch a breathtaking view of the Himalayan peaks as well as the plains of Bangladesh, on a clear day.
Shillong is full of peaks. They jut out from each and every direction that the eyes traverse. The Sohpetbneng Peak, 20 kms from Shillong, set against the backdrop of a sacred forest provides a breathtaking view of the natural beauty that lies stretched around it. Situated at a height of 1343 m, the peak is sacred to the Hynniewtrep people.
The other thing that Shillong has in plenty is waterfalls, some big and some small. We spent a considerable time at the Elephant Falls on the Seventh Mile. Elephant Fall is not a wild kind of a fall, but a gentle one. A roaring fall with gushing stream of water plunging into a deep pool, it is the Sweet Falls near Happy Valley, which is awesome. There is also the Bishop and the Beadon Falls, both of which cascade down the same path into a deep valley.
Lewduh Bazar (earlier known as Burra Bazaar) was a place I loved. Cheerful women dominated this market, the largest of its kind in the entire Northeast. I was fascinated by the women who sold vegetables and groceries, reading newspapers, clad in their traditional attire, bright red lipstick adorning their lips. It was a world of liberated women where men had no say. Khasis are a matrilineal race and the youngest daughter inherits all the property. The western influence is so very visible, with the young men playing guitar and singing the latest English songs and they do have good voices. It was like living in a virtual paradise where nature had scattered its precious bounties generously. The carefree and happy nature of the locals was an added bonanza - infectious and exhilarating.
For a slightly more modern shopping experience I walked to the nearby Police Bazar, which stocks all the paraphernalia of shoppers’ delight, and browsed through the latest albums and knick-knacks.
One thing that fascinated and amused me was the wooden bus. I decided to travel in one of them just to absorb the local flavour. I was startled when loud grunts began emanating from under my seat and I looked down to find pigs trussed up and pushed under the long bench at the rear. The sporadic grunts coupled with the wild cackle of the basket- trapped hens on the roof of the bus, made the journey memorable. The conical wicker baskets that the peasant-women carried, on their backs, contained fruits of all kinds. Being a health faddist, I was delighted at the sight of plump plums, the juicy pineapples, and the umpteen other kinds of delicious fruits that dotted the stalls all around the countryside.
I strolled from Nongthummai to Umpling, one pleasant morning and found several orchards bursting with fruit trees laden with exotic fruits like plums, peaches, pears, and cherries. Pineapples were available for a song.
The quaint houses with wooden floors and raised on stilts are right out of the storybooks. The sloped roofs with a wooden staircase reaching the front door had an exotic appeal for my poetic mind.
I stopped by the Ward’s Lake, next to the Shillong Club. It is a horseshoe shaped water body set in a landscaped botanical garden. This artificial lake in the middle of town was named after Sir William Ward, Chief Commissioner of Assam in 1893-1894. It’s said that a bored prisoner, who was ready to do any kind of work to get out of his cell, initiated the construction of this lake. He was given the work of digging holes and filling them up again. Once, while digging a hole he hit upon a spring and developed that spring into a lake and garden.
The carps swimming lazily in the lake as you stand on the wooden bridge are a treat and so are the multiple hues of the blazing flowers all around. One can walk all around the lake and reach various places of interest. Along the hill adjoining the lake is the famous Golf Course, the Gleneagles of the East, which is as Colonial as can be. The golf course, established in 1898 by a group of British Civil service officers, is considered one of the best in the country. Nestled between tall and elegant whispering Pines at an altitude of 4750 ft above sea level, the 18-hole Shillong Golf Course finds mention in International Directories of Golf Courses of repute.
The British influence is visible all around the city. It is detectable in the bungalows that dot the hillside, the churches with the stained glass windows, high arches and the grotto. The most beautiful church by far is the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, located atop a hill. The high arches and stained glass windows make it singularly attractive and just under it, carved out of the hill is the Grotto Church. The All Saints Church opposite the State Central Library is another attractive building of wood and plaster.
I was told that the Butterfly Museum was unmissable so I made a visit to see its solid collection of mounted butterflies. The museum had begun breeding butterflies as an effort at conservation, but landed up becoming a storehouse of an extensive collection of mounted ones.
The Lady Hydari Park is about a kilometre from the lake and is a delightful way to spend a leisurely evening. It has been creatively designed like a Japanese garden. The Botanical Gardens with its profusion of blooms and long winding paths is another favourite spot for leisurely walks. There are about 250 species of orchids in Meghalaya and the garden has a good collection of them.
After I did the usual rounds of the museum at Lachumiere which houses ethnographic and archaeological objects, I decided to experience the local gambling game called ‘teer’. ‘Teer’ (arrow), is a perfect amalgam of archery and gambling. Archers from clubs belonging to the Khasi Archery Association shoot 1500 arrows, within four minutes, at a cylindrical bamboo target. The number of arrows that find their way on the target is counted and betters, who had staked money on the last two digits of the total arrows, reap rewards.
No, I didn’t make any money but the experience was rewarding enough and I returned much richer for it.
Shillong is an endless treasure chest of beauty, the more you dip into it, the more you come up with!
Don’t forget to travel to Cherrapunje and Mawsynram, the two wettest places on earth.
A must- visit is the beautifully serene Thadlaskein Lake (56 km). Legend has it that members of 290 clans of a rebel general of a Jaintia king dug this lake by the ends of their bows.
Another unmissable place is Jakrem, 64 kms from Shillong. Jakrem is a popular health resort with hot springs of sulphur water, said to have medicinal properties.
And if you want to peep into Bangladesh, head for Dawki, which is the border town, at a distance of 96 kilometres from Shillong.
Getting There
Air: The nearest airport is at Guwahati.
Rail: Guwahati is the nearest railhead.
Road: Guwahati is 124 kilometres from Shillong and umpteen buses run by the Meghalaya Transport Corporation as well as private buses and taxis connect the two cities.
Staying
Hotel Alpine Continental
Hotel Pine Borough
Hotel Pinewood
Hotel Polo Tower
Hotel Centre Point
Shopping
Shillong is a virtual treasure trove of local handicrafts and woollens. Baskets designed in innovative manner, colourful, handwoven fabrics and shawls as well as honey extracted from orange flowers, are some of the must buys. Besides these, there are the cane items produced by the locals that dot the emporiums. The main shopping centres in the city are Police Bazaar, Bara Bazaar and Laitumkhrah.
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