Praying for rain in the wettest place on earth!

Photograph by Preeti Verma Lal

Before we walk into this lovely town that resonates with the sound of the thundering waterfalls and is littered with caves millions of years old, let me roll out some shopping tips. You get the best orange flower honey here. And beautifully flavored cinnamon sticks. Don't forget to pick them up. Also, look around for houses that have strips of meat hanging on the clothesline next to the frilly frocks and Puma T-shirts. They really make for an intriguing sight!

If the British could twist their tongue a little there would have been no Cherrapunjee on the face of this planet. The wettest place on earth would have been known by its original name Sohra, which the British rolled into 'Churra', the name gradually morphing into Cherrapunjee.

But then as Shakespeare, the bard, said, "What's in a name?" Call it whatever you want, this place, which is perched between 3,000 ft and 4,607 ft above sea level, would have anyway sat next to the Meghalaya plateau and waited for the moisture-laden south-west monsoon to lash it. That is why it doesn't rain in this area, it actually pours - Imagine 1,040 mm of rain in 24 hours and 9,300 mm of rainfall in a month! That is the rainiest in the world ever. Okay, believe the meteorologists when they say that the epicenter has moved a few kilometers away to Mawsynram but then Cherrapunjee is like an old flame, it still flaunts its tag and its beauty.

When we left for Cherrapunjee in a Maruti 800 cab at 7 in the morning, it was still misty and the more we drove towards the famed village the surroundings got more beautiful by each mile. The Khasi hills wore a green sheath with the fog adding that extraordinary allure. Anywhere you looked, there was fog rising out of the valley, there was eternal silence and the world looked untouched by any evil or grime.

And before we walk into this lovely town that resonates with the sound of the thundering waterfalls and is littered with caves millions of years old, let me roll out some shopping tips. You get the best orange flower honey here. And beautifully flavored cinnamon sticks. It is only here that you would get Mama Non-Veg Bhujia "Tried and tested in 120 countries for 20 years." Don't forget to pick them up. Also, look around for houses that have strips of meat hanging on the clothesline next to the frilly frocks and Puma T-shirts. They really make for an intriguing sight!

Noh Ka Likai Falls: Noh Ka Likai Falls takes its name from Likai, a widow from Rangjirteh village, whose second husband abhorred her daughter. One fateful day when Likai was out on work, her husband killed the child, cooked her flesh and served it to Likai when she returned home. But the mother discovered the treachery when she found a finger of her dead daughter in the betel-nut basket.
An inconsolable Likai could not think of a life without her daughter and jumped from the cliff, where the Noh Ka Likai Falls now is.
The waterfall pours into what looks like a pond of jade. It is a beautiful sight and it is here that you have little kids selling cinnamon sticks and Mama Non-Veg bhujia.

Noh Sngi Thiang Falls: The rays of the sun pierce through the water of Noh Sngi Thiang Falls from dawn to sunset, giving it a stunning colorful look. This waterfall situated in the south-westerly position is at times also referred to as the Seven Sisters Falls.

Dain Thlen Falls: There is interesting story behind the christening of Dain Thlen Falls. According to legend, the villagers had to cross the bridge of Gods and the cave of Theln, the snake, to reach the divine market of Langhiang Kongkhem, The Thlen had a malevolent heart and it would devour people at will, surprisingly sparing those travelling alone. But his reign of terror ended when Thlen was lured into a smelting house, fed red-hot iron and later hacked into pieces and fed to the aggrieved villagers.
This waterfall lies where the snake was slaughtered and it is no surprise that Dain Thlen literally means the place where the Thlen was hacked to pieces.

Kynrem Falls: When in Thangkharang Park, walk to its edge and watch the highest waterfall of Meghalaya that cascades in three stages from the top of a hill. And when you look down you can see a narrow road cutting through the belly of the verdant hills, the road looks like a line scratched on a drawing sheet.

Mawmluh Cave: It is said to be one of the longest caves in the Indian subcontinent and you might have to crawl in this cave that has tight pathways, chambers and paths that end in a cluster of boulders. In some places the river enters the cave and you might get squelchy feet in the pools of water.
The entrance to Mawmuluh Cave is nearly 10 ft about sea level. There is one entry point for the cave that has double passageway. However, intensive quarrying of limestone has affected the cave with some of its portions caving in.

Mawsmai Cave: Situated six kms from the market of Cherrapunjee is the Mawsmai Cave, the only fully lighted cave. The cave is divided into two parts - the old and the new and both have interesting pathways and formations that look like chambers and nice corners carved by Nature.

David Scott Memorial: In 1832 the British declared Cherrapunjee as the capital of Assam which was later shifted to Shillong. On way to Mawsmai Cave, don't miss the imposing obelisk built in the honor of David Scott, an agent to the then Governor General of the North East Frontier of Bengal and Commissioner of Revenue and Circuit in the Assam district.

Khoh Ramhah: It can look like a basket or a teardrop, depending on how you look at it. Khoh Ramah, also known as Mothorp, is said to have been the fossilized basket of an evil spirit. In close proximity are two similar-looking rocks and when it rains and a stream flows between them, the sight is breathtaking.

Ka Kpep Syiem Sohra: It is the cremation ground of the Sohra chieftain which lies next to the Pimsohmen stream. According to tradition, the cremation of the chieftain is an expensive affair and if customary rituals are not performed the body of the chieftain can be kept for years till the ceremonies are completed by the Syiem-elect.

Thangkharang Park: Run by the forest department the Thangkharang Park falls on the Mawsmai-Shella road, roughly 8 kms from Cherrapunjee. It offers a view of Bangladesh and houses some rare orchids, including Lady's Slipper, and the Pitcher Plant in its green house.

Living Root Bridges: You would not see this anywhere else in the world. If you are staying in the Cherra Holiday Resort, walk half an hour and see a perfect example of bio-engineering in the Laitkynsew village, 15 kms from Cherrapunjee. These living root bridges are built from the secondary roots of trees and can take nearly 30 years to build one. Roots of a tree, in this case, a rubber tree, are stretched to the other side of the stream and some of them are more than 200 years old.

Mawsynram: Meteorologists would have you believe that the epicenter of rainfall has moved from Cherrapunjee to Mawsyram, roughly 56 kms away. This place is known for the giant stalagmite formation inside a cave. The formation is very phallic in appearance and nearly two kms is another geological formation called the Symper Rock.

Published in Discover India magazine, December 2004.

Contact: Preeti@deepblueink.com