Information About Meghalaya

Meghalaya was once ruled by the ancient tribes known as the khasis, Jaintias and Garos.  Each had its own Kingdom.  In the 19th century, these kingdoms came under the administration of the British during the British Raj, Meghalaya was annexed under the British empire.  Meghalaya became a part of Assam in 1935.  Meghalaya enjoyed a semi independent status due to the treaty that war signed between the Meghalaya and the British crown.  When India became independent, the region was included in the state of Assam for administration reasons.  This led to an agitation by the local population.  The region was accorded full state hood on January 21st 1972.

The Jadukata Bridge is the longest span contilever bridge in India.  The bridge has a central span of 140 metres and stretches across the Jadulata River about 130km away from the shilling, the capital of Meghalaya.  It forms a vital link on an important road in this border state.

 

The cave of Mawsynram in Meghalaya is a popular tourist destination across India as well as the entire world.  It is famous for the gigantic formation of a stalagmite, which resembles the shape of a shivalinga.  The area also holds the record for being the wettest place on the Earth with an annual rainfall of 11873millimetres.

The Meghalaya is carved out of the former state Assam.  It is one of the seven sister states of the North Eastern region, bordered by Assam in the north and Bangladesh in the South.  It is geographically known as the Meghalaya plateau or the shilling plateau.  The area is made up of the oldest rock formations.  It consists of the Garo, Kosi and Jaintia Hills along with the Assam ranges.  The Meghalaya plateau’s elevation varies between 150 metres to 1961 metres above the sea lever.  The plateau is highly dissected and has an irregular terrain in the western and northern side.

Rivers from an important part of the geography of Meghalaya.  In the Garo Hills, the major rivers are the Ringgi, Kalu, Ajagar, sanda, Daring and Simsan.  In the eastern and central parts of the Meghalaya Plateau, the major rivers are Digaru, Umkhri, Kynchiang and Myntdu.  The word Meghalaya means the land of clouds in Sanskrit and the name is most appropriate for this land of hills and plateaus that seem to touch the clouds. 

Meghalaya General Information

Capital
The capital of Meghalaya is Shillong.
Districts
There are 7 districts in this state.
Language
The principal languages spoken by the people are Khasi, Garo and English.
State Bird
Hill Myna is this state bird.
State Animal
Clouded Leopard is this state’s animal
State flower
This state’s flower is Lady’s slipper orchid.

Tourism in Meghalaya

Meghalaya is a tourist paradise and it is a home to some of the most pristine forests in India.  With its many national parks, deep valleys, arching waterfalls and charming villages, it is a great gateway of destination indeed.  The second wettest place on the Earth, cherrapunjee   is in Meghalaya.  It gets over 11,430 millimetres of rain every year, inundating virtually the entire area for months at a time and tourist flock here for the experience.