Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
Meghalaya: A Serene Paradise
Meghalaya (Abode of the Clouds) is a north-eastern state of India. It is a beautiful and panoramic place in the lap of the Himalayas. With its scenic beauty and even untouched form of nature by humans in some places, Meghalaya is indeed breathtaking and, thus, is a popular tourist destination for travelers in India as well as overseas. Meghalaya was carved out and achieved full statehood from the state of Assam in the year 1972. The capital city of Meghalaya is Shillong, which rests atop the Shillong Plateau. The state is mainly rural in nature, with the exception of a few large urban towns, such as Shillong, Tura, Mawlai, Nongthymmai and Jowai. Meghalaya is home to one of the wettest places on Earth: Cherra punji, earlier preceded by the region of Mawsynram, which is also in Meghalaya. The state has several hilly regions, such as the Khasi, Garo and Jaintia Hills.
Culture, Society and Life in Meghalaya
People:
The Population of Meghalaya is 29,64,007. The Literacy in the state stands at 75.48%. Meghalaya has a rich and unique tribal culture. The major tribal groups of Meghalaya are the Garos and the Khasis. Plenty of languages and dialects are spoken across the state: the languages include Assamese, Hindi, English and Bengali. The dialects include Khasi, Jaintia, Haijong, Pnar-Synteng, etc. The official languages of the state include Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and English.
Economy:
The state is predominantly an agrarian-based economy. The main crops produced are rice, millets, pepper, chillies, corn, ginger, jute, potatoes, and oranges. However, the practice of jhum (shifting cultivation) has gradually led to soil erosion.
Resources and power:
It is rich in natural resources such as limestone, coal, feldspar, gypsum, bauxite, mica, quartz, kaolin, etc., which are untapped. Meghalaya also has several hydroelectric power plants to meet the power demands of the state.
Government:
Like the rest of India, the state of Meghalaya is headed by the Chief Minister, followed by the Council of Ministers. The state has been divided into 11 districts meant for administration. The state judiciary is led by the High Court in Shillong.
Culture:
Christianity and Hinduism are the main religions of the state. The minority religions include Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs. Even the animistic forms of the religions are practised by some tribes to date. A major part of the tribal lives includes lively harvest festivals with mass dances in traditional attire, accompanied by music and dance from bamboo flutes, buffalo horns and drums. They have sacred groves and forests, too and sacrifice chicken and goats as part of their culture. With the forced introduction of Christianity by the British in the 19th century, a part of the tribal culture and society was disrupted.
Marriages in society are exogamous in nature. Meghalaya traditionally practices the system of matriliny, in which the assets and property are passed down from mother to daughter. After marriage, the men generally move in with their maternal in-laws.
Conclusion:
In this article, we saw an overview of the state of Meghalaya. It was carved out and achieved full statehood from the state of Assam in 1972. The capital city of Meghalaya is Shillong. The state is mainly rural in nature, with the exception of a few large urban towns, such as Shillong, Tura, Mawlai, Nongthymmai and Jowai. The state is predominantly an agrarian-based economy. The main crops produced are rice, millets, pepper, chillies, corn, ginger, jute, potatoes, and oranges. It is rich in natural resources such as limestone, coal, feldspar, gypsum, bauxite, mica, quartz, kaolin, etc., which are untapped. The major tribal groups of Meghalaya are the Garos and the Khasis. The official languages of the state include Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and English. Meghalaya has a rich and unique tribal culture. A major part of the tribal lives includes lively harvest festivals with mass dances in traditional attire, accompanied by music and dance from bamboo flutes, buffalo horns and drums. Christianity and Hinduism are the main religions of the state. Even the animistic forms of the religions are practised by tribes to date. Marriages in society are exogamous in nature. Meghalaya practises the system of matriliny. After marriage, the men generally move in with their maternal in-laws.
