About
56 km from Shillong is Cherrapunji village
(East Khasi Hills district), now called Sohra.
Located on the Shillong plateau about 55 km southwest
of Shillong, Cherrapunji and Mausynram
(another village nearby) are reputed to be the
wettest places in the world. The heavy rains
here often swell the waters of the Nohsngithiang
waterfall. The town is famous for its limestone
caves and orange honey. It has the oldest Presbyterian
Church. Krem Mawmluh is a 4.5-km-long cave
near Cherrapunji.
A
little further down the road to limestone caves,
there is a graveyard where British missionaries
and their close relatives lie buried. The visitors
are awed by a series of giant pillars or megaliths
that have been erected near a stream. Such megaliths
are to be seen in different parts of the Khasi
and Jaintia Hills and are usually erected to commemorate
great deeds or to honor dead chieftains. Accommodation
is available at the Circuit House.
The
summer capital of the Jaintia kings, Nartiang,
is about 65 km east of Shillong. There is a park
of megaliths, some of which are as high as 8.
A 500-year-old temple of Durga is another attraction
at Nartiang.
En
route Nartiang, 64 km from Shillong, is the small
lake of Thadlaskein. It is a beautiful picnic
spot.
About
13 km from Shillong is the village of Nongkrem.
It is the seat of the Syiem of Nongkrem, whose
estate extends up to Shillong. The traditional
Nongkrem Dance festival is held here around autumn
and draws large crowds of visitors.
Sixty-four
kilometers from Shillong is Jakrem, a popular
health resort having hot springs of sulfur water,
believed to have curative medicinal properties.
Dawki, a border town, 96 km from Shillong, provides
a glimpse of Bangladesh. The colorful annual boat
race during spring at the Umgot River is an added
attraction. At a distance of 140 km from Shillong
is Ranikor, an angler's paradise
containing a huge population of carp and mahseers.
Jowai
is a popular and prosperous town situated on a
beautiful plateau 1,500 m above sea level. Three
sides of this plateau slope sharply down to the
Hai River and contiguous areas are rich in coal
deposits. It is also an important station on the
route to Silchar and Agartala.