Under My Umbrella in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya

 

From this edge in Cherrapunji you can look into the not so far off plains of Bangladesh. Obstructing the view is this oddly shaped piece of rock. But as you can see the border is porous and North Eastern states has had a great influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. (Sanjay_Austa)

From this edge in Cherrapunji you can look into the not so far off plains of Bangladesh. Obstructing the view is this oddly shaped piece of rock. But as you can see the border is porous and North Eastern states has had a great influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

(click on photos to go to gallery)

(Travelogue published in April 2011)

What do you do with at a place that has only one season? Cherrapunji the land of perpetual monsoons has the same scenery of mist , clouds, fog  and the  rain-washed hills  no matter what time of the year you arrive here.  It has already begun to rain in Shillong when I  take the undulating road to  Cherrapunji approx.  60 kilometers away. Thankfully by the time I reach Cherrapunji the rain has spent itself and is reduced to occasional busts of drizzle.

Cherrapunji may not be the wettest place on the earth anymore – its  title now usurped by the nearby Mawsynram- but umbrella wielding tourists still flock to it by busloads. It is not hard to see why. Cherrapunji  or Sohra as it was rechristened to a few years ago,  is an  unique landscape. It is an escarpment hundreds of feet above the Bangladesh plains it overlooks.  The hills here end in steep precipices from which drop some of the most spectacular waterfalls in India.

On a cloudy day – which is the norm in these parts- the waterfalls remain hidden but on a clear day you can see the full splendor of the waterfalls plunging from cliffs into deep  blue pools. Some of the waterfalls here are as high as  300 meters. The Nohkalikai Falls is the most famous one in Cherrapunji .  It falls from a height of  350meters   to the rugged valley below before meandering into a stream.  It is the forth highest waterfall in India.  Meghalaya Tourism has however given a global twist to this Indian statistics calling it the fourth highest in the world on its tourist information boards at the site

Due to the erosion of the top soil in Cherrapunji , it is useless for any agricultural activity. Tourism gives some employment to the people here. A huge cement plant that has cause lot of environmental problems also provides employment. (Sanjay_Austa)

Due to the erosion of the top soil in Cherrapunji , it is useless for any agricultural activity. Tourism gives some employment to the people here. A huge cement plant that has cause lot of environmental problems also provides employment.

I was lucky to get a clear glimpse of this magnificent waterfall and the clouds stayed in abeyance long enough for me to wander down the   steep cement stairs. The stairs  spiraling down the hillside are especially made so one can see the waterfall  in all its glory upclose.

Besides the mystical waterfalls, the hills of Cherrapunji are a great attraction. They are called the Khasi hills after the Khasi people who inhabit them. These hills are like no other in India. The slopes are gradual and the vegetation on them is sparse and found in  small swathes. But these hills also have some rare flora including rare orchids , ferns and moss gardens. Cherrapunji also produces its brand of oranges that many claim have more juice than the Nagpuri ones.   But most of the hills are just bare with short brown grass. The incessant rains  that beats on these hills is rapid and flows off the slopes without penetrating the soil. To add to that there is rampant deforestation.  The water does not seep deep enough for taller trees to take root.  If you drive from Shillong you will witness the disaster the  Khasi hills  are headed for. Elaborate mining of the hills  seems unchecked. Some of the hills are caricatures of themselves. Half eaten into,  they wait to be  quarried into the streams of trucks that wait by the hillsides.

Such unchecked devastation leads to the present irony of  Cherrapunji being one of the wettest place in the world yet at the same time a place facing acute water shortage.  The population of Cherrapunji has boomed over the last few decades putting more pressure on the land.  Cherrapunji  is inhabited by the Khasi tribe of  Meghalaya.  They are the old traditional tribes with a unique matrilineal tradition where the husband goes to lives with his wife after marriage and the children take the mothers surname. Water is their main problem. Each year potable water is harder to come by and they have to walk for miles to get their quota of the day. All along the Cherrapunji highway you will witness Khasi women and children standing with pots and pans waiting their turn at a community tap. Down in the streams people are either washing their clothes or themselves.

While the rest of the crowd was fascinated by a gorgeous waterfall in Cherrapunji this boy was curious about me and my camera. (Sanjay_Austa)

While the rest of the crowd was fascinated by a gorgeous waterfall in Cherrapunji this boy was curious about me and my camera.

Apart from the hills and waterfalls Cherrapunji is also known for its elaborate caves. The Krem Mawmluh is the longest cave of them all at 4503meter. The stalagmites and the stalactites of some of these caves reach the roof and the floor of the caves respectively making endless passages some of them so narrow that a man of more than normal girth would have trouble passing through.

There are many other smaller caves but you need more than a day to explore them all. It is however worthwhile driving upto the Thangkharang Park on the outer fringe of Cherrapunji. It is a famous picnic point in Cherrapunji with parks for children.  But its main attraction is the balcony view it provides into the plains of  Bangladesh  far out and below. We are at the height of almost 4500 feet compared to the sea level height of the shimmering Bangladesh plains below. You realize there isn’t any effective natural border between the two countries here. No wonder the  influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into the North East each year.

Its not just the immigrants these plains bring. Watching these plains from this sunspot in Cherrapunji,  it is not too hard to understand why Cherrapunji gets the amount of rain it gets. For almost 400 kilometers the monsoon winds flow unchecked over Bangladesh until they meet the steep  cliffs of Cherrapunji. The winds are forced to rise sharply and the vapors they carry condense quickly and fall as  rain. With climate change all this is changing.

How to get here.

Air: Guwahati is the nearest airport. One can take a taxi or bus into Shillong  4 hours away. Shillong provides a perfect halt before setting on a one day trip  into  Cherrapunji.

Cherrapunji is 58 kilometers by road from  Shillong.

This is the fourth largest waterfall in India but a board of the Meghalaya Tourism calls it the fourth largest in the world. The highest waterfall in India are the Kunchikal falls in Karnataka. I don't know why there is never any accuracy or consensus on the world's largest, biggest, tallest, smallest etc. There are always different versions. (Sanjay_Austa)

This is the fourth largest waterfall in India but a board of the Meghalaya Tourism calls it the fourth largest in the world. The highest waterfall in India are the Kunchikal falls in Karnataka. I don

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