A Visit to God's Own Garden

Mawlynnong  Village

MAWLYNNONG
Located at a distance of 90km from Shillong, Mawlynnong portrays the combined efforts of its people to keep their village clean.Also referred to as "God's own garden", it has been conferred the title of "Asia's Cleanest Village"in 2003.It is situated in the East Khasi Hills of the north-east Indian state of Meghalaya.The village offers a breathtaking view of how nature has spread its beauty throughout the environment. The people living in Mawlynnong belongs from two tribes; Khasi and Jaintia. Another unsual feature of this village is that, they follow a matrilineal tradition of society; that is, the families are run by females.

 There are different types flowers,trees,plants and birds present and one can take a walk through the village to observe the lifestyle of the village people. It also has several homestays and eateries where tourists can spend a day or two amidst the lush green nature.

Every people in the village make sure to keep the surroundings clean by regularly removing garbage from the roads,picking up dry leaves and putting them in bins, from where the waste is directed to the pit and then used as a manure.. These bins are made of bamboo and are present at every corner off the streets to ensure that the garbage is thrown inside them by both the villagers and tourists. Here, smoking and use of polythene is prohibited, whereas rainwater harvesting is encouraged.

Living Root Bridges
This is the most attractive tourist destination near Mawlynnong. The living root bridges have been formed in the neighbouring village known as Riwai. One has to go down through the naturally made stairs to reach the bridge.Many eateries are present alongside the path so that the tourists can take rest while having some fruits and water.It takes about half an hour walk to reach from Riwai village.
These bridges are made by the village people with the help of roots of rubber trees. The tree roots are made to grow through the trunks until they attach themselves from other side of the trees,These are then placed across rivers or streams and sticks,stones,pebbles,etc are used on them to stabilize the bridges.The living root bridges may take more than 20 years to complete,and once formed,they can last hundreds of years.

Sky Walk Bridge

Sky Walk Bridge
Sky Walk Bridge is another popular spot in Mawlynnong village,which offers a bird's view of the Bangladesh plains. The bridge has been made up of bamboo and cane structure, which is tied to a tree beside it. It is about 80 feet tall and has a narrow width which allows only one person to walk at a time. The top of the bridge has a broad base,from where the Indo-Bangladesh Border and the entire village of Mawlynnong can be seen.Though not tough,the walk through this bridge itself provides a thrilling experience to the tourists. But persons who are afraid of height or not physically fit may avoid this place.

View of Mawlynnong

View of Bangladesh plains

These are the views of Bangladesh and Mawlynnong from the top of Sky Walk Bridge.

How To Reach: Mawlyynong is located at a distance of about 90kms from the city of Shillong, which can be reached by private cars and local buses. It takes about 2.5hrs to 3hrs to reach Mawlynnong. Thus,it will be better to consider this as a full day tour.



DAWKI

It is a town in the West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. Dawki is located at a distance of a few kilometres from Tamabil, which is the India-Bangladesh border in the North-East. The Dawki-Tamabil road is used for coal transportation to Bangladesh. A large number of trucks cross the border everday which creates a congestion on the road.

Inspite of these difficulties, Dawki remains a favourite spot of the tourists due to the beauty of the Umngot River. The river flows through Dawki near the India-Bangladesh border.


 It is the prime fishing spot for the people in the nearby villages.The crystal clear water of  Umngot river is the main tourist attraction of Dawki. It is the natural boundary between the people of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills over which hangs a suspension bridge.This was built by the British during their colonial rule over India today serves as an important gateway to major import and export transactions across the border. 


Also,the bank of the river is a popular picnic spot for the people of Bangladesh. Apart from this, other major attractions of Dawki is the annual boat race in the Umngot River.which is held during March to April. It also provides some adventure sports like camping,scuba diving,cliff jumping.boating,etc.


 How To Reach: Dawki is at a distance of 95kms from Shillong. It can also be reached from Mawlynnong,which takes about  one and a half hours.
 Since we visited Dawki after covering the places at Mawlynnong and there was a huge chaos in the Dawki-Tamabil road due to the trucks; it was already dark when we reached. Thus we didn't get the opportunity to stay there for very long. Here are some of the pictures of Dawki taking during sunset.

 If one wishes to visit Mawlynnong and Dawki at the same day,then it will be better to start early in the morning. One can also spend a night in Mawlynnong,visit Dawki next morning and then come back to Shillong. There are several homestays present for the tourists in the village. All types of cuisines are available. 
Mawlynnong and Dawki are suitable for visit throughout the year.
 For more photos go to the link below
https://plus.google.com/collection/gvkFmB

For videos go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0MJa27WgOM

Beni- A tryst of two rivers

Just as the lovers have a predetermined specific time and place to meet and fulfill the yearning of their hearts, River Teesta comes down from the state of Sikkim to meet River Rangeet at a place known as Triveni or Beni, in the district of Kalimpong. According to mythology, both these rivers were lovers, Rangeet being a male river; so the place came to be known as the Lover’s Point. Triveni is located near Melli, a small town close to Teesta Bazar. It is only a one and half hour ride from the town of Kalimpong. Each year on 14th January, a large fair is organized here. The place has become the hub of river rafting, as the swirling waters and strong underlying current of the rivers offer a challenge to experienced rafters.

Teesta ,a 309 kms long river flowing through the Indian state of Sikkim, originates from the Pahunri (or Teesta Kangse) glacier above 7,068 metres and flows southward through gorges and rapids in the Sikkim Himalaya. After flowing past the town of Rangpo, it forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal. On the other hand, Rangeet, a tributary of Teesta, originates in the Himalayan Mountains in West Sikkim district and flows through the towns of Jorethang, Pelling and Legship. Before the Teesta Bridge, where the roads of Kalimpong and Darjeeling join, the deep green and crystal clear water of River Rangeet meets the fearless and ferocious River Teesta, forming a delta like structure in the mountain valley. From this confluence point, the rivers flow together through West Bengal and enter Bangladesh where they finally meet the mighty Brahmaputra River.

The folklore says...

The two rivers Rangeet and Teesta, popular for their grace, beauty and love for each other, were looked up to by the people of Sikkim as creations of Goddess Itbu-Moo. They used to meet in the snow covered mountains of the Himalayas. It is said that in order to keep their love a secret, the rivers decided to flow through different routes and meet again at Pozok. This gave rise to a playful challenge of a race between both of them to reach the plains.

 As the rivers had to flow through unknown routes, they agreed to take a guide each for the journey. Rangeet was accompanied by a bird named Tutfo and Teesta followed a snake named Parilbu. Though, Tutfo was swift, it got distracted by the colourful butterflies and fruit trees. But Parilbu was strongly determined to reach the destination without paying attention to anything else. As a result, Teesta was the first to reach by defeating her beloved Rangeet. This hurt the pride of Rangeet and enraged him so much that he decided to flow back to the Himalayas. The furious nature of Rangeet and the pleadings of heartbroken Teesta resulted in severe floods which caused devastation to the people, animals and other living creatures of South Sikkim. It was believed that the flood was an indication of Goddess Itbu-moo to remind people of her power and the need to worship her. The people after realising it offered their sincere prayers to the goddess which ultimately saved their lives. Rangeet finally surrendered to the pleadings of his love, Teesta and they both fell into a long embrace, united for eternity. When the people came to know about the story of these two rivers, they huddled to the confluence to make offerings to the river gods. Even today, the newly married couples are taken to Beni for the blessings of the rivers.

The Thrilling River Rafting

River rafting in Teesta River is one of the most exciting and thrilling experiences one can have on a trip to Kalimpong. It has become a popular hotspot for river rafting in eastern India. It starts from the confluence of these two rivers, Beni. But winter seasons should be avoided as the river rafting routes remain inaccessible during this time.

Other attractions

Kalimpong is located at a distance of 16kms from Beni which offers a handful of tourist spots like Dr. Graham’s House, Deolo hill, Durga Mandir, Sherpa View Point, Hanuman Temple, Mangal Dham , Thongsa Gumpha, Morgan House, Army Golf Course, Durpin Monastery, Pine View Nursery, Pratima Tagore House.

One can also visit the small village of Mongpu; under the Kurseong sub division, which at a distance of 38kms from Kalimpong. Mongpu is famous for the visit of Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. It has its own beauty which attracted Tagore to come and live here in the midst of the hills. The house where he lived has been converted in to a museum which portrays his lifestyle here and preserves some of his personal belongings. Mongpu was also well known for its medicinal plant and cinchona cultivation but since quite some time production of cinchona plant has stopped.

Since Beni is a one and half hour drive from Kalimpong, it can be well reached by private cars. It is needless to say that a trip to Kalimpong remains incomplete without visiting Beni, which offers a breathtaking view of the River Rangeet meeting its lady love River Teesta. ;) 

 For more photos, go to the link below:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/43CkkB