In the year 1972, the north eastern state of India, Assam was divided into two. This division lead to the creation of a new state, Meghalaya with Shillong as its state capital. Meghalaya consists of the Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills, each of these hills named after the respective tribes that inhabit them. There have been many theories regarding the origination of the name Shillong, one of them is that the name Shillong comes from the word Leishyllong, which translates to the supreme power. Shillong evolved from a small village to a summer retreat during the colonial rule, and then it was the capital of Assam till 1972, and now the capital of Meghalaya. The plateau of Shillong is situated at an altitude of approximately 4900 feet and has the hills of Assam and Diengiei that bound it from northeast and northwest, respectively. The Umiam gorge is towards the north of Shillong.
Shillong’s landscape and climate is often compared with that of the highlands in Scotland. It experiences one of the heaviest rainfalls in India. Although the place is so picturesque, Shillong has never been the most popular or most visited tourist destination. That is the reason why it is comparatively less commercialized compared to the other hill stations in India. That is not the only difference between Shillong and other popular hill stations, unlike the other hill station; the influence of the British rule is not prominent here. The hills and places still maintain the original ethnic and tribal culture.
The dominant tribe in Shillong are the Khasis, with a strong majority of Jaintias and Garos. There is of course a population of Nepali, Assamese, Bengali, Bihari and Tibetan population in Shillong. Christianity is the dominant religion in Shillong, with a minority of Hindus and Muslims. Before the missionaries came to Shillong, the people worshiped nature, which is still followed by a minority section. The interesting thing is that even people belonging to other religion still follow and maintain the original religious beliefs and culture of this north-eastern part of India. A very unique aspect of Meghalaya is the fact that the three tribes: the Khasis, the Garos and the Jaintias are matriarchal societies. The children carry the mother’s surname and property is owned by the girl child. Shillong celebrates the normal Indian festivals, as well has its own share of unique festivals, such as Wangala, Shad Suk Mynsiem and Lahoo dance.