Meghalaya, State of northeast India
Meghalaya is a state in northeast India, bordered by Bangladesh to the south and Assam to the north. The hilly territory stretches across forested plateaus and deep valleys shaped by heavy monsoon rains that feed numerous waterfalls throughout the region.
This state separated from Assam on January 21, 1972, after local communities campaigned for autonomy for many years. Before British colonial times, the hill regions remained largely independent from the lowland kingdoms that controlled much of the rest of India.
The three main tribal groups maintain a matrilineal tradition, where family names and land ownership pass through the female line. In many villages, the youngest daughter cares for aging parents and manages the family home, while older siblings establish their own households after marriage.
The capital Shillong sits about 100 kilometers south of the Assam border and can be reached by a smaller airport and long-distance highways. Visitors should prepare for changing weather, as the hillsides often experience sudden rain showers even outside the main monsoon months.
Communities in remote valleys have shaped living bridges from rubber tree roots that grow across rivers and become stronger over time. Some of these structures are over 500 years old and still carry several dozen people at once.
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