Nartiang and Mawsynram

Nartiang Village is situated in the Jaintia hills district of Meghalaya. When we reached there, weather was cloudy and pleasant. Our first stop in Nartiang, was a Durga Temple.  It is believed that a Jaintia king constructed this temple on his conversion to Hinduism.  It is said to be five hundred years old. When we reached the temple, it had a deserted look. The locals were staring at us, as they haven’t seen any tourist for a long time! The temple structure is like a khasi house with a tower. It is a simple and a quiet place. 

On our way to Nartiang

Durga Temple 

Nartiang is mainly famous for its Monolith Park, which has been declared as a protected place by the Archaeological Survey of India.  This park has the biggest collection of monoliths or megaliths stones. It consists of Menhirs (upright stones) and Dolmens (flat stones in the horizontal position). The tallest monolith in this park measures 27 feet. It is really a stunning place. 

Menhirs  and Dolmens at Monolith Park

Monolith Park

Our last stop in Nartiang, was the Thadlaskein Lake.  It is a historical and man made lake.  It is a beautiful spot for picnic and boating. It has play area for children with swing, see- saw etc. too. The flora and fauna surrounding the lake is fascinating.   

Thadlaskein Lake

 Lake

Surrounding areas

Our next day destination was the WETTEST PLACE ON EARTH- MAWSYNRAM. When we left for Mawsynram, it was sun-drenched but on the way, it started raining heavily. The road ahead was not visible due to fog. It was scary.  Our first stop at Mawsynram, was Mawjymbuin cave. The cave has a huge stalagmite in a shape of Shivalinga. We took lots of snaps and enjoyed the weather too, as it was raining heavily with chilly winds blowing.  The weather was perfect for hot tea so we stopped at a nearby restaurant to have one. I really enjoyed every sip of it.  

Way to the Mawjymbuin cave

Mawjymbuin cave

Shivlinga at Mawjymbuin cave

On our way to our next stop Jakrem, we saw a wonderful waterfall. 

Waterfall

Jakrem is famous for its hot water spring. It is believed to have curative medicinal properties. There is a swimming pool and also few bathrooms, built specially for those who want to take bath in hot water. We were looking for the source of this spring but then locals told us that no one knows where this water comes from. There is also a river which makes the view picturesque.  

On our way to Jakrem

Jakrem

River at Jakrem
 

On our way back to Shillong, we passed though a bridge. We thought of exploring the bridge on foot.  Scenery was awesome. Down the bridge, a river was flowing and few locals were engaged in fishing. The sky was full of clouds and overall, presented a breathtaking view.

View from the bridge

Locals fishing

bridge

Next day, we explored the Living roots bridge and cleanest village in Asia. I will discuss about them in my next post.