Shillong, the heaven of nature lovers, is the most visited and ideal summer holiday destination in exotic North east India. Shillong with 18-hole golf course is Paradise of Golfers. Adventure seekers are also finding Shillong tour charming and tempting because of excellent trekking trails and water sports, such as motorboats, water scooters, skiing and sailing etc. at the Umiam Lake resort.
Shillong the city of waterfalls, with its scenic beauty, cheerful people, clouds and tall pines, mountains and valleys is famous as Scotland of the East and considered as the delight of photographers. Fruit Garden, Polo Ground and the Golf Course along with Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Grotto Church and the All Saints Church are some of the prime tourist attractions for Shillong travel.
Shillong being the home of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo hill tribes is the most perfect place for aroma of colorful lifestyle and cultural traditions of tribes of north east India. During the British rule, the place was chosen as the administrative headquarter of the region just because of the pleasant weather and Shillong city being located between the Brahmaputra and Surma valleys.
After the 1947 Shillong is developing as the education center for the rest of the north east India.
Prime Attractions and Places to Visit in Shillong
Ward Lake : An artificial lake, Ward Lake is situated near the Raj Bhawan. This horse-shoe shaped lake has a beautiful bridge over it and set in a landscaped Botanical Garden. This lake is popular for boating. The boatanical garden and Museum are near by.
Lady Hydari Park : There is the perfectly landscaped Lady Hydari Park ablaze with roses and flowers of almost every variety even as weeping willows bend into water bodies that house pelicans and the like. There is also a mini zoo and Butterfly museum with colourful species preserved for sale and posterity.
Butterfly Museum : The Butterfly Museum is at Wankhar and Co, Riatsamthiahopen who have started breeding butterflies as a conservation measure and for their commercial use. They have a good display of mounted butterflies and beetles from India and abroad.
Bara Bazaar : Bara Bazaar is worth visiting place to see the authentic local colour. It attracts tribal people in their colourful dresses who come to buy and sell vegetables, spices, pots, baskets, chickens and even bows and arrows. The small stalls sell real Khasi food.
Shillong Peak : Shillong Peak is situated about 10 kms. away from which the city derives its name. This peak rises to 1960 m. It is referred as the ‘Abode of the Gods’ and offers excellent views. Since the area is at present under the Air Force, visitors have to stop at the barrier and enter their names and addresses in a book.
Crinoline Falls : The Crinoline Waterfalls has a swimming pool surrounded by the orchids, potted Bonsais and a rock pool with reeds and water lilies.
Elephant Falls : Elephant Falls is situated about 12 kms. away from the city and is a short diversion from the road to Cherrapunji. It is a scenic spot with two high falls, surrounded by fern covered rocks. You can walk down to the lowest pool by wooden steps and bridges and get a good view. However, the mountain stream tends to dry up between November and May.
Golf Club : The Golf Club has an 18 hole golf course where competitions are held and a Polo ground, restaurant and bar. The course has a reputation of being the wettest but one of the most beautiful in the world. The club was founded in 1898, and the present 5873 yard 18 hole course is from 1924. In an undulating valley covered with pine and rhododendron the fairways are covered in a tough variety of local grass. Despite the wetness the greens have the reputation of being extremely fast.
Umiam Lake : This lake is a must watch for all the tourists. It is a lovely lake in the north of Shillong which look alike the lakes of Scotland. The huge size of the lake has earned the name ‘Barapani’ for it, which means big water. This lake is man-made and a water sport complex is also built over here for recreational purposes. On the side of this complex there is the Lum Nehru Park.
Don Bosco Museum of Indigenous North East Culture : This museum is run by the Catholic Church and has immense information about the entire North East states which comprises Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. The museum is located inside the Sacred Heart Church and showcases a distinct collection of attire, accoutrements, weapons, ornaments and persevered photographs. The architecture of the church is strikingly noticeable especially the spiral shaped edifice. This church is the largest cultural museum in Asia working for the preservation of art and culture.
Chrysalis the Gallery : This is an art gallery which is on the second floor of the Salonsar Mansion situated at the police bazaar, which is a commercial hub in Shillong. The chrysalis is very spacious and the paintings are displayed in a fashion which looks different from other common galleries. The gallery displays paintings, sculptures, photographs and also handicrafts. The exhibitions a conducted by the gallery is for local artists also like Jaya Kalra along with artists from the rest of India.
Botanical Backyard : Lady Hydari Park There is certainly the perfectly landscaped Lady Hydari Park ablaze with roses and flowers of virtually each and every range even as weeping willows bend into water bodies that home pelicans as well as the like. There is certainly also a mini zoo and Butterfly museum with colourful species preserved for sale and posterity. There is the completely landscaped Woman Hydari Park ablaze with roses and flowers of just about every single range even as weeping willows bend into drinking water bodies that home pelicans and the like.
Waterfalls : You will find diverse waterfalls in and about this little and wonderful hill station. Bishop and Beadon falls, Elephanta Falls, Spread Eagle Falls, Sweet Falls, Crinoline Falls (really near to Woman Hydari Park) and so on. Shillong is wealthy in having caves, too.
Botanical Gardens : Visit the “Sacred groves” or virgin forests. The nearest one is the Mawphlang sacred as it is by traditional religious sanctions. The forest is so sacred that even a dead leaf cannot be eliminated from your region. Together with the sanction of religion, it really is certainly a outstanding way of preserving the ecological program. It’s a secluded but captivating spot having a variety of exotic vegetation.
Lum Nehru Park : Adjacent for the orchid lake resort in 1 from the bordering spurs, there is certainly a charming park. Apart from lovely lawns and flowers. There is also an orchid-house and an aviary. Plans are afoot to construct an aquarium and set-up musical fountains nearby. Anglican Cemetery Lovers of aged churchyards will appreciate the Anglican cemetery in Rilbong, with gravestones dating again to the last century, including those troopers killed within the Lushai marketing campaign in Mizoram.
State Museum : Meghalaya’s State Museum, in Lachumiere, has exhibits depicting tribal customs and a weaker selection of historical scriptures from elsewhere in India. It provides a in-depth glimpse from the lifestyle and heritage from the individuals.
Kyllang Rock : On the road from Mairang to Nongkhlaw lies a massive single granite stone at great height known as Kyllang Rock. It presents an appearance of a circular dome having a diameter of about 1,000 ft.
Shillong Fairs and Festivals :
Festivals are an integral part of the tribes in Shillong. Christmas, Easter, Good Friday and the New Year Day celebrations are the most important. Ka Pomblang Nongkrem, or the Nongkrem dance and Shad Sukmynsiem are the most important Khasi festivals. Behdiengkhlam, the festival of the Jaintias, is celebrated in July. Then there is the Wangala festival of the Garos that is dedicated to the Sun God.
How To Reach Shillong Meghalaya
Train Journey / Nearest Railway Station :
Shilong is still not a rail station on the train journey map of the country. Guwahati is the nearest railway station for getting here.
Road Travel / Bus Route :
Very effective bus service, plying at interval of almost half hour, connects Shilong with Guwahati on bus route. Hiring a taxi is another good option for road travel to Shilong.
Air Travel / Nearest Airport :
Guwahati is nearest airport, from where about 4 hours driving on NH 40 takes visitors here.
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