Global rain capital

There is a subtle charm about Cherrapunjee (also spelt as Cherrapunji) that makes me feel peaceful and at home there. Like many of us, my first introduction to Cherrapunjee was through my textbooks where we learnt that Cherrapunjee is the place to receive the highest rainfall in the world. I was clearly proud of the fact that such a place existed in India. And it is from that time, I longed to visit the “wettest place in the world”. While there are so many places to visit in Cherrapunjee, I was always fascinated by the waterfalls of Cherrapunjee, also known as Sohra locally. Cherrapunjee later gave up the title of “Wettest Place on Earth” to nearby Mawsynram. It is now the “Second most Wettest place in the world“.

Our first visit to Cherrapunjee was in October 2012 when we had gone for a long trip to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Meghalaya. It was just a day trip as we had time constraints and had to only rush around the place. Quite naturally, we were not satisfied with the visit. Then again, we visited Sohra after completing the David Scott Trail. That was in January 2017. Even after 2 visits, I longed to visit Cherrapunjee during the monsoon to experience the beauty of rains. Finally, in August 2019, my dream of visiting Cherrapunjee in monsoon was realized.

Cherrapunjee had been a complete dreamland for us. We love everything about the place – the waterfalls, the caves, markets, Khasi food and the people. Nature is at her pristine best. It is green and green wherever the eyes go and the sky is blue with white clouds interspersed here and there. It is this color of the sky I absolutely love. And the monsoons are definitely magical in Cherrapunjee. Clouds literally play hide and seek there. At one time, the sky is overcast with cloud and then it suddenly starts raining. Within minutes, it can so happen that the sky turns to a perfect blue again. What is there not to love about Cherrapunjee?

The first time we were in Cherrapunjee, there were fewer tourists, only a few hotels and definitely fewer cars on the road. Cherrapunjee was visited by those who wanted to go off-the-beaten-track. In 2019, the scene is a bit different. The effects of mass tourism can be seen in Cherrapunjee as well. The number of hotels and homestays has increased exponentially; there are more cars and much more tourists. But even with more and more people coming in, the beauty of Cherrapunjee has remained unchanged to us. We still loved its empty near roads and enjoyed exploring the place with a scooty. We enjoyed eating pork dishes at the local Khasi joints and felt totally awestruck seeing the sunset at the Nohkalika Waterfalls. So let me just delve into our experience at our latest visit to Cherrapunjee and then I would go on to write about the different places that you can visit in Cherrapunjee and also give all the useful information about the place. Nohkalikai Falls is a grand waterfall. Falling from a height of 1100 feet, the waterfall looks nothing sort of spectacular. The sky was golden yellow when we reached the Nohkalikai Falls. We just looked at the waterfall in awe as the sky changed its colors dramatically. There is a viewpoint a little away from the Nohkalikai viewpoint. The sunset is very beautiful from there. I love sunsets, so I rushed towards the sunset point while Agni remained back to take some pictures of the waterfall. We both got what we wanted. Agni got his waterfall pictures and I got a beautiful sunset. After that, we returned to Cherrapunjee.

There is a heartbreaking Khasi legend behind the Nohkalikai Falls. Nohkalika literally translates into “Jump of Likai”. Likai was a young widow living with her little daughter in Rangjyrteh village near the waterfall. She used to work all the day to make ends meet. So whenever she was home, she spent that time with her daughter.

Offbeat Untold