Shillong Explained

Shillong
Settlement Type:City
Nickname:Scotland of the East
Pushpin Map:India Meghalaya#India
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Shillong in Meghalaya
Coordinates:25.5822°N 91.8944°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:East Khasi Hills
Named For:Lei Shyllong (Deity)
Governing Body:Shillong Municipal Board
Leader Title:Director
Leader Name:B. S. Sohliya
Leader Title2:MP
Leader Name2:Ricky AJ Syngkon (VPP)
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:64.36
Elevation M:1495-1965
Elevation Ft:4908-6449
Population Total:143,229
Population As Of:2011
Population Density Km2:234
Population Metro:354,759
Population Demonym:Shillongite and Nongsor
Demographics Type1:Language
Demographics1 Title1:Official
Demographics1 Info1:English[1] [2]
Demographics1 Title2:Associate official
Demographics1 Info2:Khasi, Garo[3]
Timezone1:IST
Utc Offset1:+5:30
Postal Code Type:PIN
Postal Code:793 001 – 793 102
Area Code:0364
Area Code Type:Telephone code
Registration Plate:ML-05
Blank Name:Climate
Blank Info:Cwb

Shillong ([4] [5] pronounced as /kha/) is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a population of 143,229 according to the 2011 census.[6] It is said that the rolling hills around the town reminded the British of Scotland. Hence, they would also refer to it as the "Scotland of the East".[7]

Shillong has steadily grown in size since it was made the civil station of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills in 1864 by the British. In 1874, on the formation of Assam as the Chief Commissioner's Province, it was chosen as the headquarters of the new administration because of its convenient location between the Brahmaputra and Surma valleys and more so because the climate of Shillong was much cooler than tropical India.[8] Shillong remained the capital of undivided Assam until the creation of the new state of Meghalaya on 21 January 1972, when Shillong became the capital of Meghalaya, and Assam moved its capital to Dispur in Guwahati.

Etymology

Shillong is named after the god of the Khasis, "U Blei Shyllong". The more widespread knowledge is that Shillong was named after a boy named “Aahlad” who was born to a virgin mother near Bisi.

History

Shillong was the capital of composite Assam during the British regime and later until a separate State of Meghalaya was formed. David Scott, the British civil servant of the East India Company, was the Agent of the Governor-General North East Frontier. During the First Anglo-Burmese War the British authorities felt the need for a road to connect Sylhet and Assam. The route was to traverse across the Khasi and Jaintia Hills. David Scott overcame the difficulties his administration faced from the opposition of the Khasi Syiems – their chiefs and people. Impressed by the favourable cool climate of Khasi Hills, they negotiated with the Syiem of Sohra in 1829 for a sanatorium for the British. Thus began the consolidation of British interests in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills.

In early 1829, a Khasis confederation mounted a serious uprising against British occupation. But by January 1833, their leader Tirot Sing surrendered to David Scott and was detained to Dacca (present-day Dhaka). A political agent was posted in Sohra, also known as Cherrapunjee.

But the British did not like the climate and facilities of Sohra and they moved to Shillong. "Ïewduh" is the biggest market in Shillong. The name "Shillong" was later adopted, as the location of the new town was below the Shillong Peak.

In 1874, a separate Chief Commissionership was formed with Shillong as the seat of administration. The new administration included Sylhet, now a part of Bangladesh. Also included in the Chief Commissionership were the Naga Hills (present-day Nagaland), Lushai Hills (present-day Mizoram) as well as Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills. Shillong was the capital of composite Assam till 1969 when the autonomous state of Meghalaya was formed. In January 1972, Meghalaya was made a full-fledged state.[9]

The Shillong Municipal Board dates back to 1878, when a proclamation was issued constituting Shillong and its suburbs, including the villages of Mawkhar and Laban, into a station under the Bengal Municipal Act of 1876. Inclusion of the villages of Mawkhar (S.E. Mawkhar, Jaiaw and part of Jhalupara and Mawprem) and Laban (Lumparing, Madan laban, Kench's Trace and Rilbong) within the Municipality of Shillong was agreed to by Haiñ Manik Syiem of Mylliem under the agreement of 15 November 1878.[10] But, there is no trace of Shillong in the British era maps dating back to 1878, up to 1900.

The great earthquake of 12 June 1897 of moment magnitude 8.1 killed 27 from Shillong and destroyed much of the town.

Geography

Shillong is at . It lies on the Shillong Plateau, the only major uplifted structure in the northern Indian shield.[11] The city lies in the centre of the plateau and is surrounded by hills, three of which are revered in Khasi tradition: Lum Sohpetbneng, Lum Diengiei, and Lum Shyllong.

Shillong is just 100km (100miles) from Guwahati, which can be accessed by road along NH 40, a journey of about 2 hours 30 minutes through lush green hills and the Umiam lake in between.

Smart Cities Mission

Shillong has been selected as the 100th city to receive funding under the centre's flagship "Smart Cities Mission" Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). In January 2016, 20 cities were announced under the Smart Cities Mission, followed by 13 cities in May 2016, 27 cities in September 2016, 30 cities in June 2017, and 9 cities in January this year. The total proposed investment in the finally selected 100 cities under the Smart Cities Mission would be 2,050,180 million. Under the scheme, each city will get 5000 million from the centre for implementing various projects.

Climate

Weather conditions in Shillong are typically pleasant, pollution-free. In the summer the temperature varies from 23C. In the winter the temperature varies from 4C.

Under Köppen's climate classification the city features a subtropical highland climate (Cwb). Its summers are cool and very rainy, while its winters are cool yet dry. Shillong is subject to vagaries of the monsoon. The monsoons arrive in June and it rains almost until the end of October.

Transport

Although well connected by road, Shillong has neither rail connections nor a proper air connection. Umroi Airport located 30km (20miles) from the city centre has only limited flights.

Roadways

Shillong is well connected by roads with all major northeastern states. Three major National Highways pass through:

Private bus operators, as well as state transport buses from other states, come to and from Shillong daily. Taxi services are also available to destination like Guwahati, Agartala, Kohima, Dimapur, Aizawl and other North Eastern towns and cities.

The Shillong Bypass (pictured) is a two lane road which stretches across 47.06km (29.24miles) connecting Umiam (NH-40) to Jorabat (NH-44) which then leads to other northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Tripura. The project was estimated to have cost around and was completed in a span of two years (2011–2013).[12] [13]

Airways

Shillong is served by the Shillong Airport, which is located about 30 km away at Umroi. The airport has daily flights to and from Kolkata.[14] It also have flights to and from Lilabari, Delhi, Silchar, Agartala, Imphal, Dimapur, Dibrugarh and Guwahati.[15] Presently Indigo, Alliance Air and SpiceJet are operating regular services from the airport.[16] [17]

Railways

Teteliya-Byrnihat line, long, from Guwahati's suburb Tetelia to Byrnihat near Shillong in Meghalaya is likely to be completed by March 2026. From Byrnihat it will be extended further to Shillong in future.[18]

Demographics

As of the 2011 Census of India, Shillong had a total population of 143,229, of which 70,135 were males and 73,094 were females. As per 2011 language census report, 67,154 of the city's population speak Khasi as their native language,[19] [20] 28,984 speak Bengali, 15,559 speak Hindi, 14,085 speak Nepali, 4,069 speak Assamese, 2,632 speak Punjabi, 3,580 speak Garo, 1,088 speak Urdu and 6,115 speak other languages. 14,317 were aged 0 to 6 years. The literacy rate was 83.5% or 119,642 people: 84.8% for males and 82.3% females. The effective literacy rate of people aged 7 years and older was 92.8%, 94.8% for males and 90.9% for females. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 1,551 and 73,307, respectively. Shillong had 31,025 households in 2011.[21] As per the 1971 census (before creation of Meghalaya state in 1972), non-tribals constituted 58.53% of the population of Shillong.[22]

According to 2011 census, Christianity is the dominant religion in the city, practised by 46.49% of the population, followed by Hinduism at 41.95%, Islam 4.89%, and to a lesser degree, that is, 2.01% includes Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. An ancient indigenous religion of the Khasi and Jaintia tribes is still followed by 4.5% of the population. The Shillong metropolitan region, which includes the towns of Laitumkhrah, Lawsohtun, Madanrting, Mawlai, Mawpat, Nongkseh, Nongmynsong, Nongthymmai, Pynthorumkhrah, Shillong Cantonment, Umlyngka and Umpling,had a population of 354,759, 12% of which being under six years of age. The literacy rate in the metro region was 91%.[23]

Places of interest

Tourist sites in and around the city include:[24]

12 km on the outskirts of the city, the mountain stream descends through three successive falls set in dells of fern covered rocks.[25]

Known locally as Nan-Polok. It is an artificial lake with garden and boating facilities, built during the colonial era.

Sweet Falls (also called "Weitdem", in the native dialect) is a waterfall located about 5 km from the Happy Valley and is about 96 m in height.

Sport

Shillong is one of the capital cities in Northeast India to produce three football clubs that participate in the I-League, namely, Rangdajied United FC, Royal Wahingdoh FC and Shillong Lajong FC. All three have their home stadium at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Royal Wahingdoh FC was adjudged 2nd runners-up in the 2014–15 season of I-League.[26]

The Shillong Golf Course is one of the oldest golf course in the country and is surrounded by pine and rhododendron trees.

Among people of the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya, archery has been both a sport, a form of defence for several centuries and gambling (teer). While modern customs have replaced many of traditional aspects of the culture here, a pervasive fascination for archery remains. Shillong teer is an authorised game that is subject to regulations established by the Meghalaya Amusement and Betting Tax Act. The Khasi Hills Archery Sports Association is in charge of managing this lottery event.[27]

Binningstar Lyngkhoi from Shillong is a national marathon runner and represented India in the last 2010 Commonwealth Games. He is the fastest marathoner in India with a timing of 2:18 hours.

Club Sport League Stadium
Shillong Lajong FCFootballI-LeagueJawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong
Rangdajied United F.C.FootballI-LeagueJawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong
Ryntih FCFootballI-League 2nd DivisionJawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong

Education

See also: List of educational institutions in Shillong.

Autonomous institutions

General degree colleges

Law college

Medical College

Law schools

Central Universities

Private Universities

Media

Local media in Shillong is strong. There are a number of theatres, newspapers, magazines, local radio and television stations. Shillong is also often called as "India's Rock Capital" due to its inhabitants' great passion for music, hosting concerts featuring a number of western artists.

Cinema

Cinemas in Shillong include Bijou Cinema Hall, Gold Cinema and Anjalee Cinema Hall (also called Galleria Anjalee Cinema).[32]

Print media

See also: Shillong Observer. Newspapers are published for Shillong both in Khasi and English. Prominent English dailies published here include Shillong Times, Meghalaya Guardian, Highland Post, Meghalaya Times and The Sentinel. Khasi dailies like U Mawphor, U Nongsaiñ Hima Peitngor, Kynjat Shaiamong others are published here. Weekly newspaper are "Salonsar" and "Dongmusa". There are magazines like "Iing Khristan" (100 years of publication), "Pateng Mynta" in Khasi and "Youth Today" and "Eastern Panorama" in English.

Electronic media

The radio industry has expanded with a number of private and government-owned FM channels being introduced. State-owned Doordarshan transmits terrestrial television channels. Apart from these few weekly news channels like Peitngor Cable News (PCN), Ri Khasi Channel, Batesi and T7 are broadcast weekly on the local cable networks.

Communication services

Fixed telephone lines are available. Internet services are available both wired and wireless broadband. It is also well covered in mobile networks with all major cellular providers like Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and Jio are available here.

Headquarters Eastern Air Command, Indian Air Force

HQ Eastern Air Command (HQ, EAC) was shifted to Shillong on 10 Jun 63 from Kolkata and housed in the old buildings located at Nonglyer village at Upper Shillong, some 10 km from (Lower) Shillong, but at a greater altitude of around 6,000 feet AMSL. Initially a British military base, it was taken over by No. 58 Gorkha Regiment of the Indian Army post Independence in 1947. The Regiment was redeployed after the Sino-Indian War of 1962, making way for the IAF to step in. Only helicopters can operate from HQ, EAC, using a 12.7 hectare (31.3 acre) helipad.[33]

EAC controls air operations in the eastern sector which include West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram and the other eastern states bordering Bangladesh, Burma, and Tibet. EAC comprises permanent airbases at Chabua, Gauhati, Bagdogra, Barrackpore, Hashimara, Jorhat, Kalaikunda and Tezpur with forward airbases at Agartala, Culcutta, Panagarh and Shillong.[34]

Neighbourhoods

Historic neighbourhoods of Shillong include Mawkhar, Jaiaw, Riatsamthiah, Umsohsun, Wahingdoh, Khyndailad (Police Bazar), Mawlai, Laitumkhrah, Laban, Malki, Nongthymmai and Polo.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India. nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. 27 June 2019. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf. 25 May 2017.
  2. Web site: About Us Official Website of Meghalaya State Designated Agency, Government of Meghalaya, India . msda.nic.in . 24 November 2021.
  3. News: PTI . Meghalaya govt working for inclusion of Khasi, Garo languages . 24 November 2021 . Business Standard India . 14 September 2018.
  4. Web site: Define Shillong . Dictionary.com . 31 October 2013 .
  5. Web site: Definition of Shillong . The Free Dictionary . 31 October 2013 .
  6. Web site: List of Most populated cities of India. www.census2011.co.in. 25 December 2019.
  7. News: Rao. Sachin. Travel: Shillong, India – 'Scotland of the east'. 19 February 2017. The Scotsman. en.
  8. Web site: Shillong India . Encyclopædia Britannica . 16 July 2019.
  9. Book: Syiemlieh. David R.. Reflections From Shillong: Speeches of M.M. Jacob (Volume 3). 2005. Daya Books. 8189233297.
  10. Web site: Shillong Municipal Board – History . Shillong Municipal Board. 21 May 2014.
  11. Bilham, R. and P. England, Plateau pop-up during the great 1897 Assam earthquake. Nature(Lond),410, 806–809, 2001
  12. News: Gadkari to inaugurate Shillong Bypass. The Economic Times. The Times Group. 30 April 2015. 1 May 2015.
  13. Web site: Gadkari to inaugurate Shillong bypass today. ANI. Yahoo! News. 1 May 2015. 1 May 2015.
  14. News: Three new flights to Raipur, Shillong from Kolkata | Kolkata News. The Times of India. 16 May 2019 .
  15. Web site: Flightradar24 . Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map . 23 March 2023 . Flightradar24 . en.
  16. News: PTI . 8 October 2021. Boom: Umroi Airport caters to 10,000+ fliers in 3 months. 19 November 2021. The Shillong Times. en-US.
  17. Web site: Press Trust of India . 25 February 2023 . SpiceJet introduces direct flight service from Delhi to Shillong . 23 March 2023 . Business Standard.
  18. https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/north-east-to-get-better-indian-railways-connectivity-5-major-rail-projects-lined-up-details-here/2027372/ North East to get better Indian Railways connectivity! 5 major rail projects lined up
  19. News: Singh . Bikash . 13 December 2018 . Khasi Students Union expresses opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill . The Economic Times . 24 May 2023.
  20. News: Khasi population in city not more than 50 pc: KSU . December 2019 . Shillong Times . 24 May 2023.
  21. Web site: Census of India: Shillong . 30 December 2019 . www.censusindia.gov.in.
  22. Web site: Myrboh . Batskhem . 9 February 2019 . On Non Tribal Migration in Meghalaya . RAIOT . 24 May 2023.
  23. Web site: Shillong Metropolitan Urban Region Population 2011 Census. www.census2011.co.in.
  24. Web site: Meghalaya Tourism. Attractions and Activities in Shillong. Meghalaya Tourism.
  25. Web site: Waterfalls of Meghalaya: Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya. megtourism.gov.in. 3 February 2020. 26 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200126060253/http://www.megtourism.gov.in/waterfalls.html. dead.
  26. Web site: Points Table | Hero I-League. 25 December 2019.
  27. News: Ramadurai. Charukesi . 16 May 2018 . In India, gambling with bows and arrows . BBC . 17 March 2022.
  28. News: National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Shillong: Accreditation & Awards, Ranking, Fees . India Today . 12 November 2023.
  29. Web site: Institute of Hotel Management - Shillong Meghalaya - Central IHMs . nchm.nic.in . 12 November 2023.
  30. News: 1st NLU Meg- NHRC National Law Moot Court Competition (Prizes Worth Rs. 1.5 L) [Offline; March 15-17] ]. 18 April 2024 . Live Law . 31 December 2023 . en.
  31. News: IGNOU Shillong Regional Centre Admission, Courses & Contact Details . 12 November 2023 . ICNN News . 8 November 2023 . en.
  32. Web site: Shillong gets its first multiplex. The Shillong Times. 30 January 2015. 4 April 2015.
  33. Web site: EASTERN AIR COMMAND. 25 December 2019.
  34. Web site: Eastern Air Command (EAC) – Bharat Rakshak: Indian Air Force. Shillong.. Meghalaya. 11 January 2016. 13 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190913120012/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/units/commands/295-eastern-air-command.html. dead.