Shillong: Meghalaya's Bewitching Capital

Shillong is indisputably one of the best cities in the North-East. From being Assam's erstwhile capital city, Shillong has a long history and heritage. Apart from the Khasis, Shillong has people from every nook and corner of the world -- some come here to reminsce a refulgent heritage and culture while others have settled down here after marrying locals.

A bird's eye view of Shillong from the GS Road


A typical Shillong-pattern house

Shillong today has showrooms of several international brands like Sony. Residents of this classic city have a great taste for gadgets. Thanks to a highly literate mass, you won't find dummies strolling on the streets.

As you treat the city, you notice a striking contrast to North Indian cities. The roads are clean and the people have a great sense for anti-littering. That's the direct benefit of education.

As you trudge through Shillong you will notice that the cabs are bright-coloured. The Khasis have a great taste for colour and they make even the most drab thing interesting. The cabs are all from our desi Maruti company, yet the style in which they are remade is amazing.

The Legislative Assembly building of Meghalaya

Everything within the city of Shillong is so fresh and clean that you feel you are somewhere beyond India. Inspite of being a part of India much of the North-East is different -- both in terms of cleanliness and general tastes.

The Outskirts of the Shillong city

Barapani Lake: A Jewel in Meghalaya

The Barapani Lake walkway

The 100 kilometers drive from Assam’s capital city Guwahati to Meghalaya’s capital, Shillong, is a memorable sojourn through pristine nature. The journey is a vivacious blend of transcending nature that changes all too smoothy, from the typical rain forests to that of an alpine region. Assam’s typical bamboo and beatlenut trees disappear along the way as pine trees make a dramatic entry. As you move deep inside Meghalaya, almost about 17 kilometers from Shillong, nature showcases a beauty: the Barapani Lake – India’s largest artificial fresh water lake and a traveller’s delight. Barapani is known as Umiam Khwan and it is about 17 kilometers from Shillong.

Mist settled over the Lake in a winter morning

Nestled between low lying mountains on all sides, the Barapani lake is Meghalaya’s key hydro-electric project. The late offers water sports facilities like sailing, water skiing and water scooter driving. There are quite a few tourist resorts in the vicinity. The Orchid Lake Resort and the adjacent Lum Nehru Park offers a memorable holiday for visitors.

The morning sun brightens the lake
Barapani lake has facilities for water-sports

A view of the hydro-electric unit in Barapani