Asia’s Cleanest Mawlynnong Village in Meghalaya, India

Mawlynnong Village in the state of Meghalaya in India is called, ‘God's own garden'. Mawlynnong is Asia's cleanest village. It took us approximately 3 hours from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, to finally reach Mawlynnong Village. In the lap of nature stands the little impeccable village, amidst the green rolling Khasi hills.

Do not forget to carry an umbrella and/or a raincoat while travelling in Meghalaya, the abode of clouds. It often rains here. The rain in these hills is mesmerising. The misty and wet ambience of the village is charming.  

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The Magical Beauty

The walk around the rain washed village was extremely refreshing. The Khasi huts and the bamboo cottages with conical dustbins made of canes are constructions typical of this region. We saw kids moving with animals, ducks and poultry at their own happy pace. There are loads of orchids and vibrant flowers. Numerous plants with lush green and colourful leaves soothed the eyes. The villagers are simple, energetic and always smiling. Mawlynnong Village is a perfect example of a community driven eco-tourism. There were only two eateries and we ate a simple yet tasty lunch.

After lunch we climbed an 80 feet high hut-like platform made with bamboos on the tallest tree, overlooking a panoramic view across Bangladesh, the neighbouring country. Mawlynnong Village is only 30 kilometres from Bangladesh border at Dawki.

The Living Root Bridge

We spent the night in a bamboo cottage with absolute basic provisions. It was simplicity at its best. This simplicity won our hard core urbanised hearts and rejuvenated our souls. The next morning I went to the most convenient living root bridge of Meghalaya. Meghalaya has numerous living root bridges. This one is near Mawlynnong (15 mins' drive from Mawlynnong Village). The adventurous walk was on the root bridge and around the area was a new experience.

These root bridges are manmade natural wonders. They are made by the Khasi Tribes by weaving the roots of living rubber trees. One has to see a root bridge to acknowledge the brilliance of the art of making living root bridges.

The Return Journey

While returning back from Mawlynnong Village to Shillong we took the route that goes via Dawki. A visit to Dawki definitely deserves an exclusive description. On the way (after 50 mins' drive from Mawlynnong) we saw a ravishing waterfall. It is the Bophill/ Borhill Falls. The water comes gushing down from the hills on one side of the road and flows down into the Dawki or Umngot River. Standing on the bridge we could see this river flowing into the plains of Bangladesh on the other side.

If one is lucky, she can find pineapple sellers selling pineapples cut fresh from the fields. The sweetness of the fresh pineapple which we had from the roadside still prevails in my head. Even though Mawlynnong Village may not occupy a tremendously significant spot on the World Map, it definitely occupies a unique and beautiful space in my travel memoirs.