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Summer Palace Of Jaintia Kings
The ruins of the summer palace of the Jaintia kings at Nartiang are
located on a hillock close to the well-known Nartiang Temple. The palace
appears to have consisted of several platforms and apartments probably
used as living rooms, sacrificial rooms, entertainment halls, council
chambers etc. According to local tradition, the walls of the palace were
in their hey-day covered with paintings and engravings of flora, fauna and
social events. The palace appears to have been fortified with fixed
cannons, each of which pointed in a different direction. The remains of
these cannons can still be seen.
Borghat Temple
Located at Borghat, close to the Bangladesh border, this rectangular
brick-tile is presently in ruins. Tradition has it that the Jaintia Kings
of yesteryear used to cause sacrifice to be offered at this temple, from
time to time, to appreciate the gods. The dome of the temple shaped like a
cupola, made of solid mass of hard stone fell off during the big
earthquake of 1897 and is still intact and in one piece as it rests
majestically on the side court of the temple. It can be reached by the Lad
Rymbai-Bataw-Borghat Road, which takes off from NH-44 at Lad Rymbai.
Letein Valley
Letein Valley can be best seen from the tableland on which Shnongrim
village in Nongkhlieh Elaka is located. Shnongrim is easily accessible
from Sutnga village which is 16-km off NH-44 and connected with a good
tarred road. The Letein valley looks like a well watered and well tended,
endless golf-course with smooth green turf, bewitching glens and heavenly
pleasant dales which disappear into the distant haze of the horizon under
a clear and azure sky.
Umhang
Located at Batow Village in Jaintia Hills district, this awe-inspiring
lake overlooks the golden yellow plains of Bangladesh. It resembles a gem
in perfect sylvan setting. On either side, its banks are adorned by lush
green forests, which lend grace and beauty to the crystal clear waters of
the Umhang.
Nartiang Temple
The Jaintia King on conversion to Hinduism constructed this temple of the
Hindu Goddess Durga. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple was earlier
connected by a steep tunnel with the river Myntang, which flows just below
the hill on which the temple stands. According to tradition, during the
time of the Jaintia kings, sacrifice was offered each year during Durga
Puja, at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. As the head of the
sacrificial offering was severed, it fell and rolled down the tunnel into
the river Myntang. Till today, a he-goat is ceremoniously sacrificed at
the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, each year during Durga Puja festival.
Lechka
About a kilometer and a half off Pdengshakap village, which is located on
the Jowai-Amlarem-Muktapur-Dawki State Highway, there is the beautiful
valley where the river Myntdu is met with two smaller rivulets. The
panorama of the place leaves an indelible impression on the mind of any
visitor. A Hydroelectric project is proposed to be taken up in the valley
upstream of Lechka. The environs of the entire valley are captivatingly
beautiful and have a hypnotic effect on a visitor.
Sutiang Fort
Located on a hill in between Tongseng and Shnongrim villages within
Nongkhlieh Elaka of Jaintia Hills District lies the ruins of an old stone
fort or barricade, locally known as Sutiang Fort. According to local
tradition this is the last fort of the Jaintias stormed by the British,
during the war waged against them by the Jaintias under the leadership of
U Kiang Nangbah, during 1862. The fort, which consists of a large number
of stone caves, is well barricaded. Only after a long and protracted
seize, could the British soldiers dislodge their Jaintia peers from the
fort. U Swan Daloi of Sutnga died defending the fort. The battle at
Sutiang Fort between the Jaintia and British forces is still remembered
with awe and pride by the people
Nartiang Monoliths
Located
at a place called Law Mulong within Nartiang village, there is a cluster
of Menhirs locally known as Ki Moo Shynrang and Dolmens, locally known as
Ki Moo Kynthai. The tallest Menhir in Meghalaya, known as "Moo Iong
Syiem" is located within this cluster and stands 20-feet tall. This
particular Menhir was erected by U mar Phalyngki a trusted lieutenant of
the Jaintia king. U Mar Phalyngki, U Luh Lyngskor LOamare, erected the
other monoliths and the inhabitants of Nartiang village between 1500 AD
and 1835 AD to commemorate glorious events of the Jaintia Kingdom. The Law
Mulong as well as the adjacent Nartiang market place are regarded as
sacred sites where Puja according to the local religious rites are
regularly performed. The monoliths of Nartiang are a major tourist
attraction of the eastern part of the State of Meghalaya.
Memjubel
A large collection of pot-like objects carved out of stone lie on a
hilltop near Saipung village overlooking the river Kupli, which runs in
between Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya and North Cachar Hills
district of Assam. According to legend, these carved stone pots were the
handiwork of the celebrated Jaintia Chieftain U Sajar Nangli and his
followers. The collection and the location are locally known as Memjubel.
Ka Dur U Jumai
Ka Dur U Jumai or the image of the earthquake is found carved out of a
huge rock located along the footpath from Syndai village to the Umpubon
Bridge on Jowai-Dawki road. The carving portrays a deity with a nose
resembling an elephant trunk and the body of a man, except that the head
is conical at its upper extremity and one of its hands have only a thumb.
According to local legend the carving depicts U JUmai or the earthquake,
which is caused by the movement of U Jumai's unique thumb. It gives an
interesting insight into the unwritten and unrecorded beliefs of the
Jaintias of earlier centuries.
Ialong
Situated 8-km off Jowai on the Jowai-Badarpur Road, i.e. NH-44, Ialong is
one of the oldest villages of Jaintia Hills district close to the NH-44
and within the village area, there is a beautiful sacred grove known as
Khloo Lyngdoh Ialong. Within this sacred grove there are the remains of an
ancient boulder-fortress where the soldiers of the Jaintia King garrisoned
themselves from time to time during the middle of the 19th century. There
is also a small but beautiful lake on the tableland on which Ialong is
located.
Iawmusiang
The largest Jaintia market is located at Jowai, the district
headquarters, opposite the country old Collectorate Building and slightly
older police station. It is better known as Iawmusiang and like many other
weekly market in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, it is held on every eighth
day.
Rupasor Bathing Ghat
Located on the Jowai-Muktapur Road, the Rupasor Bathing Ghat consists of
a beautiful bathing pool hewn out of rock which forms the bed of the
Rupasor stream. Tradition has it that this pool was created by U Luh
Lyngskor Lamare under the direction of the Jaintia King. The pool is 19 ½-feet
in length and 15-feet in breadth. A flight of steps hewn out of the same
mass of rock leads to the bottom of the pool. On the right wall of the
pool, the replica of an elephant has been carved out of the same rock, to
serve as platform for bathing princesses to sit upon. Overlooking the pool
there are two huge rocks with designs of the Sun and Moon carved on them.
The pool is fed by crystal clear water run off from the Rupasor stream.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health
Located at Raliang village, 30-km off Jowai on the Jowai-Garampani Road,
the shrine is built as an octogonal-cross. Outwardly it appears to be a
triple storied structure, but internally it consists of a big hall with
the alter at the centre. It can accomodate about one thousand persons.
Atop the dome of the shrine and over the alter, there is an imposing
statue of Our Lady of Good Health, made of shimmering white marble
standing upon a Globe. The Style of architecture of the shrine is Roman.
There are three main entrances into the shrine. Each entrance has two
doors. The windows consists of Roman arches. The entire shrine is a close
replica of the Shrine of Our lady of Good Health at Turin, Italy. Te
shrine was completed in January 1989. 