Meghalaya
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Meghalaya (मेघालय), meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit megha, "cloud" + ā-laya, "abode") is a state in northeast India. The capital of Meghalaya is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills and (b) the Garo Hills.
Location
The state is bound to the south by the Bangladeshi divisions of Mymensingh and Sylhet, to the west by the Bangladeshi division of Rangpur, and to the north and east by India's State of Assam. During the British rule of India, the British imperial authorities nicknamed it the "Scotland of the East".[1]
English is the official language of Meghalaya. Unlike many Indian states, Meghalaya has historically followed a matrilineal system where the lineage and inheritance are traced through women; the youngest daughter inherits all wealth and she also takes care of her parents.[2]
The state is the wettest region of India, with the wettest areas in the southern Khasi Hills recording an average of 12,000 mm (470 in) of rain a year. About 70 per cent of the state is forested. The Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion encompasses the state; its mountain forests are distinct from the lowland tropical forests to the north and south. The forests are notable for their biodiversity of mammals, birds, and plants.
Economy
Meghalaya has predominantly an agrarian economy with a significant commercial forestry industry. The important crops are potatoes, rice, maize, pineapples, bananas, papayas, and spices. The service sector is made up of real estate and insurance companies. Meghalaya's gross state domestic product for 2012 was estimated at ₹16,173 crore (US$2.0 billion) in current prices. The state is geologically rich in minerals, but it has no significant industries.[3] The state has about 1,170 km (730 mi) of national highways. It is also a major logistical center for trade with Bangladesh.
One of the biggest Central Institutes, the North Eastern Council Secretariat, is also situated in Shillong.
History
Meghalaya, alongside neighbouring Indian states, has been of archaeological interest. People have lived in Meghalaya since the Neolithic period. Neolithic sites discovered so far are located in areas of high elevation in Khasi Hills, Garo Hills and in neighbouring states, where Neolithic style jhum or shifting cultivation is practised even today. The highland plateaus fed by abundant rains provided safety from floods and a rich soil.[4] The importance of Meghalaya is its possible role in human history via domestication of rice. One of the competing theories for the origin of rice comes from Ian Glover, who states, "India is the center of greatest diversity of domesticated rice with over 20,000 identified species and Northeast India is the most favorable single area of the origin of domesticated rice."[5]
The limited archaeology done in the hills of Meghalaya suggest human settlement since ancient times.[6]
After the Conquest of Taraf in 1304, Shah Arifin Rafiuddin, a disciple of Shah Jalal, migrated and settled in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills where he preached Islamic monotheism to the local people. His khanqah remains in Sarping / Laurergarh on the Bangladeshi border but the part containing his mazar is in Meghalaya on top of Laur Hill.[7]
Bhaitbari is an archaeological site first discovered and excavated by A. K. Sharma in 1993, a fortification of burnt brick with mud core was discovered at Meghalaya - Assam border and is dated to 4th-8th century AD, the city has been speculated to have been one of the capital cities of Kamarupa.[8]
External links
References
- ↑ Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (2011), India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, ISBN 978-0313374623, pp. 455–459
- ↑ Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (2011), India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, ISBN 978-0313374623, pp. 455–459
- ↑ Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (2011), India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, ISBN 978-0313374623, pp. 455–459
- ↑ Hazarika, Manjil (2006). "Neolithic Culture of Northeast India: A Recent Perspective on the Origins of Pottery and Agriculture". Ancient Asia. 1: 25–44.
- ↑ Glover, Ian C. (1985), Some Problem Relating to the Domestication of Rice in Asia, In Recent Advances in Indo-Pacific Prehistory (Misra, VN. and P. Bellwood Eds.), ISBN 978-8120400153, Oxford Publishing, pp 265-274
- ↑ SANKAR KUMAR ROY, Aspects of Neolithic Agriculture and Shifting Cultivation, Garo Hills, Meghalaya, Asian Perspectives, XXIV (2), 1981, pp 193-221
- ↑ "Upazila background". Tahirpur Upazila.
- ↑ "Archaeology: Department of Arts and Culture, Government of Meghalaya". megartsculture.gov.in.