Nongriat: From Root Bridges To Its Natural & Cultural History
Nongriat is a combination of two words “Nong” meaning village and “Riat” meaning cliffs or ridges. So it literally means “A village surrounded by ridges” – and that’s exactly what you are going to find in Nongriat, in addition to its mesmerizing beauty, natural swimming pools and friendly people It is about 64 Kms from Shillong and to reach there, you’d have to take a shared Jeep or hire a cab from Shillong to Cherapunji (otherwise known as Sohra) and then to Mawshmok. From Mawshmok you’d walk towards Tyrna which takes approximately 10 minutes. Alternatively, if you want to go a little wild, you can walk all the way from Shillong to Cherapunji which will take around 3 days walking through the plump and comely hills of Meghalaya. From Tyrna you walk on foot to Nongthymmai and then to Nongriat which is around 3500 stairways (and a hell lot of sweat) from Tyrna. Not to forget that they are not really proper stairs, at times they are mere boulders and rocks smeared with moss which makes …