The crystal clear stream, butterfly-filled gardens in front of each home, flower-lined lanes, and hand weaven little wicker baskets placed at frequent intervals — all at once lead you towards the “Cleanest Village in Asia” – Mawlynnong.
A trip to this little known village of Meghalaya offers a heavenly experience which starts right from the very beginning of the leading route to the Shangri-la, being covered with mist even at noon. Moreover, the low temperature makes your journey pleasant.
Located 90 kms away from Meghalaya’s capital Shillong, Mawlynnong is based in the interiors of Meghalaya. After Pongtung, the road that takes you to Mawlynnong is single laned and flanked by thick vegetation. Overhanging branches of trees and other plants give you a feeling of entering straight into the lap of nature, presenting picturesque sceneries all across.
Lifestyle of the Villagers :
Cleanliness is the way of life of Mawlynnong Villagers. Much before of the Swachh Bharat mission, since 2007, all houses here have functional toilets. Anyone can notice bamboo dustbins are placed at regular gaps, all over the village. Preaching cleanliness, the village is completely plastic- banned and smoking- prohibited, even the dry leaves fallen from the trees go straight into the dustbins. The decorums are strictly followed by all the inhabitants and any of the defaulters will be charged heavily.
The dwellers and their Social activities :
This cleanest village in Asia, being mainly inhabited by Khasi tribe, has another reason to be famous for. The inhabitants here do not follow the predominant patriarchal rule of the Indian society. The descendants of the family get their mother’s surname, and the family property passes down from the mother to the youngest daughter of the family.
Celebrating 100 percent literacy rate, this tiny village is a true practitioner of women empowerment and warm hospitality to their guests.
Tourist attractions of quaint Mawlynnong :
1.The Living Root Bridges : Made out of the aerial roots of one massive rubber trees these unique bridges are acknowledged as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
2. Sky View : This is a viewing tower which is entirely made of bamboos with an elevation of 85 feet high. When at the top, travellers can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the land along with the sights of neighboring Bangladesh, since the village lies on the Indo-Bangladesh border.
3. Mawlynnong waterfall : Breaking the silence of the jungle, this is a coveted picnic spot to be admired by you with family and friends.
4. Church of Epiphany :
Being a major landmark of the village, this is a 100-year-old structure that still holds an old-world charm. The place is covered with a lot of greenery and patches of red and orange flowers blossoming around its premises.
The Organic Food Habit :
Agriculture, being the chief occupation of the locals, the best part about the cuisines of the village is that all of it is prepared using organically grown vegetables. The same organic element is applied to the non-veg section even.
With all delicacies visitors will get a wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes to savor over here. Starting from pork tossed in bell peppers and greens, freshly-cut and smoked banana-flower, Jadoh – a meat and rice based delight and Tungrymbai – a sumptuous mesh of fermented soybeans, bamboo leaves, and local spices.
The village’s culture is not just to clean but to take care of the hygiene and disinfection simultaneously. Agreeing to the fact that fame has its own rewards, the village has conquered diseases like malaria or dengue, that afflict much of India. What helped to the factor, is its geographical positioning at an altitude of 5,000 feet. Mawlynnong also has a rigorous recycling program, which is quite rare in most of Indian villages. Above all, none of it would be possible without Mawlynnong’s strong social cohesion.
