The Elephant
waterfalls, a broad, multi-tiered waterfall situated a short drive away from
Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya. It used to be called the Ka Kshaid Lai
Pateng Khohsiew before it was renamed by the British as the Elephant falls.
Over here, people don’t build bridges, but grow them. A
self-renewing, self-strengthening living root bridge that looks almost as
if from a fantasy world.
To withstand the
ruthless monsoon in this region, the innovative people of the Khasi tribe made
these from living roots of rubber trees, to withstand the test of time for more
than 100 years. I wonder how something as rudimentary to transportation as
a bridge across a river, can be made so surreal.
Nokhalikai waterfall, making a plunge of about 340 metres makes the
setting to click some pictures very pleasing, but the legends behind the name
of the falls, not so much. According to the legends, a woman named Likai made a
similar plunge from this cliff after she found out that her second husband had
killed, cooked and fed her own daughter to her.
One of the many stops you can make while
travelling through Meghalaya to get a glimpse of the the beauty the Khasi hills
are. No wonder, the clouds wanted to make this place their abode. I'm glad I
did too, even though just for a few days
