Goddess and Forest, Inseparable
Jayanti Shakti Peetha at Nartiang, where the left thigh of Sati fell, sits in the historic homeland of the matrilineal Pnar people, reflecting Meghalaya's distinctive social structure even within its Hindu Shakti tradition. Far more pervasive across the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, however, are the Law Kyntang — community-protected old-growth sacred groves maintained under strict customary taboo as the dwelling place of local deities, among the finest surviving examples of indigenous forest conservation anywhere in India.
Nohkalikai Falls, India's tallest plunge waterfall, adds a layer of natural grandeur and local legend — the tragic story of Ka Likai — to Meghalaya's sacred geography, set within Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth.
