Riding Through History: A Trip to Nartiang Monoliths, Meghalaya

The three rows of hypertensive Red and Green starred lights in office switches off one by one, the wailing siren of the pro- pilots fade away; another Sunday arrives; this time though, without the ceremonial call for tea at Rajbhawan, or a heady beer with the sardar sahibans. Time for me thus, to crunch some more Meghalaya miles on my old-faithful RE Himalayan, Shwet-Agni.

Do cut across the Shillong-peak, cross Laitkor, steer left on the Jowai axis and keep cruising to a heady desolation for around 75 km, till your mobile signal, Google-Map, nothing works… and then you have reached Nartiang in the West Jaintia Hill districts, a destination of meditative intoxication. Ask around, and reach U Mawthaw dur briew, the biggest single site of Monoliths in the world; popularly known as the Nartiang Monoliths.

This mesmerising site consists of more than 800 monolithic combinations in an area of 100 metres square, erected by the Jaintia Kingdom between CE 835 (around same time as the Gurjara Pratihara and Pala dynasty of North and Rashtrakutas of South, Vikings invading England for the first time) and CE 1500 (rise of the Mughal empire in India). Though appearing to be epitaphs to the uninitiated at first glance, the monoliths commemorate great local events or life itself. The site features a mix of menhirs (upright stones representing male ancestors and known as Ki Moo Shynrang), and dolmens (flat table stones representing female ancestors and known as Ki Moo Kynthai). Many interesting stories exist about them… the largest menhir (around 27 ft) was supposed to be erected by a Giant of a soldier named U Mar Phalyngki, who unknowingly brought the Market Goddess from Raliang to Nartiang to set up the biggest market in North East. Another funny story is about the Giant of a Jaintia King Luh Lyngshor being teased by an old women because he wanted a bamboo umbrella during rains. The woman pointed to a huge 200 kg stone and told the Giant king to use it as an umbrella. Luh Lyngshor, a strong man in muscle and ego (and perhaps equally strong in the upper storey), did carry the stone upto Nartiang as an umbrella and set it up there to start the monolith site.

The sun moves weatward, and as I turn back from my dreamy Sunday sojourn with nature, history and mythology to the gloomy and overcrowded Shillong, I did chat up with Dylan, a student of sociology in Delhi University, visiting his home village during holidays, and enjoying a beer post church. As he whispered his aspiration to enter the Corporate Jungle of workplace and escape the ancient; I couldn’t help but wonder at the futility of possession of a 2 cr apartment in Noida and a swank golf club membership to be happy, when old.

Civilization will thus churn always forcing the myriad urban-rural
migrations. Mesmerizing Meghalaya, and my Sunday Motorcycle adventures are indeed teaching me…. Doing and more doing is perhaps not so important to be happy. Stopping and Being, rather than running and doing is perhaps the only path we need to think about.