Land Use Project for Geography.

HISTORY OF CHERRAPUNJI :
The original name of Cherrapunjee was Sohra, which was pronounced "Churra" by the British.
This name eventually evolved into the current name, Cherrapunji. Located at nearly 4,500 feet
above the sea-level on the summit of the southern ranges of Khasi hills overlooking the vast
plains of Sylhet (Bangladesh), Cherrapunjee is most visited by tourists during the monsoon
season. The word "Cherrapunji" means 'land of oranges'. The history of the Khasis the
inhabitants of Cherrapunji may be traced from the early part of the 16th century. Between the
16th and 18th centuries these people were ruled by the 'Syiems (rajas or chiefs) of Khyriem' in
the Khasi hills. The Khasi hills came under British authority in 1883 with the submission of the
last of the important syiems, Tirot Singh. Though the place receive rainfall throughout the year
irrigation is not possible here because of heavy rain, the topsoil is washed away and as a result
of this there is encroachment of the people into the forest.

Climate of Cherrapunji :
Cherrapunji's climate is classified as warm and temperate. In winter, there is much less rainfall in
Cherrapunji than in summer. According to the Holdridge life zones system of bioclimatic
classification, Cherrapunji, Meghalaya is situated in or near the subtropical rain forest
biome.The city's yearly rainfall average stands at 11,777 millimetres. Cherrapunji receives both

the southwest and northeast monsoonal winds, giving it a single monsoon season. The
Monsoon season is lengthy and has extremely high rainfall. Cherrapunji lies on
the windward side of the Khasi Hills, so the resulting orographic lift enhances precipitation. In
the winter months it receives the northeast monsoon showers that travel down
the Brahmaputra valley.

Culture of Cherrapunji :
The people who inhabit Cherrapunjee and surrounding villages are known as Khasis. The people living further down
Cherrapunjee in the southern slopes and in the valleys are known as War-Khasis. A notable feature of the Khasis is
the system of matrilineal lineage, where the lineage is taken from the mothers side. The man goes to live in his wifes
house after marriage. The children take the surname of the mother. The responsibility of looking after the parents in
their old age devolves on the youngest daughter. Amidst the Khasis the ancestral property goes to the youngest
daughter whereas amidst the War-Khasis it is divided equally among the children.
The Khasis are divided into a number of clans, which trace their descent from ancestress or kiaws. The descendants
of one common ancestress are called Kur. A sub-clan is called Shi Kpoh. The smaller division of the clan is the family
(iing). Members of clans and sub-clans having a common ancestry cannot marry within the Kur and Kpoh.
The traditional system of administration is through the Dorbars Dorbar Shnong for village level, Dorbar Hima for the
Syiemship / Chieftainship level, with elected headman/ Sirdar at the village level and Syiem at the level of Kingdom /
Chiefdom / Syiemship. The Khasi society is generally egalitarian but certain families alone may offer its males to the
office of Chief (Syiem) in the Khasi States (Hima). There is a hierarchical ranking in the himas with mayors (Basan),
nobles (Bakhraws), priests (Lyngdohs), prime ministers (Lyngskors), electing and regulating the activities of the hima,
Syiems, Lyngdohs and Sirdars. Certain clans have religious functions like Lyngdohs. In the Dorbar Shnong at village
level and the Dorbar Hima at the Kingdom level only men are allowed to participate and vote. The Khasi himas exist
even now as they serve important social and religious functions.

Geographical Prespective of Cherrapunji :

Cherrapunji is located at 25.30N 91.70E. Sohra, previously known as Cherrapunjee,
was established as a Sub-Division in the East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya in 1982.
Set upon a plateau that rises 600 metres above the surrounding valleys on the southern
slopes of the state. The terrain in and around Cherrapunjee is an undulating one with
pockets of shrubs. The steep slopes in the gorges are covered by tropical rain forests.
In many places there is hardly an inch of topsoil but mostly rock outcrop. The condition
of topsoil is rocky in nature and is not conducive for vegetation growth. However,
geologists felt that once upon a time, the table land of Cherrapunjee must have been
thickly forested. Valleys around Cherrapunji, however, are covered with lush and very
diverse vegetation, containing numerous endemic species of plants,
including Meghalaya subtropical forests. Yet there is high rainfall in Cherrapunji, there is
a high shortage of water.

Demography of Cherrapunji :
As of 2001 India census, Cherrapunji had a population of 10,086.
Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%.
Cherrapunji has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the
national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 74% and female
literacy of 74%. 19% of the population is under 6 years of age. By
2011 it the Population grew up to 14,816.

Land Use in Cherrapunji :

Mawmluh :
An overeview of Mawmluh :
Mawmluh Village in Sohra (cherrapunjee) is one of the oldest villages in the area. The average
population of this village is around 1500. it is located near the cement factory known as
Mawmluh Cherra cements Ltd. It is 4 kms from the main Cherrapunjee market area. Mawmluh
Village is easily accessible by road since it is located near the main Sohra-Shella Road.
Mawmluh is a place of history. The name Mawmluh literally translated would be Saltystone...Maw - Stone and Mluh - Salt. Mawmluh Village was once a part of the Nongkhlaw
Kingdom and it used to be the resting place of the Prince. Mawmluh used to be the main trading
area where goods from the erstwhile East Bengal (Bangladesh) were brought here through the
Mule trails and supplied to the whole northeast frontier of the East India company. The pit
roasting of fish is one of the main occupations of the people here. Fish brought all away from the
ocean and big rivers were preserved, sold and supplied from here. Another occupation was the
Ironmongery. The iron found in this area was considered to be one of the best during that time.
But gradually it was blended / adulterated with the lesser grade iron from the plain by some
merchants with the permission of the viceroy to the king. This finally brought an end to the
Ironmongers and also was one of the main reasons of the "Thma Mawkhyrdop".

Location of Mawmluh :
Mawmluh is a village in Shella Bholaganj block in East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya State, in
India. It is located 59 Kilometers towards the South from District head quarters of Shillong and
57 Kilometers from State capital of Shillong. Mawmluh is a village located in the East Khasi Hills
district of Meghalaya state in India. The latitude is 25.57 and longitude is 91.87 are the
geocoordinates of Mawmluh.