Mawphlang gears up for Monolith Festival
SHILLONG: The first-ever Monolith Festival to be organised at the under-construction Heritage Village in Mawphlang on October 25 and 26 is gearing up for a grand opening with as many as 10 traditional huts of 10 Himas and 30 traditional stalls already completed at the venue.
This first of its kind festival, organised by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), is expected to draw a huge crowd especially the indigenous people of the State.
The two-day festival will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, V. Kishore Chandra Deo, on October 25.
“This festival as we like to call it the festival of the ‘Jaidbynriew’ besides providing a platform for all the 53 Himas to come together, will also be a mode of disseminating knowledge to the people about our rich and diverse cultures,” the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of KHADC PN Syiem said.
Following a spot visit on Wednesday to examine the progress of the construction work at the heritage village before the festival kicks off on Friday, the CEM and his executive members said that about 75 per cent of the work in the village has been completed.
It was informed that the expenditure for the construction of the huts and the stalls have been borne by both the KHADC and the respective Himas.
The venue of the festival, the Heritage Village, has been constructed on a five-acre plot of land donated by the Hima Mawphlang just opposite to the Sacred Grove at Mawphlang.
Lack of space has limited the construction of traditional huts to 10 and the KHADC is in the process of extending the area to make space for all the 53 Himas under one roof.
The KHADC is funding up to Rs 40 lakh for the Festival which is expected to take the rich cultural aspects of the Khasis to new heights, thereby promoting the Tourism sector, one of the main priorities of the State Government.
Being the first-ever festival, the KHADC has decided not to charge any entry fee for this year.
“For now, we will observe how the
event goes, and with it, we will see if revenue could be generated from this Village in the later years,” Syiem said, adding that the KHADC is planning to form a Heritage Committee to ensure smooth management of the Village during the peak tourism season.
The Heritage village is being designed by the Anderson Structural Consultants to wear a traditional outlook depicting the root of the Khasi culture.
Meanwhile, the Khasi Heritage Conservation Forum has appealed to the pro-ILP pressure groups to refrain from calling any agitational programmes during the two-day mega event.