By Priyan R Naik
Meghalaya, especially the Cherrapunji area is one of the wettest places on earth, known for its waterfalls that cascade downwards in spectacular fashion. My Shillong trip would be incomplete if I were not to visit some of them.
The NohKaLikai Falls, close to Cherrapunji, described as “sheer poetry in motion ” was first on my list. 340 metres in height, it is the tallest plunge type waterfall in India. The 50 odd kilometres to the waterfall are 
covered in a jiffy on a road both motorable and picturesque. My driver had however warned me about the mist that unexpectedly envelopes the entire area preventing a clear view of the Falls. If the clouds are unkind, one must wait, sometimes for hours on end before being able to see the falls plunge over red-rock cliffs into a clear turquoise pool. The clouds were gathering even as I drove towards the Falls and several cars were turning back as a heavy mist obstructed a candid view of the cascading waters.
I decided to return too but not before reading a “Display Board” at the view point inscribed with the disturbing legend of the origin of the name “NohKaLikai”. Apparently a woman 
named Ka Likai remarried on the death of her husband. With an infant daughter to support her, she took up a porter’s job, requiring her to leave the child unattended for hours together while at work. Her new husband turned out to be a nasty, mean fellow, jealous of the attention Ka Likai gave her daughter.
Tragically one day he murdered his step daughter and horrendously cooked her for dinner. Likai returned, starving after the day’s hard labour and unknowingly ate the meal cooked by her husband. While eating betel leaves and nuts she found some tiny severed fingers and understood what had actually happened. Filled with grief she ran to the 
edge of the waterfall and jumped to her death following which the waterfall got named ‘NohKaLikai’ meaning the ‘leap of Likai’.
In a melancholic mood, the driver took me next to the ‘Seven Sisters Waterfalls’, close to Cherrapunji. I could count seven segments of the plunging water from a height of 315 metres over the top of limestone cliffs of the East Khasi Hills. The vibrant colours of the sun falling on the waterfalls made it a sight to behold!
To make up for the disappointment of missing out on NohKaLikai, I stopped by at the Elephant Falls on the outskirts of Shillong. The waterfalls are named after an elephant-like rock found near the foot of the Falls, unfortunately destroyed in the 1897 earthquake. Popular due to the proximity to Shillong the place was thronging with crowds, only you needed to descend some 150 steep slippery steps, not by itself an easy task. With three tiers, the first hidden among trees and difficult to see, the second looking small and inconsequential, the third fall was the tallest with clear water. Flanked by lush greenery, water flowing like a sheet against the backdrop of dark 
rocks made for a mesmerising scene. Even Prime Minister Modi, who visited these falls in 2016, asked everyone going to Meghalaya to put these Falls on their “Must visit List.”
Bengaluru’s nearest waterfall is located 400 Kilometres away. Surrounded by scenic verdant hills the 253 Metres, Jog Falls is the 3rd highest in India. The Sharavathi river reaches a wide chasm from where the water cascades downwards into four distinct falls, with views equally spellbinding as the wondrous waterfalls of Shillong!
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The writer is a freelance contributor at The Shillong Times