By Alan West Kharkongor
Sohra, popularly known as Cherrapunjee, is renowned for its natural beauty, waterfalls, caves, and living root bridges. Globally recognized for its extreme rainfall, it holds two Guinness World Records.
Beyond its climate, Sohra is geologically and culturally significant. The recently defined Meghalayan Age, marking the last 4,200 years, was identified through a stalagmite found in a Sohra cave, cementing the town’s global scientific importance.
For the Khasi people, Sohra is the heart of their culture and history. Its colonial past, still visible in its architecture and trade routes, is fading from the memory of the younger generation.
Having grown up in Sohra in the 1980s, I developed a fascination for its forgotten stories and colonial connections. This article delves into untold events and the complex relationship between the British and these hills—marked by admiration and exploitation.
During our childhood in Sohra, we played with our favourite toy car, which we called “Kali Klip.” Unknown to us, this simple plaything was actually a relic of colonial infrastructure—a metal grip from the historic Cherra–Chhatak Ropeway, built in 1929 to connect Sohra to Chattak via Shella. Abandoned after Partition, its remnants became our childhood playthings and a memory for every boy who grew up in Sohra in the ’70s and ’80s.
On October 10, 1929, the Syiem of Sohra, (L) Join Manik Syiem, his agent Rai Sahib Hormurai Diengdoh, and British officer Mr. Patrick Copeland signed an agreement to build the ropeway. It transported goods and essential supplies between the hills and the plains.
While some argue that colonialism brought development, infrastructure was largely built to benefit British interests—resource extraction, troop movement, and administration.
Even before the ropeway, the British sought strategic trade routes. The David Scott Mule Trail, developed in the early 1800s, connected Assam with present-day Bangladesh. It was crucial for military and trade movement. But more efficient systems were always being explored.
One such initiative involved Sir Henry Yule, a Scottish geographer and Orientalist. Yule is best known for his translation of the works of Marco Polo and Friar Jordanus, as well as for co-authoring Hobson-Jobson, a dictionary of Anglo-Indian terms, with Arthur Coke Burnell.
In 1841, Yule arrived in Sohra to explore coal transport possibilities. Though the plan failed, he documented Sohra’s beauty and the Khasi people. Yule wrote the first known account of the Living Root Bridge between Ryngud and Laitiam and sketched it in his book, later published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Sadly, the bridge was replaced by a metal one under a recent government scheme.
Yule also wrote about the River Lingtia (Wahrew), describing: “Sometimes, however, you find a broad reach of deep, still water, swarming with the black backs of large fish.” Today, such scenes are only memories.
Few know Sohra had a railway 139 years ago. Visiting Sohbar in 2004, I saw homes built with iron beams, which locals claimed were salvaged from a railway. An elder, Bah Opren, confirmed the British railway reached Mawsmai. Stone pillars near Thangkharang Park still mark the forgotten track.
In 1884, British engineer Henry Kench arrived in Sohra to design a rail link from Shillong to Calcutta. The Cherra Companyganj State Railway (CCSR), a 2 ft 6 in narrow-gauge tramway, opened in 1886, connecting Mawsmai-Tharia to Companyganj (now in Bangladesh), spanning 12.1 km.
Primarily used for limestone and coal transport, the railway featured rope-hauling mechanisms on steep gradients near Sohbar and Thangkharang till Mawsmai. It was severely damaged in the 1897 Assam earthquake and closed soon after. Currently, only a few of those houses with CCSR railway tracks can still be seen at Sohbar Village. Some locals also believe that limestone from Sohra was used in constructing the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata—an intriguing idea for future researchers.
Khasi Oranges & The Inglis Legacy
Khasi oranges were once so prized they were shipped from Sylhet to Europe, known there as Sylhet Oranges. During this trade boom, English merchant Harry Inglis secured orange grove leases from a local Syiem of Sohra. After his death, his wife placed his body in a glass coffin, warning locals he’d return if betrayed—an eerie psychological tactic. Under Harry’s agreements with the Khasis, his leases on the orange groves were good for his lifetime, which in Khasi translated as ‘for as long as he remained above the ground’ (Katba dang don ha sla pyrthei).
Thomas Jones, the missionary who developed the Khasi alphabet, clashed with Inglis over his exploitation of farmers. Forced to flee Sohra, Jones’s story highlights the darker side of colonial enterprise. Inglis was buried at a location which is now inside the current NIT Sohra campus, once a British residential area. The site, rich in colonial history, was sacrificed for development, a recurring pattern in Sohra.
Erasure of Heritage
Today, many aspects of Sohra’s heritage are fading. Living root bridges are replaced with steel. Traditional Khasi homes have given way to concrete. Oral histories and records of Sohra are vanishing.
The old European cemetery lies neglected, its gravestones fading as nearby settlements encroach. Other historic sites face a similar fate: Ki Jaka Thang Syiem Sohra is losing its grandeur, Rangjyrteh’s ancient iron smelting site is overlooked, and Gothic churches are being replaced by concrete structures. Only the Old Presbyterian Church at Nongsawlia remains preserved, still admired for its heritage and architecture.
Even the names of places are being changed without historical understanding. In my locality, a block (kyntoit Shnong) known as Salibandar was renamed Lumpynkhiah, which some say is the original name. Many thought that Salibandar was derogatory, perhaps linked to monkeys. However, research shows it derived from “sales” and “vendors,” referencing an old market established at the location during the Ropeway trade. It is worth noting that the name ‘Marten’ for Shillong’s waste yard may have originated from ‘Number 10’; however, this theory requires further verification
In 2019, a group of passionate youths from Sohra, who had formed a society, proposed to the state government the establishment of a museum in a heritage house that survived the 1897 quake. The museum aimed to showcase Sohra’s trade legacy, colonial architecture, and oral traditions. The house itself serves as an intriguing structure for a historical display.
The proposal impressed Arts & Culture Commissioner Mr. F.R. Kharkongor, who visited the site and endorsed it. Sadly, the project has not materialized for unknown reasons. Recently, the group reached out to Minister, Bah Paul Lyngdoh, who has roots in Sohra. His support, combined with the keen interest of Bah F.R. Kharkongor, could help revive this important initiative.
A Heritage Tourism Model
Sohra has immense potential for heritage tourism, akin to Nairobi, Shimla, or Kolkata. It could offer visitors a deeper experience, not just waterfalls and rain, but a nuanced look at British-Khasi interactions, resilience, and forgotten legacies. Every trail here has a story; every waterfall, a legend. Kohima’s War Cemetery is a model of memory and tourism. Why not Sohra?
As mass tourism grows, integrating heritage tourism could promote sustainable development, aligned with Meghalaya’s current tourism policy.
Preserving Identity and Oral History
Heritage preservation in Sohra isn’t just about saving buildings; it’s about preserving identity, oral history, and the region’s soul. Beyond colonial tales, we must celebrate and conserve the rich history of Ka Hima Sohra and its neighboring Elakas, Christianity’s arrival, folklore, literature, and all pre-colonial defining events. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma recently urged mapping Sohra’s heritage. Preserving, documenting, and restoring sites can reveal their value, with guided tours by trained local youths boosting Cultural and Heritage tourism.
Envisioning Heritage Tourism Projects
Imagine a scenic ropeway or cable car ride tracing the historic Cherra–Chhatak Ropeway route to Wahrew at Tharia. Rolling hills, drifting clouds, and majestic waterfalls, combined with historical narration, could make it one of the country’s most compelling tourist experiences and a major heritage restoration project. A toy train near Thangkharang Park, following the path of the Cherra Companyganj Railway, could offer joyrides using the original iron tracks of the CCSR still preserved in Sohbar Village. These projects could boost tourism while conserving heritage.
Let Sohra be remembered not just as the wettest place on earth, but as a living Museum, a land of untold stories, enduring strength, and a heritage worth preserving. It is time we honor its layered legacy and ensure that future generations can experience the richness of its past.