Government of IndiaIntroduction
Situated in the eastern part of Meghalaya, Shillong, the state's capital, is positioned at an elevation of 1,520 meters (4,990 feet) above sea level. The city spans approximately 6 km along an elevated tract, bordered to the north by the Umiam gorge, to the northwest by the imposing Diengiei Hills, reaching a height of 1,823 meters (6,077 ft.) above sea level, and to the northeast by the hills of the Assam Valley. As per reports of Census of India, the population of Shillong in 2011 was 143,229.
Historical records pertaining to the Shillong Plateau during pre-colonial times are limited. The historical accounts of prominent Khasi kingdoms and the chronicles of neighboring Ahom and Kachari kingdoms contain anecdotal references to this region. These references primarily link the Shillong Plateau with the Surma-Kushiyara Valley and Sylhet (present day Bangladesh).
Over centuries, various groups established territories in the Surma and Kushiyara regions which resulted in the emergence of diverse Chiefdoms with their social orders. During the 13th century, the Surma-Kushiyara Valley saw the emergence of several small territories governed by Khasi and Garo chieftains. In 1303, Shah Jalal, a prominent Sufi saint from Bengal aided Sultan Shamsuddin Firoz Shah of Lakhnauti in the conquest of Sylhet. Soon after that Islam was introduced in the valley. In 1346, the renowned Moroccan scholar and traveller Ibn Batuta visited Sylhet to meet Shah Jalal. In his travelogues, he documented Sylhet and mentioned the diverse territories of Khasis, Garos, Hindus, Muslims and others.
To the north of the Surma River, the majority of the land was under the dominion of the Khasis, who also governed the mountainous regions above. Additionally, the Jaintia Khasi rajas exerted authority over both the mountainous areas and the lowlands situated to the north and east of Sylhet town. Before the 18th century, approximately half of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, including the area now known as Shillong, remained beyond the jurisdiction of British India. However, following the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the East India Company gained control of the district of Sylhet, as a result of the grant of the Diwani of Bengal along with Bihar and Orissa. This marked the initial interaction between the British and the locals.
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Colonial Period
During this era, Khasis engaged in the trade of limestone with the Nawab of Bengal. To facilitate this trade, Khasi traders used to travel to the borders of Sylhet. However, following the British acquisition of Sylhet, the colonial administration took over the limestone trade. The Khasi Hills attracted various European powers due to the lure of limestone. The Anglo-Khasi War, occurring from 1829 to 1833, was a pivotal conflict in the Khasi people's struggle for independence against the British Empire. It was sparked by Tirot Sing's assault on a British garrison, provoked by their defiance of his orders to halt a road construction project through the Khasi Hills. Ultimately, the Khasis were defeated in this war, leading to British dominance over the region. Soon after the British shifted their administrative headquarters from Nongkhlaw to Cherra Poonji (present-day Cherrapunjee) in 1835 and completed a communication line between Surma Valley and Assam Valley. In 1858, when the British annexed the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, the district headquarters remained in Cherrapunjee.
However, the climate of the region was very unfavourable due to its humidity. Further, the outbreak of the Jaintia uprising of 1862 highlighted transportation and communication challenges, leading to a search for a new site to shift the political station. Various locations like Mairang, Sohrariurn, Laitlynkot, and Nongkrem were considered but found unsuitable for future expansion.
Captain Rowlatt, the Deputy Commissioner of Khasi & Jaintia Hills, was given the task of creating a map of his district, including details about its area, population, cultivation patterns, and elevations above sea level.
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The Birth of Shillong
The initial choice for the new town's location was in proximity to Shillong Peak, which stands as the highest point in the hills. However, Babu Jeebon Roy Mairom, often referred to as the 'Father of Modern Khasis,' who had a deep familiarity with the area, recommended that a more suitable site would be the area near the Yeodo plateau (present-day Iewduh). This location was approximately 500 meters lower in elevation and had a milder climate. In 1864, when the colonial administration decided to construct a paved road connecting Gauhati (present-day Guwahati) and Sylhet, Capt. Rowlatt simultaneously submitted his survey report. He also charted a convenient route between Guwahati and Sylhet, and this route happened to pass through Yeodo. These circumstances aligned favourably with the British administration, leading them to select Yeodo as the location for their new district headquarters. Consequently, the district headquarter was relocated from Cherrapunjee to Yeodo, establishing the latter as the new civil station for the Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
The British found these hills to be a perfect site because the terrain resembled the beautiful landscapes of Scotland. Yeodo was chosen not only to function as the new headquarters but also to serve as a sanatorium and a military encampment for British troops. The Chief Official at the Deputy Commissioner's office, Krishna Kishor Dhar, oversaw the transition from Cherrapunjee to Shillong. On the evening of April 28, 1866, Yeodo was renamed Shillong to avoid confusion, as at that time Tokyo, the capital of Japan, was known by a similar-sounding name Yeddo. Thus, in 1874, a distinct Chief Commissionership was established, with its administrative centre in Shillong. This new administrative entity encompassed various regions, including Sylhet (now part of Bangladesh), as well as the Naga Hills (present-day Nagaland), Lushai Hills (present-day Mizoram), in addition to the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo Hills.
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Origin of the name ‘Shillong’
Shillong (also known as the ‘Scotland of the East’) gets its name from the Khasi deity, ‘U Lei Shyllong’, believed to dwell in the peak that overlooks the city. This elevated spot, currently referred to as Shillong Peak, stands at an impressive 1,966 meters (6,449 feet) above sea level, making it the highest point in Meghalaya. In contrast, the city itself is situated a few hundred meters lower, at an elevation of 1,486 meters (4,908 feet).
While many historical records indicate April 28, 1866, as the day when the city was officially named Shillong, some historians argue for a different date, which is June 26, 1867. On February 4, 1874, Shillong became the capital of the newly created province of Assam, separated from Bengal.
Shillong Earthquake of 1897
On June 12, 1897, a devastating earthquake (also known as the Assam Earthquake of 1897) of the magnitude of 8.1 Mw struck Shillong, which was then the newly established capital of undivided Assam. The earthquake claimed numerous lives and caused extensive destruction in Meghalaya, Assam, Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) and other parts of the country, reaching as far as Ahmedabad and Peshawar. The tremors continued intermittently for several days, leading to immense suffering. Much of Shillong was inundated by lake water and overflowing streams, rendering it undrinkable.
The earthquake, which occurred at 5:11 pm, was preceded by a rumbling noise lasting for about three minutes, followed by an actual earthquake lasting approximately two-and-a-half minutes. The intensity of the shocks was so severe that nearly all buildings were flattened. Stone structures collapsed entirely, while about half of the houses made of ikra (wooden frames with reed walls covered in plaster) were destroyed. However, plank houses (wooden frames with plank walls, resting unattached on the ground) remained unharmed. F. Smith, an officer from the Geological Survey of India stationed in Shillong at the time, noted that the majority of the damage occurred within the first 10 to 15 seconds of the earthquake. Casualties occurred at various locations in Shillong, including the Secretariat, military lines, and the bazaar.
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Statehood of Meghalaya
At the time of India’s independence in 1947, present-day Meghalaya comprised two districts of Assam and enjoyed limited autonomy within the state. A movement for a separate hill state began in 1960. On 11 September 1968, the Government of India announced a scheme for constituting an autonomous state within the state of Assam comprising certain areas specified in Part A of the table appended to paragraph 20 of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Accordingly, the Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act of 1969 was enacted to form an autonomous state. Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: The United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills. The name 'Meghalaya' coined by geographer S.P. Chatterjee in 1936 was proposed and accepted for the new state. The Act came into effect on 2 April 1970, with the autonomous state having a 37-member legislature in accordance with the Sixth Schedule to the Indian Constitution. In 1971, the Parliament passed the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971, which conferred full statehood on the autonomous state of Meghalaya. Meghalaya attained statehood on 21 January 1972, with Shillong as its capital.
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