Mawphlang

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Mawphlang
village
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Mawphlang valley and village
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Mawphlang
Location in Meghalaya, India
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Mawphlang
Mawphlang (India)
Coordinates: 25°28′N91°46′E / 25.467°N 91.767°E / 25.467; 91.767
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State Meghalaya
District East Khasi Hills
Languages
  Official English
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration ML
Nearest cityMawphlang
Climate Cwb

Mawphlang is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in north-eastern India, 25 kilometers from Shillong. The word maw means "stone", maw phlang means "grassy stone," and is one of many settlements in the Khasi hills named after monoliths. [1]

Mawphlang was the centre of Presbyterian Church of Wales missionary and medical activity in the Khasi Hills during the 1890s. A dispensary and then clinic were established in 1878 by Dr Griffith Griffiths of Brynmawr, Aberdaron who died at Mawphlang, 22 April 1892. [2] [3] [4] [5] After Griffiths came William Williams (missionary) who also died at Mawphlang. [6]

Mawphlang is the site of one of the Khasi Hills sacred groves. [7] [8] Khasi heritage village- located in the Mawphlang district -is considered to be the hub of Khasi culture. As per digital media NewsGram, the village project is in shambles. The heritage project was started with much fanfare, but has suffered losses due to governmental apathy and charges of corruption. [9]

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Meghalaya is a state in northeast India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills and (b) the Garo Hills. The population of Meghalaya as of 2014 is estimated to be 3,211,474. Meghalaya covers an area of approximately 22,429 square kilometres, with a length-to-breadth ratio of about 3:1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shillong</span> City and state capital of Meghalaya, India

Shillong is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a population of 143,229 according to the 2011 census. It is said that the rolling hills around the town reminded the British of Scotland. Hence, they would also refer to it as the "Scotland of the East".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khasi people</span> Ethnic group in North-East India

The Khasi people are an ethnic group of Meghalaya in north-eastern India with a significant population in the bordering state of Assam, and in certain parts of Bangladesh. Khasi people form the majority of the population of the eastern part of Meghalaya, that is Khasi Hills, constituting 78.3% of the region's population, and is the state's largest community, with around 48% of the population of Meghalaya. They are among the few Austroasiatic-speaking peoples in South Asia. The Khasi tribe holds the distinction of being one of the few remaining matriarchal tribes of the world. Under the Constitution of India, the Khasis have been granted the status of Scheduled Tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Khasi Hills district</span> District of Meghalaya in India

East Khasi Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The district headquarters are located at Shillong. The district occupies an area of 2752 km² and has a population of 825,922. As of 2011, it is the most populous district of Meghalaya's 12 districts.

Shri Hoping Stone Lyngdoh was an Indian politician who was the president of the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), one of three official political parties of the state of Meghalaya in India. He was the son of late Hajur Shon; was born at Nonglait Village, West Khasi Hills District on March 15, 1929; he studied at St. Anthony's College, Shillong.

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William Williams was a Welsh Presbyterian missionary to Khasi Hills, northeast India, in the late 19th century. He was a son of a ship captain in Nanternis, a small village in Wales. Following his father's footstep he became a sailor for five years. Then he took a profession in carpentry for two years. After graduating in theology from East London Missionary Training Institute he became a pastor. Pursuing his ambition he became a missionary of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Foreign Mission to Khasi people in India from 1887 until his death. He died of typhoid in 1892.

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References

  1. Encyclopaedia of Tourism Resources in India – Volume 1 – Page 234 Manohar Sajnani – 2003 "... visitors to the area is the large number of monoliths, table stones and cromlechs that are seen in most of the villages. .. Maw-smai the oath-stone, Maw-phlang the grassy stone and many others."
  2. D. Ben Rees Vehicles of Grace and Hope: Welsh Missionaries in India 1800–1970 Page 54 – 2002 "GRIFFITHS, ANNIE married Mary Gertrude in Edgbaston, Birmingham on 28 June, and they both sailed for ... Their first centre was Mawphlang, and resulting from a combination of missionary and evangelical work, a number of local people of ..."
  3. Shaji Joseph Puykunnel Christianity and change in Northeast India Page 208 - 2009 "The child was treated by Dr. Griffiths and healed. To meet the growing needs of the people, Dr. Griffiths soon built a small dispensary at Mawphlang and also three houses for the patients' relatives and friends. During the outbreak of cholera at ..."
  4. John Hughes Morris The history of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists' foreign mission Page 317 – 1996 "GRIFFITH GRIFFITHS, M.B., C.M. — Born at Brynmawr, Aberdaron, December 19th, 1852, son of Capt. Richard and Ellen Griffiths. In 1872 proceeded to Glasgow University ... Died at Mawphlang, April 22nd, 1892."
  5. Maurice G. Lyngdoh Recapture: a collection of articles on the works of the ... Page 22 – 1992 "Dr.Griffiths built a small dispensary at Mawphlang and also three houses for the accommodation of the patients' relatives and friends. During the outbreak of Cholera at Shillong in 1879, Dr. Griffiths assisted by Rev. Thomas Jerman Jones and ."
  6. J. Meirion Lloyd (1991). History of the Church in Mizoram: Harvest in the Hills. Synod Publication Board. pp. 17–23.
  7. Economic Studies of Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge – Page 42 Nirmal Sengupta, Indian Economic Association Trust for Research and Development - 2007 "In more traditional societies such as the tribal societies of the Northeast, the concept of sacred grove is very prevalent. Thus, in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya at one time each village has had a small patch of forest preserved in a virgin state. ... of these sacred groves such as 'U Basa' or 'U Ryngkew' for the 'Mawphlang' sacred grove locally called 'Law Lyngdoh'."
  8. Indian forest records: Botany – Volumes 3–4 – Page 161 Forest Research Institute (Dehra Dūn, India) – 1941 "The sacred grove at Mawphlang, called Law Lyngdoh, has the following story connected with it. One of the Khasi clans "Iangblah ", originating from Jaintia is said to have constituted this sacred grove, which is of considerable extent, in order to provide a home for a spirit called " U Basa " or " U Ryngkew ". These names indicate that the spirit is regarded as a keeper or defender of the land. The current belief in regard to this grove is that anyone who commits any damage in it will be throttled to death by the spirit in residence."
  9. "Hub of Khasi culture, Khasi Heritage Village in shambles". NewsGram. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2017.