The Rain Dance of Nature at Cherrapunji! The Best Travel Guide
If you enjoy the outdoors, Cherrapunji is a beautiful alternative for your upcoming vacation. Here is the definitive guide to visiting this breathtaking, less populated location in India’s northeast. You can find all the information you need to organise your vacation here in this post.
Why Cherrapunji is well-known
The 4,500-foot Cherrapunji, also known as Sohra locally, is located in the heart of Meghalaya, the land of the clouds. In India’s northeast, it is located in the shadow of the Khasi Hills. The natural splendour of misty valleys will welcome you once you arrive. The place’s swirling clouds, foaming rivers, breathtaking waterfalls, and constant downpour will astound you. In this area, rainfall is typically expressed in feet rather than millimetres.
This little hamlet once earned a spot as one of the wettest locations on earth in the Guinness World Records. Even though Mawsynram, a nearby location, is currently the wettest place on earth, it continues to hold the record for the most rainfall ever measured in a calendar year.
In addition to the breathtaking natural splendour of the Khasi Hills, this location is also known for its double-decker living root bridge. It is a special illustration of bioengineering. The village of Nongrighat, which is close to Cherrapunji, is the location of this unusual attraction. This location is a must-see because it has numerous more root bridges, tree houses, waterfalls, and caverns.
Numerous magnificent, breath-taking waterfalls may be seen here, adding to the area’s tranquilly. Along with other amazing waterfalls, Nohkalikai Falls is the highest and fourth-highest plunging waterfall in the world.
both geography and history
“Cherrapunji” literally translates as “land of oranges.” Beginning in the early 16th century, this exquisite location also has a rich historical value.
The Khasi people and the residents of what is now Sohra were subject to the control of the “Syiems” (rajas or chiefs of Khyriem) in the Khasi hills from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The final significant Syiem of the Khasi highlands was Tirot Singh. After Tirot Singh, it comes under British rule in 1883.
The original spelling of this place’s name, Sohra, was incorrectly pronounced as “Churra” by the British. As a result, throughout the subsequent British era, this changed into the name Cherrapunji. In the municipal cemetery, there is a memorial to David Scott, a British administrator in NE India from 1802-31. Recent renaming of this location to return to its original name of “Sohra” by the Meghalaya state government.
Nearly 4,869 feet (1,484 metres) above sea level on the crest of the southern ranges of Khasi hills, Cherrapunji is situated at 25.30°N 91.70°E. The 600-meter elevation difference between Cherrapunjee’s plateau and the nearby valleys adds to the area’s tranquilly.
You can see Sylhet’s wide plains in Bangladesh from Cherrapunjee. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is 54 kilometres away from it. Valleys nearby are densely vegetated. There is a wide variety of vegetation in this area, including the subtropical forests of Meghalaya and several indigenous plant species.
This is one of the best places for nature enthusiasts to visit during the monsoon season.
Climate and precipitation in Cherrapunji
For receiving the most rainfall in a calendar year, Cherrapunji or Sohra hold two Guinness World Records. The total amount of rainfall between August 1860 and July 1861 was 6,471 millimetres (1,042.2 in). Another one is for receiving 9,300 millimetres (370 in) of rain in one month, which occurred in July 1861.
A general description of the weather in this area would be a mild subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), with effects from the Indian monsoon season. The estimated average annual rainfall in Sohra is 11,777 millimetres (463.7 in). This number puts it only behind Mawsynram, Meghalaya, which is close by and has an average rainfall of 11,873 millimetres (467.4 in).
Almost the entire year, you may expect a wet season with woolly clouds in the area. It is a location where one might wake up slowly in the morning and discover himself in the foggy awe of nature. Here, the sun also has the audacity to let his burning eyes be fully open during the day. In this captivating location, you might prefer to simply relax on a couch while enjoying your morning tea or coffee and letting yourself be overcome by the allure of nature.
You can simply just roam around the area and take in the captivating wealth of nature. After a long, stressful week, the bottom-finding streams of the falls, which are dispersed everywhere, will make you happy.
Because it receives both the southwest and northeast monsoon winds, this place is extremely spectacular. It gave this place a distinct single season, the monsoon.
You can experience the other seasons at this location in accordance with temperature variation as follows.
Summertime: From March through May is the summertime. The current temperature ranges from 14 to 23 degrees Celsius and is still pleasant. An average of 900 mm of rainfall falls during the summer, creating a pleasant hazy atmosphere.
The months of June through August are often regarded as the monsoon season here. In this region, this season has the most rainfall. The two months with the most rain are June and July (around 2708 mm).
As a result, it is typically cold at this time of year.
Sohra also receives rain during the monsoon season from the Bay of Bengal side. The monsoon clouds pass directly over the Bangladeshi lowlands for around 400 kilometres. These clouds arrive in the Khasi Hills, which rise suddenly from the plains to a height of around 1,370 m above sea level within 2 to 5 kilometres, after such a long journey through the air. It consequently begins to rain in the hills. Additionally, this location faces the south windward side of the Khasi Hills. As a result, the orographic lift that results boosts precipitation.
Since the falls in this area are mostly fed by rainfall, you will appreciate their splendour if you visit around this time of year. For instance, only during the monsoon season will you be able to witness all seven streams of the seven sister falls.
Winter: Because winter is Sohra’s driest season, there will be substantially less rain during this period than there would be throughout the summer. In the winter months, it gets showers from the northeast monsoon. Normally, it descends the Brahmaputra valley.
Winters are typically cold, with minimum temperatures around 7 °C.In comparison to other seasons of the year, November, December, January, and February are the months in this location with the least amount of rain. The driest months of the year are right now. In this location, December precipitation averages about 14 mm. Compared to other times of the year, this has the lowest number.
The finest part of this time is that you can go around this gorgeous location without paying much attention to an umbrella or a raincoat. You will feel the deepest thankfulness at this time of year in particular for the sun’s kiss.