Meghalaya The Sacred Grove

I stood at the edge of a forest in the village of Mawph&shylang in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, trying to get rid of negative thoughts before entering. This was no ordinary forest, you see, but home to a protective deity called U Ryn&shygkew U Basa, revered by the Chief and Elders of the village to protect it from all harm. If anyone enters with bad inten&shytions, they face dire conse&shyquences. A sacred grove or Law Kyntang, this forest has stood for at least 1,000 years and one of the reasons the forest still survives is because cuttting down any tree or branch here is taboo. Nature holds much significance in traditional Khasi culture and the spirit of conservation is deeply embed&shyded in the people through a complex social matrix of religious beliefs. According to a Khasi saying, a village (hima) has no identity without its own sacred grove.