• Facebook
  • Facebook
Sheil's Photography
  • Online Programs
    • Digital Post-processing ONLINE
  • Workshops
    • Basic Digital Photography Workshop
    • Digital Photography Fundamentals
    • Digital Post-processing
    • Studio Photography
    • Table Top Photography
    • Bird Photography Workshop
    • Complete Macro Photography Workshop
    • Monsoon Macro Photography Workshop
    • Wildlife Photography Camps
      • Tadoba Wildlife Photography Camp
    • Photography for Kids
  • For Corporates
  • Earnest Photographers’ Group
  • Pratibimba
    • Pratibimba_Eighth Edition
    • Pratibimba_Seventh Edition
    • Pratibimba_Sixth Edition
  • Blog
  • Portfolio
    • Wildlife Gallery
    • Bird Photography Gallery
    • Nature Gallery
    • Macro Gallery
    • People & Portrait Gallery
    • Abstract Photo Gallery
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Menu

Mawphlang – the Fangorn of Shillong

Mawphlang is an amazing place around 25 km from Shillong. This is a forest that stands out from the surrounding area and the grasslands. The name Mawphlang means stones with moss. It is also called the Sacred Forest by the local Khasi people.

In this entire region the tribes follow the tradition of having a Sacred forest.Almost every tribe or kingdom has its own preserved and protected sacred forest. Mawphlang is perhaps the most famous of these.

Before visiting Mawphlang I read about the forest, about the unique scenery inside it, the flora and fauna. I had no doubt that this would be a paradise for photography.
I am a big-time fan of the monumental work “The Lord of the Rings” by Tolkien.
As I stood on the grass cover leading straight to the forest, a single word came to my mind – Fangorn! I was standing right in front of Fangorn. In the next three hours as I trekked the forest, every single moment I lived in the Fangorn and various other paths of LOTR. As the scenery changed and the slopes changed, my experiences  changed  from Aragorn to Legolas and back!

Mawphlang has stood the test of time for over 1000 years. It is protected by the Khasi tribe. It is the sacrificial place for the villagers. The forest is believed to be protected by a deity named Labasa. The forest is absolutely unspoiled and in every sense in its natural form. The single reason for this preservation is the faith of the locals that the forest is protected by God. No one is allowed to take anything out of the forest. And anything, includes even a dried twig or a dry leaf from inside. There are also a lot of stories associated with Mawphlang. Right at the entrance there are large monolith structures representing different deities.

I had a schoolboy accompanying me as my guide. He told me a very long story about these monoliths. Unfortunately, I could not understand half of it and the remaining half was names which I do not recollect! But what I did remember was complete and true faith that the boy had about the stories he narrated.

I took a deep breath and took my first few steps into the Sacred Forest. I must have walked around 20 meters, and the world around me completely changed. From open grassland to dense, dark and humid terrain with tall trees. Trees seemed to be of various species. Sunlight had to find its way through the thick foliage. It was green everywhere. Green leaves, green grass, green moss, green ferns of different types . And there was a fairy tale path to walk on. The backlit tree trunks looked mesmerising with their sides shining with rich green moss lace.

And in that darkish ambience, vibrantly bright coloured mushrooms stood out like jewels. I could not resist the temptation of going down on my knees to take photos at low angle. I was almost on the ground, careful not to break any of the mushrooms, almost surrounded by them. Suddenly my young guide came running  towards me. He was shouting  “Come out. You die.” I asked him what was wrong. He said the mushrooms are so poisonous that if you touch them you would almost certainly die. What an irony! Amazingly beautifully coloured mushrooms, almost inviting anyone, turn out to be fatal. But then, that is how the nature works. Through the forest I saw many beautiful and colourful species of mushrooms.

Moss laced trees

Colourful mushrooms with backlight
Vibrant but poisonous mushrooms

As I walked along, I came across interesting arrangements of monolithic rocks. Of course, covered with moss. These were, I was told, the discussion places for the wise before carrying out sacrifices to the God. Then, I saw a large vertical monolith that appeared yellowish in colour as the sun was behind it. This was the main place of sacrifice. In old days, the boy told me, the sacrifice used to be of a bull or cattle. In recent times though it has changed to sacrificing a rooster in most cases.
An interesting thing about the sacrifice was, even the meat of the animal could not be brought out of the woods. The priest and the wise had to finish it or leave it there. As the saying goes, if the deity was pleased, it would appear as a leopard and if angry, it would come out as a snake!

Discussion place

The Wise would discuss here…

Sacrifice stone at Mawphlang

The main sacrifice stone 

Beautiful stream at Mawphlang

Clear water streams

The green walk in Mawphlang

Green ambience at Mawphlang

The magical walk through Mawphlang was an endless experience of nature’s beauty at its best.
The clearwater streams, the moss laden rocks, barks of old trees – every element adding to the thrill of natural beauty.

Two hours in this Fangorn will be etched on my mind eternally.

Sheil’s Photography is actively involved in imparting high quality education in photography. The programs are short courses in photography, designed in a modular way for ease of learning.

Our Short Courses

1
Leave a Reply

avatar
wpdiscuz_captcharefresh
1 Comment threads
0 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
1 Comment authors
Mallikarjun Chitta Recent comment authors
avatar
wpdiscuz_captcharefresh
  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
Mallikarjun Chitta
Mallikarjun Chitta

Thanks Shridhar for sharing your experience. Amazing details with supporting pictures.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago

More Interesting Reading

  • A Guide To Flowing Water Photography
  • Buying your first camera
  • Workaholic Crabs
  • Of sheep and shepherds
  • Creases of endurance
  • Moon Photography – an insight
  • Umngot – the emerald river of Meghalaya
  • Mawphlang – the Fangorn of Shillong
  • Expose To The Right
  • On which side of glasses are you on?

Archives

  • August 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
Sheil's Photography is a premier photography education setup in Pune. It is a forum for amateur as well as professional photographers across India to share, collaborate and explore the art of photography together.

Registered Office

C-34, Mont Vert II, Pashan Sus road, Pune, Maharashtra 411021

Contact Us

Email : workshops@sheilphoto.com
Call : +91 9860080909
© Copyright - Sheil's Photography - Enfold Theme by Kriesi
Scroll to top
wpDiscuz