Smit, is a small village about 15-20 km from Shillong. Well known for it's traditional Nongkrem Dance, Smit has beautifully preserved the Khasi culture and traditions.
Smit, till today follows a king-ship rule. The King is called the "Syiem" here. Today Morning, I had a chance to visit the Syiem's house. And being a Syiem's house, it is indeed very special...
It is a huge, full wood- thatched house without any metal nails. Is'nt it interesting?!! Walls and floor made of oak and pine wood, with a thatched roof and roof windows for light, the house has a complete cane and bamboo furniture. Plus the floor coverings are also of woven cane and bamboo. Pleasant in summers and warm in winters!!
Well, believe me, the summers here are more chilled than the winters of Mumbai. But also, people say that, the warmth here has increased in past few years... the global warming shows its effects everywhere! :|
Coming back to the Syeim's house...
Here are few pictures I captured. Pardon me for the extra bad quality of pictures. (It was a cloudy and rainy morning!)
Thatched houses generally have a low ceiling and a narrow entrance. But this being a king's house, everything here is king size!
The pegs used are all wooden. It is a belief that devils and ghosts are always killed by wooden weaponry, hence using wooden pegs keeps the house safe and away from evil spirits. Also, Meghalaya is an earthquake prone area. The wooden pegs help keep the joinery more intact than the iron nails.
To get to the house, you have to drive through a boulevard fenced by conical pine trees on both sides. It is a beautiful place and Smit is one of the coolest places in Meghalaya!
Smit, till today follows a king-ship rule. The King is called the "Syiem" here. Today Morning, I had a chance to visit the Syiem's house. And being a Syiem's house, it is indeed very special...
It is a huge, full wood- thatched house without any metal nails. Is'nt it interesting?!! Walls and floor made of oak and pine wood, with a thatched roof and roof windows for light, the house has a complete cane and bamboo furniture. Plus the floor coverings are also of woven cane and bamboo. Pleasant in summers and warm in winters!!Well, believe me, the summers here are more chilled than the winters of Mumbai. But also, people say that, the warmth here has increased in past few years... the global warming shows its effects everywhere! :|
Coming back to the Syeim's house...
Here are few pictures I captured. Pardon me for the extra bad quality of pictures. (It was a cloudy and rainy morning!)
Thatched houses generally have a low ceiling and a narrow entrance. But this being a king's house, everything here is king size!The pegs used are all wooden. It is a belief that devils and ghosts are always killed by wooden weaponry, hence using wooden pegs keeps the house safe and away from evil spirits. Also, Meghalaya is an earthquake prone area. The wooden pegs help keep the joinery more intact than the iron nails.
To get to the house, you have to drive through a boulevard fenced by conical pine trees on both sides. It is a beautiful place and Smit is one of the coolest places in Meghalaya!
