- Written by Wasukphika Passah , Fifth Semester, Media Technologies, 2023
The village Lyngkyrdem is a village in Pynursla Block in East Khasi Hills District, which is situated in a border area. It is about 40 km from Shillong. The weather in this village is so fresh, and it also experiences heavy rainfall and foggy weather during the summer and it is still known as the heaviest rainfall village in the world next to cherrapunjee and Mawsynram villages.
HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE
The village of Lyngkyrdem comes from the two couples,ka Lynger (female) and U Dem (Male), who lived in a cave call "Synrang U Dem," which is still there till date. And near the cave there is a pond call “Wah u Dem”.
Synrang u Dem - Cave u Dem
Wah u Dem - Pond u Dem
Lum Syiem - king's Hill
After the people of Nongkrem try to take away the kingdom. The four Assistant of the king take the king to the village Lyngkyrdem. From that time till date that place, they used to call it Lum syiem, where the king lived before.
Before, the village Lyngkyrdem was under the rule of Hima Khyrim. According to the ancestors, the village of Lyngkyrdem was the place where the monarch lived before. lum syiem was the place in which the king used to do rituals in the olden days.
The first queen that lived in Lyngkyrdem was Ka Jat Nongiew, along with her children, namely Sing Manik, U Suba, U Sangmen, and Ka Pah II. The reason the monarch came to Lyngkyrdem was because the, ing sad (place that the monarch lived) in Nongkrem, was burned. Ka pah, she has only one daughter; her name is Mon Kiri. Monkiri has two sons, u Sing Manik II and Solti Kiri, and Soltikiri has five children: u Rising,Siarkiri, U Ksan, ka Sienkiri, and ka liar Syntu. At the time of King Bor Manik II, the king of Hima shillong, he came to Lyngkyrdem to ask the king to go back to Nongkrem and have peace and promise to breakdown the monarch. King Manik is a very brilliant man, and he didn’t bring all his sister nieces to Nongkrem; he brought only the eldest, Ka Siar Kiri. Sien Kiri and Syntu Kirih left them in the village of Lyngkyrdem. In which the four clans Mylliemngap, Mawroh, Thangkhiew, and Nengnong take care of them.
Iew Rynghep Mawbynna - Monoliths of Rynghep bazaar
The presence of the monoliths in the village Lyngkrdem which located at Iewrynghep are the second oldest monoliths. In the olden days, Lyngkyrdem bazaar was the largest market in which all the neighbor villages used to came and traded. This market was held two times a week, and those were Sngi iewrynghep and Sngi iewduh.This village was made and ruled by the Queen Kyrim. But from the year 1988, the queen was given this bazaar to ruled by the village itself. From that time until now, the market has remained the village market under the rule of the village.
Iew Rynghep - (Rynghep market)
The village of Lyngkyrdem, has three localities, namely Mawlieh, Laitlting,and Iewduh. The Laitlting and Mawlieh localities have their own headmen, but in Iewduh, Sordar is the head who rules, and then comes the headman, and the Sordar of Iewduh was chosen only the four clans: Mylliemngap, Mawroh, Thangkhiew, and Nengnong.
The village has few viewpoints namely Laitshyniar, Ryngknah, Kyrdop, Kynton-U-Iang, Mawlieh. In the year 2011 the village Lyngkyrdem they implant the village lyngkyrdem as a lyngkyrdem tourist development committee. During the year 1972 a bollywood movie was shot in Lyngkyrdem starring late Dev Anand and Sharmilla Tagore-Yeh Gulistan Hamara the name of the movie is Yeh Gulistan Hamara.
Ryngknah (Iewduh)
Ryngknah Viewpoint
Since agriculture is not achievable in the village because the village is in a hilly area and at the top of Megalithic rock .So Most of the people are into trade and other business and majority of people work in coal mining the village itself give the villagers to do mining coal each and every house. From this the people survive themselves and some other work as carpenters and other works
Synrang Thang Briew (the crematorium place)
The place Synrang Thang Briew is the place which used for the cremation of human bodies (ashes for the dead bodies of people). It located at Iewduh Lyngkrdem near ryngknah view Point. Synrang Thang Briew is the place which already there from the olden day it is a natural formation .Under the top of the the crematorium place it is naturally cover by the Megalithic rock . It is a cultural burning practice only for people who still believe in Niam Tynrai, and it is a fire practice by the eldest people in the village. Its height from the top to the ground is around 8 to 9 feet. In the year 2017, it was modified by the villagers themselves to make a Tpep. The Crematorium is so beneficial for people, especially on rainy or hot weather.
Megalithic rock
In Niam tynrai, when someone was dead, first of all, they used to put the egg in the navel of the death person and put the pieces of rice, any meat, and any fruit that the dead person used to eat when they were still alive, and after that, they used to burn sharak (Kerosene oil) in the bed of the death person.
The day to carry the dead body
Before they carried the dead body from the house to the compound, they used to put the Dieng byllaw outside the compound.
They put the dead body in the khrong. It is made of bamboo to carry the dead body.
The person who is related to the dead person can carry the leng kpoh (the egg that used to be put in the navel).
Remove the khrong and put the dead body inside.
After they were done, put the dead body inside the kpep (the area where they used to burn). Put three woods on one side and three on the other side, and make it like a roof.
Dieng byllaw: the men from the own clans of the person who died kni rangbah, pyrsa rangbah, and khun rangbah have to take the Dieng byllaw from the side of the fire and put it in the foot, the middle, and the head of the death body, and then follow the others who are related to the death person, but only the men.
After that, the clans of the dead person used to tell the (nongkylla Thang) to look at the dead body.
After the body started to burn, they used to throw (lai sien lai wat) three times to the tpep for the older person to know the reason.
After that, they used to throw the Beatles nut leaves. According to the Khasi, they believe that the dead person can eat them on his way, like he used to eat when he was still alive.
After the death body is all burned, they wipe it with wood to remove the ashes of the death person. They start from the feet and end up in the head. Thus, they show that they search the remaining part of his body so that he will go in peace without feeling unhappy or unfulfilled. And after that, Nongkylla will tell the clans to carry the bones of the dead person.After they were done, put the dead body inside the kpep (the area where they used to burn). Put three woods on one side and three on the other side, and make it like a roof.
Dieng byllaw: the men from the own clans of the person who died kni rangbah, pyrsa rangbah, and khun rangbah have to take the Dieng byllaw from the side of the fire and put it in the foot, the middle, and the head of the death body, and then follow the others who are related to the death person, but only the men.
After that, the clans of the dead person used to tell the (nongkylla Thang) to look at the dead body.After the body started to burn, they used to throw (lai sien lai wat) three times to the tpep for the older person to know the reason.
After that, they used to throw the Beatles nut leaves. According to the Khasi, they believe that the dead person can eat them on his way, like he used to eat when he was still alive.
After the death body is all burned, they wipe it with wood to remove the ashes of the death person. They start from the feet and end up in the head. Thus, they show that they search the remaining part of his body so that he will go in peace without feeling unhappy or unfulfilled. And after that, Nongkylla will tell the clans to carry the bones of the dead person
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