4.8 Moflong – the grassy stone

4.8

Moflong – the grassy stone

Dak Bungalow

From Lad Mawphlang, Scott’s Road leads to Mawphlang. One of the more popular trekking routes is the old mule track traditionally used by people to travel from Mawphlang to present day Bangladesh[87], which takes about 5 days to complete.
  

In about 1830, Scott returned to Nungkhlow from an expedition to Maplong, situated 22 miles away, on the way to Churra Poonjee[88]. Maplong was considerably higher than Nungkhlow, about 1,200 or 1,300 feet, making the total altitude 5,500 feet above the plains of Assam. Scott noted that it was about 14°C in the morning, and about 21°C, in the afternoon. From what he had seen of the road then, he was satisfied, that, with proper preparations, even women could travel with the greatest ease (political correctness was not high on the agenda then). He had no occasion to dismount, except for about four yards, all the way to Maplong and he rode back on the same mule, in 8 hours.  

However he did not like the climate of Maplong as much as Nungkhlow, judging from the three days that he was there. It was close, and the heat of the sun was much less bearable than it was in Nungkhlow, where there was almost always a fine breeze from the west. This difference was probably due to the Brahmaputra, down the course of which an easterly wind almost always blew at this season, for which a supply of air, by a contrary upper current, was required.  

The country after the first 10-12 miles was cleared of trees, and not nearly as pretty as it was in Nungkhlow, but the slate cliffs, about Maplong, were much grander than the Gowahatty hills - the former being very precipitous, and the latter always round. After a shower of rain, the scenery towards Assam was beautiful beyond anything he had ever seen, or what, judging from its cold-weather appearance, he could have expected. He could see the course of the Brahmaputra for 90 miles downwards, and about 40 miles upwards, the view being closed by the hills. Scott thought the gradation of tints, from the rich velvet-green of the hills, in the immediate neighbourhood, to the different shades of those at various distances to 100 miles, was most superb.  

Scott had settled with the people at Maplong, about building a bungalow, which would make the journey from Churra Poonjee very easy. On horse-back the journey to Nungkhlow could be completed in one day, but if women were to use the Tonjon[89] in bad places, and to relieve the bearers by riding occasionally, the journey could be completed in three days. It could be done in two days, by making a morning and an evening ‘stage’ from Maplong. 

A traveller from Sylhet, went back with Scott to Maplong, and onwards to Churra Poonjee. After seeing their mules and horses scramble over the worst parts of the road, he altered his opinion, considerably, in respect to the portion between Maplong and Churra, which he had previously considered impassable without dismounting. The thermometer was higher in the morning, as much as 20°C, but it had never risen in the house above 24°C. And owing to the fine breeze that always blew, it felt much cooler than it did at Maplong. They had had very little rain, only three slight showers, while they had been deluged in Assam. There had been some loud claps of thunder, but nothing that could be called a north-wester, or severe squall, from any quarter. 

Near Moflung the loftiest point on this line of route, and which rested at an elevation of 5,942 feet above the sea level, a marked change was observed in the geological character of the country, and a corresponding effect was produced on vegetation. The firs, which in the more northern portions of the tract, grew with considerable luxuriancy, and attained an elevation of from 30-90 feet, become dwarfish and stunted, in appearance as they approached the point Of transition from granite to slate, and the secondary rocks. 

From Moflong there was a fine view of the Himalayas, but not upon the regular road to Moflong. The European forms certainly increased in number between Surureem and Moflong.  There was a clear stream adjoining the Bogapanee with vegetation growing upon stones, and adhering to them very firmly.  It was on the hills about the Bogapanee that the firs first made their appearance, but did not attain any great size.  The valley of the Bogapanee was very deep, and both the descent and ascent were quite difficult.

William Griffith (1810–1845) was a British doctor, naturalist, and botanist. He made collecting trips to the Barak River valley in Assam in 1835. He reported that Moflong was a bleak exposed village and the bungalow or residence for travellers was very bad[90]. The frequent occurrence of the fir stamped a peculiar feature on the scenery.  Travellers experienced nearly three days of continued rain, and, as the place was bleak, were miserable enough.

A very steep ascent led to the bungalow of Moflong, on a broad, bleak hill-top, near the axis of the range (alt. 6,062 feet). Here there was a village, and some cultivation, surrounded by hedges amongst which grew an autumn-flowering lark-spur, with most foetid flowers[91].

By the end of June 1850, travellers experienced the same violent weather, thunder, lightning, gales, and rain, which prevailed during every midsummer in India. A great deal of Coix (Job's tears) was cultivated about Moflong - it was of a dull greenish purple, and though planted in drills, and carefully hoed and weeded, it was a very ragged crop. The shell of the cultivated sort was soft, and the kernel was sweet, whereas the wild variety was so hard that it could not be broken by the teeth.

From a hill behind Moflong bungalow, on which were some stone altars, a most superb view was obtained of the Bhotan Himalaya to the northward, their snowy peaks stretching in a broken series from north 17° east to north 35° west; all were below the horizon of the spectator, though from 17,000-20,000 feet above his level.

After crossing the Boga-panee, the first thing that travellers met were the groves of pine-trees, somewhat dwarfish and stunted in appearance, but they gave a novel aspect to the scenery[92]. The people in this neighbourhood grew a large quantity of potatoes, and also a species of Job's tears for the grain it yielded, which was used in the preparation of a fermented liquor.

Northward, beyond the rolling Khasia Hills, could be seen the valley of Assam, 70 miles broad, with the Brahmaputra winding through it, 50 miles distant, reduced to a thread. Beyond this, even in a clear day, banks of hazy vapour obscured all but the dark range of the lower Himalaya, crested by peaks of frosted silver seen at the distance of 200 miles, occupying sixty degrees of the horizon, and comprising the greatest extent of snow visible from any known point in the world.

James Thornton also reported that the place was at an elevation of 6,000 feet, and commanded a beautiful view of the snowy mountains of Bhootan, which were seen to the north. From Moflong a march of about 16 miles over a succession of grassy undulating hills led to Myrung[93].

In about 1866, Fitzwilliam Pollock noted that around Mooflong, there were large quantities of slate on these hills, as well as coal and limestone, however the principal industry was potato-growing[94]. Here the road by a zig-zag path descended to the Boga Panee, over which a bridge was constructed by Pollock’s assistant, Mr. Maxwell, whilst the former was executive engineer. Previously there was only a cane-bridge across this mountain torrent, built by the Cossyahs, and which was yearly renewed and were at all times very unsafe to cross. Pollock thought the scenery was very grand.

Welsh Mission medical work in the region commenced in 1878 with the arrival at Mawphlang of the Rev. Dr. Griffith Griffiths and his wife[95]. Here a medical dispensary was set up, to be followed by a hospital in 1883. After the great earthquake of 1897, when every building in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills was destroyed and many lives lost, medical work was transferred to the neighbourhood of Shillong. 

Basil Griffiths notes that in 1879 the road represented the only accessible pathway from Sohra to Mawphlang[96]. Despite its age, and although overgrown, it still appeared to be in remarkably good condition. It must have been upon this road, possibly on foot, that his grandparents would have arrived at Mawphlang having made the long journey from the Mission headquarters at Sohra.

After the Great Assam Earthquake of 1897, Thomas Henry Digges LaTouche sent field reports to Richard Dixon Oldham, then the Acting Director at the Geological Survey of India in Calcutta. According to LaTouche, Mr. Evans, the Welsh Missionary at Maophlang informed LaTouche that soon after the earthquake his attention was called by one of his converts, a Khasia, to the aspect of the hill immediately to the west of the village[97]. These hills were separated from that on which Maophlang stands by a deep valley, through which one of the tributaries of the Bogapani ran. It appeared to them that beyond the hill on the west side of this valley they could see more of the distant hills than before, and they came to the conclusion that the intermediate range of hills had subsided. 

In 1897, at the dak bungalow at Maophlang[98], 14 miles to the south-west of Shillong, there were four large monoliths in a line. After the earthquake, two of these had fallen. As only a seismologist could, Oldham reported that one of these monoliths was 20 feet high by 4 feet 3 inches broad and 9 inches thick at the base, slightly tapering towards the top. This had broken off at 3 feet from the ground. The other was 14 feet high and had broken off at ground level.   

The furthest peaks they could see from Maophlang were some 4-5 miles distant. Of course an elevation of the more distant hills, or of that on which they were standing, would produce the same apparent effect as a subsidence of the intermediate hills and if any change of level had taken place. The hills to the west of Maophlang, judging from the number of landslips visible, had evidently been very severely shaken. The Khasia path from Maophlang to Cherra punji, which was part of the old main road across the hills from Tharia Ghat to Gauhati had not suffered much, as it usually avoided the side slopes of the hills.

On 27 July 1897, Tom LaTouche was in Maoflong. After breakfast he went to the Public Works Department office and set up a seismograph. The hut was barely finished and indeed, while he was setting it up, the Chinaman who built it was putting on the door. As now it was up and he had explained the working of it to the people who would have charge of it, he started for Maoflong. The dak bungalow was wrecked, only the roof was standing, but a grass hut had been built. 

Coming to the present, the Mawphlang Sacred Grove[99] and the scenic beauty surrounding it, attract large number of visitors who are interested in its natural and cultural history in the area[100]. The Mawphlang Sacred Grove and its surrounding areas is the most well preserved Sacred Grove in the state of Meghalaya which is still conserved on the basis of ancient cultural rules, regulations and beliefs which are being practiced even up to the present time. 

The Grove is a rich store house of rare, endangered and endemic flora and fauna. It is located only 25 Kilometres from Shillong and at close proximity with other established tourist destinations such as Cherra punjee and Elephant Falls. In fact the David Scot Trail to Cherra punjee, which is being developed as a trekking tract, passes close to the Sacred Grove.