Stories of Standing Stones

By Asha Ramachandran

Monoliths are large stones used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Such monoliths are found all over the world but the ones in Meghalaya and other North East states are riddled with stories, legends and unsolved mysteries.

Besides being a tourist state with many attractions including Cherrapunji, Meghalaya is famous for its monoliths in Khasi-Jaintia Hills some are feared and many are revered. These monoliths are found mostly in vertical positions and some are horizontal too. There are few, one on top of the other tenaciously refusing the theory of gravity. Normally such sacred stones are found outside the human settlements.

Among the many monolith marvels standing resolute with the passage of time, Nartiang  in  Jaintia Hills has a full-blown stone forest. One monolith also known as menhir stood at the end of the  park,  and is documented to be approximately 28 feet tall. In Mawkyrwat, the monolithic arrangement is set up on top of a hill and is surrounded by minuscule vegetation in South Khasi Hills. These monoliths are carved out of large rocks, for purposes no one can fully explain or understand. This monolith heritage site is home to a number of tall menhirs all placed in a neat circular pattern, with an uncanny resemblance in Stonehenge. in England which is also a UNESCO heritage site. There are many other monoliths spread in various parts of Meghalaya. The monoliths encompass a variety of forms, including menhirs, dolmens, and cairns. 

Each structure carries its own unique tales. Interestingly,  there is even gender identification among the monoliths. Moo chynrang (male monoliths/menhirs) in Pnar and maw shynrang in Khasi, and the structures that are horizontal on the ground are moo kynthai (female monoliths/dolmens) in Pnar and Maw Kynthei in Khasi. One such folklore around the megalithic site of Nartiang, the biggest conglomeration of monoliths, is that giants (ramhahs) existed who helped transport the huge stone structures, which is out of human limits. Alternatively, they could be humans as strong as giants. 

The Khasis and Jaintias of Meghalaya are known to use monoliths in their regular ritualistic and ceremonial lives even today. The symbolism behind these structures, however, vary from place to place. The two tribes have preserved their stories, cultures, and traditions through an age-old practice: oral transmission. Their tales have been woven into the fabric of their society, handed down over generations like precious inheritances. There is one Monolith Festival that takes place in Mawphlang. The sacred grove of Mawphlang is home to many such monoliths that were once a part of various tribal rituals.

In Manipur, a monolith personifying the roots of the Nagas was discovered recently at Makhel village in the Senapati district. This monolith is evidence of the historical roots of Onaeme, who once sojourned in Makhrai, dispersed, and found their permanent settlement in Onaephung (Oinam Hill Village).

In Nagaland itself, among the Nagas there is plenty of animism, particularly with regards to stones. Nagas as stone people and worshippers of stones find ample mention in  folklores so much so that Nagas are believed to be born out of stones. Monoliths represent the Naga practice of pulling a huge stone to the village as object of veneration and are dotted all over the villages and towns including Dimapur and its outskirts. Some of the stones are so massively big that it made the observers wonder about the labour which must have been necessary to haul the huge stones up to the village and place them where they stand. Monoliths are erected by Nagas to commemorate personal achievements and to perpetuate the memory of the dead, therefore an important ceremony. A lot of importance is attached to big stones and there is a belief that these stones are alive and move by themselves.

Arunachal Pradesh where the tribes also believe in some sorts of animism there is a monolith in the Wancho village  of  Senua. It was erected to honour Namsang, a powerful village of the Nocte tribe, who had helped them avert a British punitive expedition.

In Mizoram, Vangchhia village in Champhai district near the Indo- Myanmar border, boasts of the lost city of Vangchhia-the largest necropolis site in the world. Kawtchhuah Ropui (The Great Entrance way) is a natural heritage site marked with 171 ancient carved stones. The 171 menhir stones in the village became Mizoram’s first protected archaeological site in 2012. The ancient graves and the 200 meters long water pavilion that has been unearthed are all key to a lost civilization.

There are many monoliths found in other parts of the North East; some are even discovered from time-to- time.  Barring   Manipur and Tripura which were princely states, the rest of the region was either part of Assam or North East Frontier  Agency now Arunachal Pradesh. Hence, most were part of one region and so also the monoliths.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone structure in England, consisting of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around 13 high, seven feet wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting horizontal lintel stones. The whole monument, now ruinous, is aligned towards the sunrise on the summer solstice. The stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds. It is believed by the archaeologists that Stonehenge was constructed between 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Radiocarbon dating analysis suggests that first bluestones were raised between 2400 and 2200 BC. One of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom, Stonehenge is regarded as a British cultural icon. It has been a legally protected scheduled monument since 1882. The site and its surroundings were added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986. Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings. Despite the historic importance the British government recently ordered construction of a road tunnel near Stonehenge. This decision to build a road tunnel has come two years after campaigners protested against such a move. The USD 2.2 billion project aimed at easing congestion. UNESCO has even said that the site could lose its World Heritage Site status if construction goes ahead.

Monolith-Umiam

Till date most of the monoliths of Meghalaya were found on the surface. But last summer with the water level of the Umiam lake touching record low a huge monolith became visible to the naked eye. And beneath this water body lies a hidden treasure – a forgotten and sunken prehistoric settlement. On May 17 the water level of the lake reached its lowest ever exposing the submerged road (known as the old road). Archaeologist Dr. Marco Mitri made a startling discovery – a huge monolith, right inside the semi dried lake. Standing tall, the monolith was surrounded by many small stone tools, including several eroded and scattered burial cists. Umiam was a river before it was turned into a reservoir with the creation of a dam in the early 1960s, which submerged most of the places located along the river bank. Before that, the river bank served as a perfect location for settlement and agricultural activities. According to Mitri, this place was home to a prehistoric human settlement and urged for more studies.