Nohkalikai Falls
The tallest and straight gush of waterfalls in India, Nohkalikai falls is located in Cherrapunjee, one of the wettest places on Earth. It is 5 km from the cherrapunjee main town. Cherrapunjee or called by its local name (Sohra) is a sub divisional town in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Its height is 1115 feet (340 metres). The rainwater which is composed on the summit of a comparatively small upland feeds this waterfalls and decrease in power during the waterless season especially from December – February. It is worth noticing that right at the bottom where the falls stop, the fall of water has formed a small plunge pool with unusual green colored water.
According to local Khasi legends, in a society called Rangjyrteh, upstream from Nohkalikai Falls, a woman named Likai resided with her husband and infant daughter but had to marry again after her husband’s death. Ka Likai (Ka is the prefix given for the female gender in Khasi) was left with her infant daughter with no source of income. In order to retain herself and feed her child she had to become a porter herself. Her work required her to leave her daughter unattended for several long intervals of time and when she would be at home she would spend most of her time taking care of her infant daughter and playing with her. She realized that raising a child required both parents, so Ka Likai married a second time for the sake of her daughter. However, being a mother of an infant, her daughter needed her constant attention so could not give time and love to her second that he deserved. So, a jealousy grew in her husband which started growing into a feeling of hatred towards Likai’s infant daughter. He murdered the infant in cold blood and cuts her whole body into small bits and cooked those bits of flesh after throwing away her cut off head and bones to veil all hint of the murder. In the evening when Ka Likai returned home, she noticed that her house was empty and there was nobody at home. She only found a meal that had been prepared but she did not find anyone around. She wanted to go and look around for her daughter but she was too tired of all day’s hard work that she had been doing so she ate the meal till her hunger died.
Ka Likai habitually use to chew kwai (betel nut) after her meals. So when she took the basket of kwai (Shang kwai : Khasi word denoting a regular basket or bowl where kwai is kept) in her hand and started peeling one of the betel nuts she found a cut off finger near the place where she usually cut betel nuts and betel leaves. Ka Likai realized everything that has happened in her absence and went mad with anger, rage and grief and ran out of her house. She ran off the rim of the plateau and jumped to her death as she could no longer bear the thought of cannibalizing on her own dead daughter unknowingly. The waterfall where she jumped from was named Nohkalikai Falls as a grim aide memoire of an ill-fated incident that befell an unfortunate woman.
Nohkalikai Falls falling from the height of 1100 ft, this fall draws great attraction in Cherrapunjee. The drive of Nohkalikai falls is through the elevated plateau that leads to the cliff where visitors can witness the enchanting sight and breath taking view of the beautiful Nohkalikai falls. Nohkalikai waterfalls plunging down into ultramarine pool many hundred feets below.
If you are wandering when the best time is to visit the Nohkalikai falls then it might be noted that the ideal time to Nohkalikai falls is during monsoon season, when the falls are at its most spectacular form. However it may be noted that these falls are sometimes covered with mild and heavy fog which makes it difficult to view the falls properly. This happens mostly in heavy rainy season.
The Nohkalikai falls is maintained with a viewing gallery for the convenience of the visitors to savor the beauty of the place. Visitors are also availed with stairs with the help of which they can go down to the other viewpoints too. The areas in and around the Nohkalikai falls is well maintained and very clean. Parking facilities are available outside the main entrance of the Nohkalikai falls. The compound of the first viewpoint is crowded with different kinds of shops selling different wares; food stalls, juice stalls, mini emporium- selling locals handmade stuffs some made of bamboo and other natural substances, local honey sequined in a bottle are also sold there. In addition, there are shops, food stalls and restaurants outside the main entrance too.
It is of much delight to see nature so closely and feels the very essence of it where peace and purity goes hand to hand. One will surely forget of all his problems and tensions of his daily life when he sees Mother Nature cuddling her assets- water, trees, highlands, plateaus, waterfalls in her lap of a calm environment.
However it is also a fun to see fellow visitors enjoying and rejoicing themselves at its best; clicking photographs, enjoying the food, buying stuffs, children playing around. And all the visitors unified as one in the lap of Mother Nature.
Coming down to some of the notable information, a minimum amount of Rs 10 is charged as entry fee per head (separate fee is taken for camera). You might be charged Rs 10 per hour for parking your vehicle.
VISITING HOURS
Morning:-08:00 AM – Evening 6:00 PM (SUMMERS)
Morning:-09:00AM – Evening 5:30 PM (WINTERS)
ENTRY FEES
Adult and children:- Rs 10 per head
Note: You may be charged extra for camera.
HOW TO REACH NOHKALIKAI FALLS
ADDRESS: Sohra , Cherrapunjee- 793018
- You can hire/book a Shillong local taxi/tourist cab for taxi/tourist cabs stands for full day sightseeing. These cabs will take to right at the Nohkalikai falls.
- You also have a reliable option of booking cabs with us at travenjo.com , where you can log in or call us at 6909053355 and plan a full day sightseeing with us and sit back and relax. We will do the rest of the work of booking a cab, planning your trip and striving hard to make your trip a memorable one.
