Foreword
The rediscovery of Allsup's book is a reminder of the beauty of the natural landscape of Shillong and its surroundings. The Shillong Plateau is blessed with gentle hills, flowing streams, wooded forests and open grasslands. One way of enjoying this beckoning heritage is by taking slow walks in the countryside. These walks, depending on the season, and on the walker's interest and knowledge, are enriched by observing the plant life and flowers, fruits and berries, birds and butterflies, mushrooms and driftwood. Whether the vistas are obscured by the swirling mists of the monsoon, or stretching far in the sparkling clearness of a summer day, they are equally enjoyable.
The Shillong Plateau is a geological curiosity. In the tectonic collision of the Indian Plate with the Asian Plate, fifty-five million years ago, the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau were raised. The plates still chafe against each other, continuing to raise the Himalayas by a few inches every year and causing the frequent earthquakes we have become so used to. When the northeastern corner of the Asian Plate wedged itself into the angle between Tibet and Burma, the ill-fitting juxtaposition caused fractures in the plate, (the Oldham Fault to the north, the Dawki Fault to the south and the Kopli Fault separating us from the Mikir Hills), and elevated the plateau on which we now live. It is the only pop-up topography in the foreland of the Himalayas. The plateau, about 400 km long is still moving, a few mm a year, in a slow clockwise rotation and southwest direction. This causes its own jerks and rumbles, causing tremors at the surface.
The height of the plateau, up to 6449 feet (1966 m) provides cool, salubrious temperatures. The Shillong Plateau lies in the trajectory of the southwest summer monsoon and its elevation obstructs the path of the monsoon, causing heavy precipitation over our tableland. The northeast monsoon is similarly impeded, adding more rainfall. The raising and subterranean folds of the Shillong Plateau exposed the marine underbelly of the Plate, giving us the double-edged blessing of limestone and coal, but making accessible the wonderful passages of sub-terrestrial caves, and lodes of rare minerals and fossils. The many cracks, faults and lava traps make the landscape rugged and undulating, so streams flow and water falls. The combination of geological history, landscape features and climate have given us the beauty and biodiversity of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills.
The book, published in 1934, has never been reprinted in the ensuing fourscore years, though it is available in the public domain on the internet. It is our privilege to bring you this re-publication, which is an invitation to all Shillongites, and our visitors, to sample the scenic pleasures of our picturesque countryside. Take a break from your humdrum life of work or study; escape from the internet and social media, and savour the delightful distraction of a relaxing and invigorating walk.
Hindu (943)
Agriculture (138)
Ancient (1129)
Archaeology (825)
Architecture (577)
Art & Culture (948)
Biography (736)
Buddhist (548)
Cookery (168)
Emperor & Queen (589)
Islam (314)
Jainism (345)
Literary (888)
Mahatma Gandhi (397)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist