History

West Khasi Hills District was carved out of the state of Meghalaya in the year 1976 on the 28 day of October which in fact is the largest of all the eleven districts in the state of Meghalaya and since its existence, it has been bifurcated into two Civil Sub-divisions and a new district in South West Khasi Hills. It spreads through the heart of the state running high with plateau ranges and low with rich plain lands.

Owing to absence of written records, nothing is known about the past history of the Khasi people and the history of the composite Khasi Hills district – the 9
Jaintia Hills, the East Khasi Hills, the West Khasi Hills and the Ri-Bhoi – which today is locally known as the “Bri U HynniewTrep” – Land of the Seven Huts. How the Khasis had come to those beautiful hills and from where they had come still remains a mystery. Scholars and researchers have attempted to find out the origin of the Khasi races and how they had come to settle in those hills. But their findings have been only conjectures without satisfactory answers.

The District comprises of eight Syiemships viz., Nongstoin, Nongkhlaw, Maharam, Myriaw, rambrai, Mawiang, Langrin Nobosophoh, together with the three Sirdarships of Jyrngam, Riangsih and Nonglang. The Headquarters of each of the Syiemships and Sirdarships are as indicated below: