Meghalaya derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Megh’ meaning Cloud and ‘Alaya’ meaning home. .
Meghalaya is divided into three hills i.e. Khasi hill, Jayantia hill and Garo hill – named after the major tribes of the area. It is known that the said tribes had their own kingdoms, till the arrival of the British in 19th century. The former two originated from the Khasis where as the Garo is a sub tribe of Bodos. In 1872 the British had put their feet in the Garo Hills and established the tribal district council. The Jaintia kings were influenced by the Hindu culture during 16th century. It was during the British rule that Meghalaya saw the sign of improvements in the field of roads, education and healthcare. After independence Meghalaya empowered with semi- autonomous status under Assam. Later it had attained the statehood ship on 21 January 1972.
