Nohkalikai Falls is the tallest plunge

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Its height is . The waterfall is located in the Indian state of

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...

, near cherapunji(Sohra), one of the wettest places on Earth. Nohkalikai Falls are fed by the rainwater collected on the summit of a comparatively small plateau and decrease in power during the dry season, from December to February. Below the falls is a

plunge pool A plunge pool (or plunge basin or waterfall lake) is a deep depression in a stream bed at the base of a waterfall or Shut-in (river), shut-in. It is created by the erosion, erosional forces of cascading water on the rocks at formation's base wher ...

with water of an unusual shade of green.

Legend of Nohkalikai

According to local legend, in a village called Rangjyrteh, upstream from Nohkalikai Falls, there lived a woman named Likai who found she had no choice but to remarry following the death of her husband. Ka Likai (Ka is the

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the Word stem, stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy'' ...

given for the female gender in Khasi) was left with an infant daughter and scant means of earning a living; so in order to sustain herself and feed her child she took on the arduous job of a porter. Her work required her to leave the child unattended for long periods and what little time she could spend at home was devoted almost entirely to caring for her baby. Realising that raising a child required both parents, Ka Likai married a second time for the sake of her daughter. However, as mother to an infant, she was obliged to give her daughter constant attention, at the expense of giving her wicked second husband the love he thought he deserved. Consumed with jealous rage, he conceived a hatred for his little stepdaughter, finally killing the infant in cold blood and cooking her flesh, after first throwing away her severed head and bones in order to hide - as he thought - all trace of the murder. When Ka Likai returned, she found the house empty - nobody at home - although someone had prepared a meal. She wanted to go and look for her daughter, but was so famished from her labours that she fell upon the dish of cooked meat, devouring it avidly until she could eat no more. Ka Likai usually chewed a

betel quid Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts (also called "betel nuts") are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects. The practice ...

after her meal, but was horrified to discover a severed finger near the place where she usually prepared her

betel nuts The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel p ...

and

betel leaves The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plant ...

. Realising what had happened in her absence she went mad with anger and grief and began to run frenziedly, all the while swinging a

hatchet A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be use ...

in her hand. She finally ran right off the edge of the plateau, plunging to her death, unable to bear any longer the thought that she had unknowingly cannibalised her murdered daughter. The waterfall from which she leaped was named Nohkalikai Falls as a grim reminder of the tragedy that had befallen the unfortunate Ka Likai. Nohkalikai Falls Cherrapunji.JPG, Nohkalikai Falls are located on the edge of the Cherrapunji Plateau and always fed by the rain. Nohkalikai Falls India.jpg, Nohkalikai Falls depicted in a painting around 1854. Nohkalikai Falls.JPG, Nohkalikai Falls in the drier season NohKaLikai Falls V2 Wiki

References

East Khasi Hills district Waterfalls of Meghalaya Tourism in Northeast India {{Waterfall-stub

Legend of Nohkalikai

See also

References