After you get settled in Shillong, make the
Mawphlang Sacred Forest your first destination. If you go by yourself, you won’t understand what the big deal is. Take a local Khasi guide with you, though, and the tale of this place will captivate you.
Home to a deity called Labasa, local tribes regard this 196-acre forest as sacred. A single, fundamental rule binds it: you are not allowed to remove anything in these woods, not even a leaf. Intruders who failed to comply have suffered bouts of misfortune, fallen ill, and have even died.
As your guide takes you through this serene place, you’ll see trees, plants, and flowers that have been around for hundreds, or even thousands of years. Locals maintain that some plants can cure tuberculosis or even cancer.