West Khasi Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in north-eastern India. It is one of the districts that make up the Khasi Hills region, which is inhabited predominantly by the Khasi people. The district headquarters is located at Nongstoin.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Meghalaya |
| Region | Khasi Hills |
| Headquarters | Nongstoin |
| Formed | 28 October 1976 |
| Predecessor | Khasi Hills district |
| Major language | Khasi |
The undivided Khasi Hills district was reorganised in 1976, when the eastern and western portions were separated to create East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills. The district was further reduced in size when South West Khasi Hills district was carved out of its territory in 2012, with headquarters at Mawkyrwat.
West Khasi Hills lies on the central plateau of Meghalaya. The terrain consists of rolling hills, plateaus, deep river valleys and patches of subtropical forest. The Kynshi and Umngi are among the rivers that drain the district. To the north it adjoins the state of Assam, while internally it shares boundaries with East Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi and parts of the Garo Hills districts.
The district is administered by a Deputy Commissioner and falls under the traditional jurisdiction of several Khasi Syiemships (chieftaincies) recognised under the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, which exercises powers under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Nongstoin serves as the principal urban and administrative centre, with smaller towns including Mairang and Nongkhlaw.
The population is overwhelmingly Khasi, a matrilineal community in which lineage and ancestral property pass through the youngest daughter (the ka khadduh). Christianity, introduced through Welsh Presbyterian and Catholic missions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, is the predominant religion, alongside the indigenous Niam Khasi faith. Khasi is the principal language, written in the Roman script.
The economy is largely agrarian. Paddy, maize, potatoes, ginger, turmeric and oranges are commonly grown, often on terraced fields and through shifting cultivation (jhum) in some areas. The district also has reserves of coal and limestone, and small-scale forestry, horticulture and weaving contribute to local livelihoods.
Nongkhlaw in the present-day West Khasi Hills was the seat of U Tirot Sing Syiem, the Khasi chieftain who led an armed resistance against the British East India Company beginning in 1829. The Anglo-Khasi War that followed is a defining episode in the political history of the Khasi Hills, and Tirot Sing is remembered as a state hero of Meghalaya.
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