Nartiang, the erstwhile summer capital of the kingdom of Jaintiapur, has the largest collection and is home to the tallest known monoliths in the world — the tallest towering at more than eight metres long and 18 inches thick. According to popular local lore, it was laid down around 1500 AD by a giant known as Mar Phalyngki.
There are a few variations of the story, with most theories finding evidence only in oral literature. However, it is commonly acknowledged that the structures served as a tribute to the bravery of kings and generals. At Nartiang, the indigenous Jaintia religion based on ancestor and spirit worship, known as Niamtre, is widely practised even today. Virtually, every family in the village has a dedicated space in the monolith park, where the family name is etched onto the monoliths.
Because upright monoliths usually represent male relatives, they are also called moo shyarang or “male stones”. The female counterparts consist of flat stones assembled in a table-like structure, and are commonly identified as moo kynthai or “female stones”. Much like a cemetery, family members pay their respects at designated stones, which then symbolise entire lifetimes.
Watch our rider-researchers walk through the monolith park of Nartiang, taking in the experience of being transported to moments captured in time.
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