The Khasi States of Meghalaya

The Khasi states were a group of small traditional chiefdoms, known in the Khasi language as Hima, in the Khasi hills of present-day Meghalaya in north-eastern India. Each was led by a chief known as a Syiem, chosen within the distinctive matrilineal system of Khasi society, and governed with the counsel of traditional councils. Unlike the great imperial dynasties of the Indian plains, such as the house described in our guide to the Gupta Empire, the Khasi states were small, largely autonomous chiefdoms rooted in the traditions of the Khasi people. They remained largely independent through much of their history and entered into treaties with the British in the nineteenth century. The Khasi country is also famous for its stone monoliths, such as those at Nartiang, and for the matrilineal traditions of Khasi society. Because the early history rests largely on tradition and oral memory, this guide keeps to general terms where the record is uncertain.

Key Takeaways

• The Khasi states were a group of small traditional chiefdoms, known in the Khasi language as Hima, in the Khasi hills of present-day Meghalaya.
• Each state was led by a chief known as a Syiem, chosen within the distinctive matrilineal system of Khasi society.
• The states were governed with the counsel of traditional councils and remained largely autonomous through much of their history.
• Khasi society is noted for its matrilineal traditions, in which descent and inheritance pass through the mother’s line.
• The Khasi states entered into treaties with the British in the nineteenth century.
• The Khasi country is famous for its stone monoliths, such as those at Nartiang, and for its living root bridges.

Read on for the history, culture, and legacy in detail.

Quick Facts

What Were the Khasi States?

The Khasi states were a group of small traditional chiefdoms, known in the Khasi language as Hima, in the Khasi hills of present-day Meghalaya in north-eastern India. Rather than a single unified kingdom, the Khasi country was organised into a number of these states, each led by a chief known as a Syiem and governed according to the distinctive traditions of Khasi society. The states were largely autonomous, managing their own affairs through their chiefs and traditional councils, and together they formed the political world of the Khasi hills. The Khasi states are remembered for their distinctive system of governance, rooted in the matrilineal traditions of Khasi society, and for their long autonomy before and during the period of British relations. As a system of self-governing hill chiefdoms, the Khasi states offer a distinctive example in the history of the subcontinent. Their story forms an important chapter in the history of the north-east and its peoples.

Where Were the Khasi States Located?

The Khasi states were located in the Khasi hills of present-day Meghalaya, the hilly country of north-eastern India that rises between the plains of Assam to the north and the lowlands to the south. This upland country, a land of hills, high plateaus, deep valleys and heavy rains, formed the homeland of the Khasi people and the setting of their states. The Khasi hills are part of the wider hill country of Meghalaya, whose name means the abode of clouds, renowned for its dramatic landscapes and its heavy rainfall. The position of the Khasi states in this hill country, set apart from the plains, helped preserve their distinctive traditions and their autonomy through much of their history. The geography of hills and plateaus shaped the character and life of the states. The Khasi hills thus formed the enduring homeland of the Khasi states and their people. The region remains the heartland of Khasi society today.

Who Are the Khasi People?

The Khasi people are one of the principal communities of present-day Meghalaya, a people of the Khasi hills with their own language, traditions and distinctive social organisation. Long settled in the hill country of the north-east, the Khasi have a rich heritage of customs, beliefs and ways of life, shaped by the landscape of hills, plateaus and heavy rains in which they live. Among the most distinctive features of Khasi society is its matrilineal organisation, in which descent, inheritance and clan identity pass through the mother’s line, a tradition that sets the Khasi apart among the peoples of the subcontinent. The Khasi are treated here with respect as one of the peoples who shaped the history of the north-east. The Khasi states were the political expression of this community, governing the hill country through their chiefs and councils. The Khasi people thus stand at the heart of the history and heritage of the Khasi states and the Khasi hills.

What Is a Hima?

A Hima was a Khasi state or chiefdom, the basic political unit of the Khasi hills, each governed by a chief known as a Syiem together with the traditional councils of the people. The Khasi country was organised into a number of these Hima, which varied in size and importance and which together formed the political world of the hills. Each Hima was a largely autonomous unit, managing its own affairs according to the traditions of Khasi society, under the authority of its Syiem and the counsel of its councils. The system of the Hima reflects the distinctive political organisation of the Khasi people, rooted in their traditions and their matrilineal social order. The Hima were not centralised kingdoms in the manner of the great states of the plains, but self-governing chiefdoms with their own institutions. The term Hima thus denotes the Khasi state as a political and traditional unit. The system of the Hima lies at the heart of the history of the Khasi states.

Who Was the Syiem?

The Syiem was the chief who led a Khasi state, or Hima, holding the highest traditional office in the chiefdom and governing with the counsel of the traditional councils. The Syiem held his position within the distinctive system of Khasi society, chosen from within particular clans according to the matrilineal traditions of the people, rather than simply by hereditary succession from father to son. The office of the Syiem combined political and ceremonial roles, and the chief governed not as an absolute ruler but in consultation with the councils and institutions of the state. The authority of the Syiem rested on the traditions and consent of the community, within the framework of Khasi custom. The role of the Syiem reflects the distinctive political order of the Khasi states, rooted in their matrilineal society. The Syiem thus stood at the head of the Khasi state, a chief governing within the traditions and institutions of his people.

How Were the Syiems Chosen?

The Syiems were chosen within the distinctive system of Khasi society, drawn from particular clans according to the matrilineal traditions of the people and selected with the involvement of the traditional councils and electors, rather than simply inheriting the office from father to son. In the matrilineal order of Khasi society, the line of the Syiem passed through the female line of the ruling clan, so that succession followed the distinctive customs of the people rather than the patrilineal patterns common elsewhere in the subcontinent. The selection of a Syiem involved the councils and electors of the state, reflecting the consultative character of Khasi governance. This distinctive mode of selection set the Khasi states apart from the hereditary monarchies of the Indian plains. The details of these customs varied among the different states and are drawn from tradition and the record of the region. The selection of the Syiems thus reflects the matrilineal and consultative traditions at the heart of Khasi political life.

What Is the Khasi Matrilineal System?

The Khasi matrilineal system is the distinctive social order of Khasi society, in which descent, inheritance and clan identity pass through the mother’s line, setting the Khasi apart among the peoples of the subcontinent. In this system, children belong to the clan of their mother, and family property and identity are traced and transmitted through the female line, with a special role for the youngest daughter in some traditions as the keeper of the ancestral home. This matrilineal order shapes not only family life but also the political traditions of the Khasi states, including the succession of the Syiems. The system reflects the deep traditions of Khasi society and remains a defining feature of the community today. It is treated here with respect as one of the distinctive social traditions of the peoples of India. The matrilineal system thus lies at the heart of Khasi society and of the traditions of the Khasi states. It remains a celebrated feature of Khasi heritage.

How Were the Khasi States Governed?

The Khasi states were governed by their Syiems together with traditional councils, known in the Khasi language as the dorbar, through which the affairs of the state were decided in a consultative manner. The dorbar, or council, brought together the chief and the representatives and elders of the community, and it played a central role in the governance of the state, reflecting the consultative and participatory character of Khasi political traditions. The Syiem governed not as an absolute ruler but in consultation with these councils, within the framework of Khasi custom and the matrilineal traditions of society. This system of chief and council extended through the different levels of the state, from the village to the Hima as a whole. The arrangement reflects the distinctive political order of the Khasi people, rooted in consultation and tradition. The details of these institutions varied among the states and are drawn from tradition and the record of the region. The governance of the Khasi states thus rested on the Syiem and the councils of the people.

What Was the Religion and Culture of the Khasis?

The religion and culture of the Khasis reflected the distinctive traditions of the people of the Khasi hills, rooted in their own beliefs, customs and ways of life, and later touched by other influences. In their traditional religion, the Khasi maintained their own beliefs and practices, centred on the reverence of the divine and the ancestors and expressed in rituals, festivals and sacred traditions. The matrilineal order of society shaped family and community life, and the Khasi developed a rich heritage of customs, oral traditions, music and crafts. In the later period, especially under and after British contact, Christianity came to be widely adopted among the Khasi, alongside the continuation of traditional beliefs among parts of the community. The culture of the Khasi, shaped by the landscape of hills and heavy rains, remains distinctive and vibrant. The details of this religion and culture are drawn from tradition and the record of the region and are described in general terms. Through this heritage the Khasi have shaped the culture of the north-east.

What Are the Khasi Monoliths?

The Khasi monoliths are the standing stones and stone memorials found across the Khasi and Jaintia hills, a distinctive feature of the heritage of the region erected in the traditions of the people. These monoliths, often raised in groups, were set up to honour ancestors, commemorate the dead and mark important events, reflecting the deep traditions of memory and reverence in Khasi society. The practice of raising such stones is a notable element of the cultural heritage of the hills, and the monoliths stand among the most striking monuments of the region. They bear witness to the beliefs, customs and social traditions of the Khasi people over a long period. The monoliths are studied for the light they shed on the traditions and history of the region. The details of their age and meaning are drawn from tradition and the record of the region and are described in general terms. The Khasi monoliths thus stand as a distinctive and evocative part of the heritage of the Khasi hills.

What Is Special About Nartiang?

Nartiang, in the hill country of present-day Meghalaya, is especially famous for its remarkable collection of monoliths, among the most notable groups of standing stones in the region. The monoliths at Nartiang, comprising both tall upright stones and flat stones, form a celebrated assemblage that bears witness to the stone-raising traditions of the people of the hills. The site is counted among the most striking monuments of the region and draws visitors and students of its history and heritage. The monoliths of Nartiang reflect the traditions of memory, commemoration and reverence that marked the society of the Khasi and Jaintia hills. The site is studied and celebrated as a notable example of the monolith heritage of the region. The details of the age and history of the monoliths are drawn from tradition and the record of the region and are described in general terms. Nartiang thus stands as a famous centre of the monolith heritage of the hills of Meghalaya.

How Did the Khasi States Relate to the British?

The Khasi states related to the British through the treaties and arrangements into which the individual Hima entered in the nineteenth century, as British authority extended into the north-east. As the British established their power in the region, they entered into relations with the Khasi states, concluding treaties with the various chiefs by which the states retained a measure of their traditional autonomy while acknowledging the overarching British authority. Unlike many regions brought under direct administration, the Khasi states largely preserved their traditional institutions of the Syiem and the councils under these arrangements. The relations with the British shaped the later history of the states and their place within the wider framework of British power in India. The details of these treaties and arrangements are drawn from the record of the period and are described in general terms. The relations of the Khasi states with the British thus combined the preservation of tradition with the acknowledgement of a new paramount power in the region.

How Did the Khasi States Join India?

The Khasi states, like the other princely and traditional territories, became part of independent India following independence in 1947, and the region in time came to form part of the state of Meghalaya. With the end of British paramountcy, the traditional states of the Khasi hills were integrated into the new nation, and the hill country became part of independent India. In the decades that followed, the region that includes the Khasi hills was organised, together with the neighbouring hill areas, into the state of Meghalaya, created to give the hill peoples their own state within the Indian union. The traditional institutions of the Khasi, including the Syiem and the councils, continued to hold a place in the life of the region under new arrangements. The details of this integration belong to the broadly recorded history of the period. The joining of the Khasi states to India thus brought the hill country into the modern nation while preserving much of its distinctive heritage.

What Heritage Survives?

The Khasi states left a rich heritage, seen in the living traditions of Khasi society, the institutions of the Syiem and the councils, the stone monoliths of the hills, and the distinctive landscape and culture of the region. The matrilineal traditions of Khasi society, the system of the Hima and the dorbar, and the customs of the people continue as a living heritage in present-day Meghalaya. The stone monoliths, such as those at Nartiang, stand as striking monuments of the traditions of the region, while the famous living root bridges of the hills bear witness to the ingenuity and heritage of the people. These traditions, institutions and monuments are studied and celebrated as part of the heritage of the north-east. The heritage of the Khasi states thus endures in the living traditions, institutions and monuments of the Khasi hills. It forms a valued and distinctive part of the cultural heritage of the subcontinent.

Why Are the Khasi States Significant?

The Khasi states are significant as a distinctive tradition of self-governing hill chiefdoms, rooted in the matrilineal society of the Khasi people, offering a striking contrast to the hereditary monarchies of the Indian plains. Their system of the Hima, the Syiem and the traditional councils reflects a consultative and participatory political order, distinctive among the states of the subcontinent. The matrilineal traditions of Khasi society, in which descent and inheritance pass through the mother’s line, set the Khasi apart and have drawn wide interest. The long autonomy of the states, their treaties with the British, and their integration into independent India form an important chapter in the history of the north-east. Their heritage, from the stone monoliths to the living root bridges, stands among the distinctive treasures of the region. For students of Indian history, the Khasi states offer a vivid example of a distinctive political and social order in the hills of the north-east.

The Khasi States Today

The Khasi states are remembered today through the living traditions of Khasi society in present-day Meghalaya, the institutions of the Syiem and the councils, and the distinctive heritage of the Khasi hills. The matrilineal traditions of the Khasi, the system of the Hima and the dorbar, and the customs of the people continue as a vibrant part of life in the region, giving the Khasi hills their distinctive character. The stone monoliths, such as those at Nartiang, and the famous living root bridges of the hills draw visitors and students of history and heritage from across the subcontinent and beyond. Scholars and communities continue to study and celebrate the traditions, institutions and history of the Khasi states and their people. The memory of the states forms part of the wider historical identity of the north-east. For readers of Indian history, the Khasi states offer a striking example of self-governing hill chiefdoms. Their legacy endures in the living traditions, institutions and heritage of Meghalaya.

Sources & Further Reading

• Archaeological Survey of India (asi.nic.in).
• Ministry of Culture, Government of India (indiaculture.gov.in).
• Directorate of Arts and Culture, Government of Meghalaya.

Frequently Asked Questions

What were the Khasi states?

The Khasi states were a group of small traditional chiefdoms, known in the Khasi language as Hima, in the Khasi hills of present-day Meghalaya. Each was led by a chief known as a Syiem and governed with the counsel of traditional councils, within the matrilineal society of the Khasi people.

Who was the Syiem?

The Syiem was the chief who led a Khasi state, or Hima, holding the highest traditional office in the chiefdom. The Syiem governed with the counsel of the traditional councils and was chosen within the matrilineal system of Khasi society rather than simply by father-to-son succession.

What is the Khasi matrilineal system?

The Khasi matrilineal system is the distinctive social order in which descent, inheritance and clan identity pass through the mother’s line. Children belong to the clan of their mother, and it remains a defining feature of Khasi society and its political traditions today.

How did the Khasi states relate to the British?

The Khasi states entered into treaties with the British in the nineteenth century as British authority extended into the north-east. Under these arrangements the states retained much of their traditional autonomy and institutions while acknowledging the overarching British authority.

What are the Nartiang monoliths?

The Nartiang monoliths are a famous collection of standing stones in the hill country of present-day Meghalaya, among the most notable groups of monoliths in the region. They reflect the stone-raising traditions of the people of the Khasi and Jaintia hills, used to honour ancestors and commemorate the dead.

How did the Khasi states become part of India?

The Khasi states became part of independent India following independence in 1947, and the region in time came to form part of the state of Meghalaya. The traditional institutions of the Syiem and the councils continued to hold a place in the life of the region under new arrangements.