Most travellers to the Khasi Hills head straight for Shillong or the waterfalls of Sohra, and drive past the quiet turn-off to Smit without a second look. That is a pity, because this small village is the ceremonial heart of one of Meghalaya’s oldest Khasi states, and for a few days each November it becomes the stage for the Nongkrem Dance, one of the most important festivals of the Khasi people.
Smit is a village in East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya, about 11 km south of Shillong, and the traditional capital of the Khyrim Khasi state (hima). It is best known for Ka Pomblang Nongkrem, a five-day thanksgiving festival held each November at the Iing Sad, the thatched royal house of the Syiem (chief).
Key takeaways
- Smit, in East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya, is the seat of the Khyrim Syiemship and is described by Meghalaya Tourism as the cultural centre of the Khasi Hills.
- The Meghalaya government lists Smit as about 11 km from Shillong; the Meghalaya Tourism site places it 15 km south-west, so plan on a 30–45 minute drive.
- The Nongkrem Dance (Ka Pomblang Nongkrem) is a five-day Khasi festival held “generally in the month of November,” per the Meghalaya government; East Khasi Hills district notified a local holiday for the festival on 2 November 2026.
- The festival centres on the Iing Sad, which Meghalaya Tourism calls a thatched palace “built entirely without metal,” where unmarried women and young men dance before the Syiem.
- The best season for a comfortable visit is October to April; the village itself is open year-round, while festival viewing is tied to the November dates.
- There is no dedicated railway at Smit; the usual gateways are Shillong, Umroi (Shillong) airport about 30 km away, and Guwahati about 120 km by road (as of October 2026).
About Smit: the Khasi traditional capital
Smit is the traditional seat of Hima Khyrim, one of the Khasi states (himas) that governed the Khasi Hills before and through the colonial period. Meghalaya Tourism describes Smit as “the capital of the Khyrim Syiemship” and the historic seat of the Khyrim kingdom; the Meghalaya government’s culture page calls the surrounding area the cultural centre of the Khasi Hills.
In the Khasi system, a hima is a chiefdom led by a Syiem (chief), who is advised by a council and who also carries religious duties. Smit matters because it keeps that older order visible. The village is small and agricultural for most of the year, with the Iing Sad and a cluster of traditional houses at its core. It sits in East Khasi Hills district, the same district as Shillong, and shares the district’s cool, high-rainfall climate.
| Place | Smit village |
|---|---|
| District / state | East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya |
| Role | Traditional capital of Hima Khyrim (Khyrim Syiemship) |
| Distance from Shillong | About 11 km (Meghalaya government); 15 km south-west (Meghalaya Tourism) |
| Known for | Ka Pomblang Nongkrem (Nongkrem Dance), the Iing Sad |
| PIN code | 793015 |
| Best season | October–April; festival in November |
The Iing Sad: the Syiem’s royal thatched house
The Iing Sad (also spelt Ing Sad) is the royal thatched house of the Khyrim Syiem at Smit, and it is the building everything at the festival revolves around. Meghalaya Tourism describes it as “a striking thatched building or palace built entirely without metal,” and calls it an enduring symbol of Khasi heritage and royal legacy.
Architecturally the Iing Sad is a large Khasi house with a steep thatched roof and timber frame, built using traditional joinery rather than nails. It is a living religious structure, not a museum, so the interior is not an open tourist attraction. For most of the year you can see and photograph the exterior from the village; during the Nongkrem festival the open ground in front of the Iing Sad becomes the dance arena. Treat the house and its surroundings as sacred, and ask before entering any gated or roped area.
Ka Pomblang Nongkrem: the Nongkrem Dance festival
Ka Pomblang Nongkrem is a five-day Khasi religious festival held at Smit, usually in November, and it is the single reason most visitors time a trip here. Meghalaya Tourism translates Ka Pomblang Nongkrem literally as the “goat killing ceremony of Nongkrem,” while the Meghalaya government describes the event as a five-day religious festival of the Khasis popularly known as the Nongkrem dance.
The festival is a thanksgiving-and-harvest rite. According to the Meghalaya government’s culture page, it is held to appease the goddess Ka Blei Synshar “for a rich bumper harvest and prosperity of the people.” The ritual core is led by the Syiem of Khyrim together with the high priest. The government page records that offerings include the sacrifice of a cock to Lei Shyllong, the god of the Shillong peak, followed by the Pomblang itself, which it describes as the sacrifice of goats, with offerings then made to the ancestors of the ruling clan.
The public highlight is the dance. The Meghalaya Tourism page notes that on the fourth day young Khasi men and unmarried women perform a ritual dance in front of the Iing Sad, wearing traditional attire and gold ornaments. The government page adds that the men’s dance is the more vigorous, with dancers holding a sword in the right hand and, usually, a white yak-hair whisk in the left, keeping time to drums and the tangmuri (a traditional Khasi pipe). The women dance slowly and with restraint at the centre, encircled by the men.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Local name | Ka Pomblang Nongkrem (“goat killing ceremony of Nongkrem”) |
| Where | Iing Sad, Smit, East Khasi Hills |
| When | Generally November each year; five days |
| Purpose | Thanksgiving and harvest; appeasing goddess Ka Blei Synshar |
| Led by | The Syiem of Khyrim and the high priest |
| Key ritual | Pomblang (goat sacrifice) and offerings to the ancestors of the ruling clan |
| Public highlight | Dance by unmarried women and young men before the Iing Sad, to drums and the tangmuri (pipe) |
On exact dates: the Meghalaya government page says only “generally, in the month of November, every year,” and does not publish a year-ahead calendar. For 2026, a legal-updates service reported that the Government of Meghalaya notified a local holiday on 2 November 2026 in East Khasi Hills district on account of the Nongkrem Dance festival (notification GAA.94/86/Pt/331). Treat this as an indicative date, and confirm the festival schedule with Meghalaya Tourism or the East Khasi Hills district administration before you travel, because the dance day and the wider five-day programme can shift year to year.
Best time to visit Smit
The best time to visit Smit is October to April, when the Khasi Hills are drier and cooler, with the Nongkrem festival falling in November. Meghalaya as a whole is one of the wettest regions on earth, so the heavy south-west monsoon (roughly June to September) brings persistent rain and low cloud that can wash out village views and road travel. The post-monsoon and winter months give the clearest skies.
If your aim is the festival, build the trip around the November dates above and expect larger crowds and heavier traffic on the Smit road on the main dance day. If you simply want to see the village, the Iing Sad from outside and the surrounding countryside, any clear day from October to April works, and you will have the place largely to yourself.
| Season | Months | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Post-monsoon / autumn | October–November | Clearing skies, green hills, Nongkrem festival in November; best overall window |
| Winter | December–February | Cold, crisp, mostly dry; carry warm layers for the hills |
| Spring | March–April | Mild and pleasant before the rains build |
| Monsoon | June–September | Very heavy rain and low cloud; travel and views often disrupted |
How to reach Smit
You reach Smit by road from Shillong, roughly 11 km away, usually as a short drive or a local taxi hop; there is no railway or airport at the village itself. Shillong is the practical base. From there the village lies to the south, on the way towards the Laitlum escarpment.
By air: The nearest airport is Shillong Airport at Umroi, about 30 km from Shillong city, but its scheduled service is limited; an Assam Tribune report noted Alliance Air operating a single ATR-42 on a Kolkata–Umroi route, with a UDAN-scheme upgrade for larger aircraft planned. Most visitors instead fly into Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati and drive on. Check the Airports Authority of India for current Umroi flights before you plan around it.
By rail: There is no railhead in the Khasi Hills near Smit. The usual railway gateway is Guwahati, in Assam, after which the journey continues by road to Shillong and then to Smit.
By road: Guwahati to Shillong is about 120 km, typically a 3 to 3.5 hour drive on NH-6, with shared and private taxis widely available. From Shillong, Smit is a short run south; the same road continues to Laitlum, which lies only a short drive beyond Smit.
| From | Approx. distance | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Shillong | About 11–15 km | Taxi / car, 30–45 min |
| Umroi (Shillong) airport | About 30 km from Shillong | Limited flights; taxi onward |
| Guwahati (airport and railway) | About 120 km to Shillong | Taxi / bus, 3–3.5 hr, then to Smit |
| Laitlum canyon | Short drive beyond Smit | Car / taxi |
Khasi matrilineal culture and village life
Smit is a Khasi village, and Khasi society is matrilineal, meaning descent, clan identity and ancestral property pass through the mother’s line. The East Khasi Hills district administration’s page on the Khasi people explains that the youngest daughter, the Ka Khadduh, is the custodian and heiress of the ancestral property. If a family has no daughter, the district page sets out a defined order of succession through the female line, and childless couples may adopt a daughter.
Matriliny does not mean women rule. The same district source notes that the Khadduh cannot freely dispose of ancestral property; selling it needs the consent of the maternal uncles and brothers, and men play a central role in clan affairs. Rules also vary by subgroup: among the War-Khasis property passes to all children, while among the War-Jaintias only daughters inherit. It is a system worth understanding before you visit, because it shapes how homes, clans and the Syiemship itself are organised. Smit’s role as a Syiemship capital, where ritual authority is inherited within a ruling clan, sits inside this wider Khasi matrilineal framework. For the regional context, our Meghalaya travel guide sets out the state’s culture and circuits.
Where to stay near Smit
There is no established tourist hotel strip at Smit, so most visitors stay in Shillong and come out for the day or the festival. Shillong has the widest range of rooms in the Khasi Hills, from budget guesthouses to mid-range hotels and a few upper-end properties, and it keeps you within an easy drive of Smit. Our Shillong travel guide covers neighbourhoods, getting around and where the hotels cluster.
Homestays are the other good option: the Khasi Hills have a growing network of village and farm homestays, several within reach of Smit and the Laitlum road, which give a closer view of daily life. If you want to stay near the village for the festival, book well ahead, because November is peak season and rooms around Shillong fill up. The planning bands below are indicative only.
| Type | Indicative per-night band | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Budget guesthouse / basic homestay | ₹1,000–₹2,500 | Simple rooms; book ahead in November |
| Mid-range hotel / comfortable homestay | ₹2,500–₹6,000 | Most choice is in this band in Shillong |
| Upper-end hotel / resort | ₹6,000 and above | Limited stock; reserve early for the festival |
Nearby places to combine with Smit
Smit pairs naturally with Shillong and the viewpoints and sacred groves of the central Khasi Hills, all within an easy day’s reach. The most convenient add-on is Laitlum, the dramatic canyon escarpment reached on the same road through Smit. Shillong itself is the obvious base, and the sacred forest at Mawphlang and the waterfalls of Sohra (Cherrapunji) make a longer loop.
| Place | Approx. distance | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Shillong | About 11 km | State capital and base; markets, lakes, museums (see our Shillong guide) |
| Laitlum canyon | About 22–25 km from Shillong | Steep green escarpment and valley views, reached via Smit |
| Mawphlang sacred forest | About 25 km south-west of Shillong (Meghalaya Tourism) | Protected Khasi sacred grove with a long conservation tradition |
| Sohra (Cherrapunji) | About 54 km from Shillong | Waterfalls, living-root bridges and some of the world’s highest rainfall |
A rough budget for a Smit day trip
A Smit day trip from Shillong is inexpensive, since the main cost is transport rather than any entry fee, and the village is generally open to walk through. The figures below are planning estimates for one person on a half-day outing from Shillong, not fixed prices, and they exclude your Shillong hotel.
| Item | Indicative cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local taxi (shared portion, Shillong–Smit return) | ₹300–₹800 | Lower if shared; a full private cab costs more |
| Food and tea | ₹150–₹400 | Simple local meals |
| Donations / incidentals | ₹100–₹300 | Optional; respect any festival collection |
| Indicative half-day total | ₹550–₹1,500 | Excludes accommodation and festival-season taxi surge |
Permits, etiquette and practical tips
No special permit is required for Indian travellers to visit Smit; Meghalaya does not fall under the Inner Line Permit system, and no entry ticket for the village came up in official sources (reconfirm any festival-specific rules locally). Foreign nationals should check the standard registration requirements that apply across north-east India before travelling. The practical points below matter more than paperwork.
- Respect the sacred setting. The Iing Sad is a living religious house, not an exhibit. Do not enter roped or gated areas, and follow the instructions of organisers and the Syiem’s household during the festival.
- Photography. Photographing the dance and the village exterior is generally fine, but ask before photographing people closely, and avoid filming during the private ritual portions. Confirm any restrictions on the day.
- Dress modestly and behave quietly around the festival ground, as you would at any religious occasion.
- Cash and connectivity. Carry cash from Shillong; village ATMs and card or UPI acceptance can be limited. Mobile network is patchier than in the city.
- Weather and footing. The hills are cool and can be wet even outside the monsoon; carry a light rain layer and shoes with grip, especially if you continue to Laitlum.
- Health. The nearest full hospital facilities are in Shillong; carry any personal medication with you.
If you time the visit for the Nongkrem Dance, arrive early on the dance day, because the Smit road and parking fill quickly once the programme begins.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Smit and how far is it from Shillong?
Smit is a village in East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya, and the traditional capital of the Khyrim Khasi state. The Meghalaya government lists it as about 11 km from Shillong, while the Meghalaya Tourism site places it 15 km south-west, so plan on a short 30–45 minute drive from the city.
What is the Nongkrem Dance festival at Smit?
The Nongkrem Dance, or Ka Pomblang Nongkrem, is a five-day Khasi religious festival held at Smit, usually in November. Per the Meghalaya government, it is a thanksgiving-and-harvest rite to appease the goddess Ka Blei Synshar, and includes the Pomblang (goat sacrifice) led by the Syiem of Khyrim and dances before the Iing Sad.
When is the Nongkrem festival held in 2026?
The Meghalaya government states the festival is held “generally in the month of November” each year without fixed public dates. For 2026, East Khasi Hills district reportedly notified a local holiday on 2 November 2026 for the Nongkrem Dance. Treat this as indicative and confirm the schedule with Meghalaya Tourism before travelling.
What is the Iing Sad at Smit?
The Iing Sad is the royal thatched house of the Khyrim Syiem (chief) at Smit, and the centre of the Nongkrem festival. Meghalaya Tourism describes it as a thatched building or palace built entirely without metal, and an enduring symbol of Khasi heritage. The open ground before it becomes the festival dance arena.
Do I need a permit to visit Smit?
No Inner Line Permit is needed to visit Smit, as Meghalaya is outside the ILP system, and no village entry fee appeared in official sources. Foreign nationals should check the standard north-east registration requirements before travelling, and everyone should confirm any festival-specific rules with local organisers on the day.
What else can I see near Smit?
Near Smit you can combine Shillong, about 11 km away, with the Laitlum canyon reached on the same road just beyond the village. For a longer loop, Meghalaya Tourism places the Mawphlang sacred forest about 25 km south-west of Shillong, and Sohra (Cherrapunji), known for its waterfalls, about 54 km from Shillong.
Last updated and sources
Smit rewards travellers who care about living culture rather than ticking off sights: come in October to April for the countryside, or in November if you want to witness the Nongkrem Dance. Base yourself in Shillong, go early on the festival day, and treat the Iing Sad and its rituals with respect.
Last updated: 23 October 2026. Fees, timings and permits change — reconfirm with official sources before you travel.
Sources: Government of Meghalaya, “Nongkrem Dance — A Religious Dance Festival of Meghalaya” (meghalaya.gov.in); Meghalaya Tourism, “Shad Nongkrem” (meghalayatourism.in); Meghalaya Tourism, Mawphlang and Laitlum destination pages (meghalayatourism.in); East Khasi Hills District Administration, “The People” (eastkhasihills.gov.in); Government of Meghalaya local-holiday notification GAA.94/86/Pt/331 for 2 November 2026 as reported by a legal-updates service (teamleaseregtech.com); Assam Tribune on Umroi airport service (assamtribune.com). Accessed October 2026.
