State in northeastern India bounded by Bangladesh and Assam state. Meghalaya (or "Abode of the clouds") is home to the Khasis, the only people in India who speak a Mon-Khmer language, and scions of the peoples living in the many ancient Khmer Kingdoms which dominated this region. British political control over these kingdoms starting in 1829 was employed with a light touch, allowing the Khasis to preserve a traditional way of life.
Indian promises to maintain a British 'standoffishness' in return for accession to its dominion in 1947 wound up short-lived when India, somewhat wantonly, threw these Khmer peoples into the cauldron of Assam state, where the Assamese language and an Assamese cultural identity were enforced.
Peaceful (and patient) agitation for a Khasi-dominant state paid off when Meghalaya was granted autonomy within Assam on April 2, 1970. Statehood came two years later.
Meghalaya is one of the Seven Sister States of northeast India. Capital is Shillong.
