ArnoldBAp at 21:30, 11 February 2026

2026-02-11T21:30:57Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Khasi Hills
| official_name =
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| settlement_type = Region
| image_skyline = East Khasi Hills.jpg
| imagesize =
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| image_caption = Eastern Khasi Hills
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| population_as_of = 2011
| population_total = 1,468,223
| population_footnotes =
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| population_density_km2 = auto
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = [[Meghalaya]]
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| area_total_km2 = 10,443
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| blank_name_sec1 = Districts
| blank_info_sec1 =
* [[East Khasi Hills district|East Khasi Hills]]
* [[West Khasi Hills district|West Khasi Hills]]
* [[South West Khasi Hills district|South West Khasi Hills]]
* [[Eastern West Khasi Hills]]
* [[Ri-Bhoi district|Ri-Bhoi]]
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_footnotes =
| demographics1_title1 = Spoken
| demographics1_info1 = #[[Khasi language|Khasi]]
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}}

The '''Khasi Hills''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑː|s|i}}) are a low mountain formation on the [[Shillong Plateau]] in the [[Meghalaya]] state of [[India]]. The Khasi Hills are part of the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia range and connect with the [[Purvanchal Range]] and the larger [[Patkai Range]] further east. The Khasi Hills, and the whole Garo-Khasi-Jaintia range, are in the [[Meghalaya subtropical forests]] ecoregion.

The Khasi Hills, and the entire Meghalaya state, was administratively part of [[Assam]] before 1970. In older sources in particular, the alternative [[transcription (linguistics)|transcription]] '''Khasia Hills''' is seen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sarkar|first=A.B. Chaudhuri & D.D.|title=Megadiversity conservation : flora, fauna, and medicinal plants of India's hot spots|year=2003|publisher=Daya Publishing House|location=Delhi|isbn=8170353017}}</ref>

The region is inhabited mainly by tribal [[Khasi people|Khasi]] dwellers, who are traditionally in various chieftainships, states known as the [[Khasi Hill States]]. One of its capitals, [[Cherrapunji|Sohra]], is considered one of the wettest places in the world.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news
| first = Subir
| last = Bhaumik
| title = World's wettest area dries up
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2977169.stm
| format = stm
| work = South Asia News
| publisher = BBC
| location = Calcutta
| date = 2003-04-28
| access-date = 2008-02-21
}}</ref>
The majority of Khasis are Presbyterians followed by Catholics and Anglicans.

The region came under the Khasi Hills district, which was divided into the [[West Khasi Hills]] and [[East Khasi Hills]] districts on 28 October 1976.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bhattacharjya|first=Umasaday|title=Local government in Khasi Hills|publisher=Vivek, 1980|pages=263|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJgmAAAAMAAJ&q=khasi+hills|year=1980}}</ref>

The highest peak is Lum Shyllong which is {{convert|1968|m|ft}} high.<ref>{{cite book|last=Karlsson|first=Bengt G.|title=Unruly Hills : a political ecology of India's northeast|year=2010|publisher=Berghahn Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0857451040|author-link=Bengt G. Karlsson}}</ref> It is situated a few kilometers south of [[Shillong]] town.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Riggins|editor-first=Stephen Harold|title=Beyond Goffman : studies on communication, institution, and social interaction|year=1990|publisher=Mouton de Gruyter|location=Berlin [u.a.]|isbn=3110122081}}</ref>

== Administration ==

Administratively, the Khasi Hills used to be a part of the Khasi Hills district.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shangpliang|first=Rekha M.|title=Forest in the life of the Khasis|year=2010|publisher=Concept Pub. Co.|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-8180696671}}</ref> The district was divided into [[East Khasi Hills district]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://eastkhasihills.gov.in/ | title=East Khasi hills | publisher=Government of India | access-date=15 August 2012}}</ref> and [[West Khasi Hills district]] on 28 October 1976. On 4 June 1992, the [[Ri-Bhoi District]] was carved out of the East Khasi Hills District.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About district |url=https://ribhoi.gov.in/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Ri Bhoi District {{!}} Government of Meghalaya |language=en}}</ref>

==Demographics==
The population of the region according to the 2011 Census was 1,468,223.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Demography {{!}} East Khasi Hills {{!}} India |url=https://eastkhasihills.gov.in/demography/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Demography {{!}} West Khasi Hills District {{!}} Government of Meghalaya {{!}} India |url=https://westkhasihills.gov.in/demography/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Demography {{!}} South West Khasi Hills District {{!}} India |url=https://southwestkhasihills.gov.in/demography/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Demography {{!}} Ri Bhoi District {{!}} India |url=https://ribhoi.gov.in/demography/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Khasi Hills (2011)<ref name="census2011">{{cite web|title=Population by religion community – 2011|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|website=Census of India, 2011|publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|archive-date=25 August 2015}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Christianity]]
|color1 = DodgerBlue
|value1 = 76.88
|label2 = [[Hinduism]]
|color2 = Orange
|value2 = 12.42
|label3 = Niam Khasi
|value3 = 8.70
|color3 = Maroon
|label4 = [[Islam]]
|color4 = Green
|value4 = 1.19
|label5 = Others
|color5 = Grey
|value5 = 0.81
}}

A vast majority of 1,128,769 people in Khasi Hills follow [[Christianity]] of various denominations, mostly [[Presbyterian]] and [[Catholic]]. [[Hinduism]] is mainly followed by 182,353 people, mainly non-tribals ([[Bengalis]], [[Nepalis]], [[Biharis]], [[Marwaris]] etc.) living in the region. A small segment of Khasi tribe members numbering around 127,735 still follow their indigenous tribal religion called "Ka Niam Khasi", [[Islam]] is a tiny minority with around 17,471 people following it.<ref name="census2011">{{cite web|title=Population by religion community – 2011|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|website=Census of India, 2011|publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|archive-date=25 August 2015}}</ref> 0.81 percent follow other religions.

===Language===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Languages of Khasi Hills (2011)<ref name="Census2011">{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html|title=C-16: Population by Mother Tongue|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|last=ORGI|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=10 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815035759/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html|archive-date=15 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Khasi language|Khasi]]
| value1 = 78.27
| color1 = darkblue
| label2 = [[Garo language|Garo]]
| value2 = 6.03
| color2 = limegreen
| label3 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| value3 = 3.82
| color3 = gold
| label4 = [[Nepali language|Nepali]]
| value4 = 3.27
| color4 = maroon
| label5 = Others.
| value5 = 8.61
| color5 = red
}}

[[Khasi language|Khasi]] is spoken by 1,149,178 people as their mother tongue, and [[Garo language|Garo]] is spoken by 88,533, while [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Nepali language|Nepali]] come in at 3rd and 4th position, spoken by 56,086 and 48,010 people respectively.<ref>DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0000.xlsx</ref> A vast number of non-tribals can be found in the multi-diverse [[East Khasi Hills]] district.

==See also==
*[[Garo Hills]]
*[[Khasi and Jaintia Hills]]
*[[Patkai]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{ cite journal | last=Yule | first=Henry | author-link=Henry Yule | year=1844 | title=Notes on the Khasia Hills, and people | journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal | volume=14 Part 2, Jul-Dec| issue=152 | pages=612–631 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40125685 }}

{{Geography of India by state or territory}}
{{Geography of India}}
{{India topics}}

{{GeoSouthAsia}}
{{Geography of Asia}}
{{Asia topic|Climate of}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|25|35|N|91|38|E|region:IN_type:mountain_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Hills of Meghalaya]]
[[Category:Tourism in Northeast India]]

{{Meghalaya-geo-stub}}

Khasi Hills - Revision history

ArnoldBAp at 21:30, 11 February 2026