Kiew Lum Sohpetbneng, the name of a tiny spot in Meghalaya pulls huge crowd on the first Sundays in the month of February. The occasion is the annual pilgrimage of the indigenous Khasi people who believe in their sixteen hunts for the gods(Kiew eh-rngiew) who give you good fortune 25 kms away from the capital city of Shillong.
On all these Sundays in February, those who live in these huts are believed to have been descending and ascending from their heavenly abode to the planet and leave back to the heavens through a golden bridge (Jingkieng Ksiar).
Tourists and pilgrims throng the spot to catch a glimpse of the existing footprints on the rocks near the sanctum sanctorum. That’s what the innocent golden age (Sotti Juk). The golden bridge broke down and those who were living in the huts (Hynniew Trep) started residing on the earth.
U Lum Sohpetbneng who happens to be the repository of ancient wisdom as kept in sacredness. Then it guarded the belief, integrity and cultural heritage of the Hynniewtrep people who have been a major tribe in Meghalaya. The umbilical peak symbolizing the spiritual belief of the Hynniewtreps bears a simple message of universal dimension meant for those who have been looking for peace. That’s why, the 4432 ft U Lum Sohpetbneng Peak is a spot for spiritual fulfillment at a stone’s throw distance from Umiam Lake on the National Highway No 40, 14 km distance from the Shillong Umroi Airport.
Venue: U Lum Sohpetbneng Peak, Umiam Lake
