Shillong, June 23: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma released the book Heritage of the Khasi Hills: Architecture, Society and Change in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries by Dr. David Arnold Kharchandy on 23rd June 2026 at Taraghar State Guest House, Shillong.
The book is based on the author’s PhD thesis and represents years of historical research on the built heritage of the Khasi Hills.
The book presents a historical study of architecture in the Khasi Hills as a living expression of society, culture, environment and identity. It examines the built heritage of the Khasi Hills not merely as physical structures, but as historical texts that record the changing relationship between people, landscape, belief systems, technology and everyday life.
The work discusses traditional Khasi houses, the Iing Sad, hearth-centred spaces, rituals, taboos, indigenous building materials and community labour. It highlights how these architectural forms reflected ecological adaptation, social organisation, matrilineal life, sacred values and utilitarian wisdom.
A significant aspect of the book is its focus on women as silent architects of Khasi domestic space. It brings attention to their role in sustaining household order, transmitting indigenous knowledge, preparing materials, maintaining floors and hearths, and shaping the deeper meaning of home.
The book also traces the transformations brought by British colonial rule, missionary activity, Christianity, education, the growth of Sohra and Shillong, and the devastating earthquake of 1897. It discusses the emergence of bungalow-type houses, Assam-type architecture, churches, schools, mission compounds, administrative buildings, sanatoriums and civic institutions.
Through its study of continuity and change, the book underlines the importance of preserving Khasi architectural memory as part of Meghalaya’s historical and cultural inheritance.
