Khasi and Jaintia Hills

The Khasi and Jaintia Hills are a mountainous region that was mainly part of Assam Province in British India. This area is now part of the present Indian constitutive state of Meghalaya, formerly Assam, including Jaintia district, capital Jowai, East Khasi district, capital Shillong, and West Khasi district, capital Nongstoin.

Jaintia Hills

The Jaintia Hills are located further to the east from the Khasi Hills. The twelve Chiefs of the elaka (tribal province) of the Jaintia, a Khasi subtribe of the) Pantars = Syntengs tribes, are styled Dolloi, and the land is called after them in Khasi: KA RI KHADAR DOLLOI ‘Land of 12 Tribal Chiefs‘) - they are in Nartiang itself (see the Raja, uniquely also styled, as premier Chief: U Kongsong), and in Amwi, Jowai, Lakadong, Mynso, Nongbah, Nongjngi, Nongphyllut, Nongtallang, Raliang, Shangpung, Sutnga (see below; also cited as seat of a Syiem)

Above them is the only true princely ruler of the area, the Raja of Jaintiapur. His winter capital is now in Bangladesh, with his summer residence shifted from Sutnga (where the family started as Syiems) to Nartiang; also a palace in the commercial center Borghat.

Hill States of India

India is known as the land of hill station.The Hill States of India were princely states lying in the northern border regions of the British Indian Empire.

History

During the Raj period, two groups of princely states in direct relations with the Province of British Punjab became part of the British Indian Empire later than most of the former Mughal Empire, in the context of two wars and an uprising.

For its princely rulers the informal term Hill Rajas has been coined. After the independence of British India, the Hill States acceded to the new Union of India and were later divided between India's constituent states of Punjab (proper), Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Simla Hills

28 princely states (including feudatory princes and zaildars) in the promontories of the western Himalaya were named after Shimla as the Simla Hill States. These states were ruled mainly by Hindu Rajputs. Their inhabitants were mainly Hindu with a few Buddhists; the local languages were Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and various Pahari dialects.