A Glimpse of Divine Royal Ancestry
- Category: December
/ 2 A Glimpse of Divine Royal Ancestry
-Raphael Warjri
Where is that elegant, gorgeous, graceful and awfully beautiful maiden?”-some people asked at the annual Nongkrem DanceFestival this year. Almost everybody knows that she is the princess, while some others presumed that she must be someonespecial from the royal family, when they recalled that for the past several years, she has always adorned the dance arenaescorted by a gentleman holding the regal umbrella over her head, while she is dancing. While most people waited to have aglimpse of her royal descent in the arena, some people were puzzled that she did not appear till the festival came to an end.They may be sad and upset to have been deprived of the pleasant experience, but the princess has every reason to relish thenew challenges in her life. It is not the royal lifestyle, not even the ordinary; but the real life for a woman of substance.
| The true essence of pure Khasi custom of matrimonial procedure is strictly abided during the engagement ceremony, which is considered most significant. |
There was a time when Ka Pah Syntiew, the ancestress of the royal clan ‘Syiem Shyllong’ believed to be the daughter of ‘Lei Shyllong or Shyllong’ deity left the chiefdom after her completed task of creating a legacy of vibrant cultural performing arts and ideal governance. She exhibited her intellectual prowess and administrative capability during the political turmoil within the Hima Saw Kher Lai Lyngdoh until the Hima or State was set in proper order. Subsequently, she instituted the royal inheritance and became the first ever Mother Queen or Syiem Sad of Hima Shyllong or the territorial State of Shillong Chiefdom and her eldest begotten son became the Chief of Hima Shyllong. Ultimately, after the mission was accomplished, she returned to the cave from whence she was enticed and captured by a person of the Mylliemngap clan when she was a young girl. Thus, Pahsyntiew is believed to be of divine descent and her descendants- the divine progeny. Does the present princess that usually adorned the Nongkrem dance festival follow the footsteps of her divine ancestress? The answer is vividly clear “She will never appear anymore at the dance arena in the courtyard of the Iingsad or the Sacred Royal Home because the dance is always performed by virgin female maidens”. Was she captivated and taken away by prince charming? No, because she is more real than any element of fantasy. Then, why is she not visible in the dance arena? It is because she has finished her task to glorify the Royal family with her excellent and magnificent adolescence. She was all set to take the new responsibility to procreate the royal descendants. The fact is that she was there during the auspicious occasion of theNongkrem Dance Festival 2011 alongside Kongor Pabok Diengdoh, the gentleman chosen to marry Princess Riialariti Syiem of Hima Khyrim. While the entire country celebrated the Independence Day, the royal family of Hima Khyrim celebrated the sacred matrimony of Princess Riialariti Syiem and Kongor Pabok Diengdoh of Sohra solemnised at the hearth of the Sacred Royal Home.
According to tradition, there are elaborated preparations for the royal wedding ceremony involving huge resources. Time and situation has changed; so has the dynamic Khasi tradition, keeping pace with the present development. The last pompous fanfare of royal wedding extravaganza was when the father of Princess Riialariti traveled on an elephant’s back sheltered from the sunshine by a gorgeous ornamented canopy all the way from his maternal home to the Iingsad at Smit. Moreover, the citizens of the Hima were actively involved in the collection of resources and subscriptions for the purpose. In the process, the privacy of a royal domestic matter became a public affair. A grand feast for all the citizens of the Hima and the invited guests from far and near turned out to be a lavish extravaganza. However, in the present context the situation has changed and neither the people nor the royal family could afford such abundance of time and resources to host an extravagant feast. Nevertheless, the true essence of pure Khasi custom of matrimonial procedure is strictly abided during the engagement ceremony, which is considered most significant. The wedding day is another usual social formality to confirm the wedlock.
Few months earlier, prior to the wedding day, all the maternal uncles of the groom converged at the Iingsad at Smit to escort their nephew, Pabok Diangdoh for the official negotiation with the uncles of the bride, Riialariti Syiem. Word or ‘Ka Ktien’ is considered the ultimate covenant to be honoured by both parties. Therefore words of enquiries about the clan of ‘Ka Tip Kur Tip Kha’, words of guidance, counsel and inspiration on the values of family bondage or ‘Ka Sneng Ka Kraw’, words of blessing from the prayers and incantation by the most senior members of both families or ‘Ka Kyrkhu Kyrdoh’, are the most vital pledges made to ensure and enable a lasting and happy family life.
 | The Syiem of Hima Khyrim, Dr Balajied Sing Syiem and eldest maternal uncle of the bride, Princess Riialariti Syiem receives the groom Kongor Pabok Diengdoh at the entrance to the Iingsad. |
| The Sacred Royal Home or Iingsad |  |
 | Groom Kongor Pabok Diengdoh along with his courtiers and minstrels enroute to the Iingsad |
Essentially, the wedding day has more elaborated preparations for the groom to be fully entitled to be the legitimate forebear of the future royal linage. A day before the auspicious occasion, the folk musical troupe assigned by the royal family went to Sohra to perform at the bachelor’s night with a particular drum called ‘Tasa’ and specific tunes meant for the ceremony. The solemn musical rendition enhances the atmosphere of noble regalia, while the groom watched and listened intensely to the final notation. On the other hand, some guests enjoyed the rare musical piece, while others listened with awe to the crescendo of melodious royal musical performances that lasted till about midnight. On the morrow at dawn, preparations were made for the groom to dress himself with the best of the royal wardrobe handed over by the royal family. The groom would not bathe himself without the initial shower from the Lyngskor Mylliemngap in accompaniment of prayers and incantation. The Lyngskor or Prime Minister, Grosswell Mylliemngap arrived at Sohra early in the morning for the avowed task of cleansing the groom with pure water and solemn prayers. The purpose is to pave the way for Kongor Pabok Diengdoh to enter the royal destiny. Even while the groom took his bath, the Tasa drum was played till he finishes. The royal outfits donned by the groom comprised of the majestic modern male garment, the traditional Khasi turban called “Ka Spong Khor” and a golden and coral garland worn across the shoulder. The Lyngskor Grosswell Mylliemngap along with one of the noblemen, Basan Nongkseh prepare for the grand entourage for the upcoming predecessor of royal ancestry. The Basan Nongkseh places the turban on the groom’s head before the final send off by his family members. Both the Basan Nongkseh and Lyngskor Mylliemngap performed their respective ceremonial counseling with words, believed to be of divine sanction.
The legend narrates that the young girl Ka Pahsyntiew took shelter at Marai cave. One fine morning she wandered at the precinct of the cave and was spotted by shepherds. The shepherds raised an alarm at the village and one person from the Mylliemngap clan was curious about it. He ventures to entice the young girl with some flowers and after she was mersmerised by his trick, he caught hold of her and took her away to his home. The strange girl was properly taken care of by U Mylliemngap like his own daughter. When Ka Pahsyntiew reached the age of maturity, she was engaged to a farmer from Nongjri and subsequently made enormous contribution to the proper development of performing arts and territorial governance. Ka Pahsyntiew, thus became the Mother Queen and her descendants the royal linage. The man who took care and nurtured the Divine Queen, U Mylliemngap and his successors was bestowed with the privileged status of the Lyngskor.
The Basan Nongkseh and Lyngskor Mylliemngap conducted as courtiers to escort the groom enroute to the Iingsad at Smit. The groom was covered with the royal gorgeous canopy, while the cavalcade of folk musicians performed along the route. Both the courtiers along with the maternal uncles of the groom led the procession, followed by all the male members of the family and the invited guests. After the send off ceremony with the maternal blessing from his mother and other elderly relatives, the custom goes that the groom should never turn his back towards home and all female members of his clan are never allowed to accompany him to the bride’s residence. The procession then proceeded for some distance and the entire entourage drove to the destination at Hima Khyrim. On arrival at the villages of Lad Nongkrem and Urmasi-u-joh, a huge crowd on both sides of the road greeted the groom who was received by the village elders and the noblemen of Hima Khyrim. Before reaching the entrance to Iingsad at Smit, the procession resumed for the grand entry escorted by the courtiers and the uncles of the groom. The folk musician performed the musical rendition along the way until the groom reached the entrance to Iingsad.The groom was then received by the eldest uncle of the bride and the reigning Chief, Dr Balajied Sing Syiem. Thereafter, the priest took charge and prayers were offered at the Rishot Blei or the divine column at the main hall of Iingsad. After the prayer, the groom entered the hearth where the bride was kept for the anointment by the Mother Queen and all the maternal members of the royal clan. Each one took a daub of mustard oil and applied this on the forehead of the couple. The formal ritual was performed at the fireplace before the official wedding reception took place at the main hall of the Iingsad.
After all the traditional ceremony is completed, every guest tasted the symbiosis of traditional feast blended with contemporary cuisine. On the one hand, some enlightened traditionalists felt out of place at a modern buffet set up at the ethnic ambience of the ancient and vibrant heritage courtyard, while on the other hand it was an unexpected delight for the village folk to have a firsthand experience of gourmet food. Nevertheless, the grand and exclusive feast was a memorable experience for every guest that attended the Royal Wedding with a difference.
