What: Behdienkhlam
Where: Meghalaya
Whom: Jaintias
- The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Jitendra Singh on July 3, 2018 attended the famous 4-day Meghalaya Annual Cultural Festival, ‘Behdienkhlam’, held every year at the small peripheral town of Jowai, Meghalaya.
- On the concluding day of the festival Dr Jitendra Singh spent time with the visitors from across the region who had come to attend the festival.
- Behdienkhlam is the most important festival in the socio-economic life of the Jaintias and the focus is on praying for the property and good health of the people and on invoking divine blessings for a bountiful harvest.
- Behdienkhlam is celebrated all over the Jaintia district, but the grand spectacle takes place at Jowai, the district headquarters, at an altitude of 1220 metres from sea-level and only 64 km. away from Shillong by road.
- The festival is observed by non-Christian ‘Pnars’ who believe in the traditional faith of “Niamtre”.
