Ka Lei Synshar — Khasi clan-mother

Ka Lei Synshar — Khasi clan-mother

Tradition

Niam Khasi / Khasi

The Place

• Location: Nongkrem (Smit), East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya (25.45°N, 91.8833°E)

Sacred Narrative

The Nongkrem Clan of the Khasi matrilineal society venerates Ka Lei Synshar as the founding-mother of the clan. Her shrine at Smit village hosts the annual Ka Pomblang Nongkrem (October) — a 5-day festival where virgin girls dance the Ka Shad Kynthei and young men dance the Ka Shad Mastieh. The reigning Khasi king (Syiem) leads the goat-sacrifice. This is a rare surviving Khasi indigenous-religion festival in a heavily-Christianized state.

Why This Entry Matters

India's sacred landscape embraces all faith-traditions — Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, Zoroastrian, tribal, regional-folk — each with its own cosmology. This entry honors Niam Khasi on its own terms.