Mawlynnong, Meghalaya, India

Mawlynnong - about 90 kilometres from the capital of Meghalaya, Shillong, the village has earned a unique distinction of being the cleanest village in Asia. Nestled in the pristine hills of Meghalaya, Mawlynnong is home to about 90 houses. Discover India magazine declared the village as the cleanest in Asia in 2003.

Mawlynnong is over hundred years old. Keeping the surrounding environment clean is an age old tradition. Local residents here grow different flowers around their houses to complement the beauty of their tiny cottages. A dustbin made out of bamboo is found all along the village. Every one makes it a point that dirt and waste are not thrown everywhere. All the waste from the dustbin is collected and kept in a pit, which the villagers use as manure.

Mawlynnong is 90 kilometres from Shillong and barely 4km from the Bangladesh border. It is one of the wettest parts of the country. The society is matrilineal making women economically powerful. The Khasi tribal inhabitants are known to be worshippers of nature. The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. They mostly grow betel nut.

Apart from being Asia's cleanest village, Mawlynnong offers many interesting sights such as the living root bridge and another strange natural phenomenon of a boulder balancing on another small rock.

(Photos taken from: 1.http://kanak7.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/dsc01245.jpg?w=640&h=360, 2. http://ayushveda.com/blogs/travel/magical-moments-at-mawlynnong-village-of-meghalaya/, 3.http://greencamp.in/2010/06/mawlynnong/)