Located in the East Khasi Hills district of the state of Meghalaya, the village of Mawsynram is recorded to receive the highest amounts of rainfall in the country and the world. Standing at an altitude of almost 4,600 ft, Mawsynram is located 15 km west of Cherrapunji and is known to receive an average annual rainfall of 11,872 mm. Mawsynram spreads over an area of 2,788 sq. km and the official languages spoken here are English and their local dialect of Khasi.

Etymology of Mawsynram
The village of Mawsynram has the Khasi word "Maw" which means stone and thus it is known to refer to certain megaliths in the surrounding area as East Khasi is popular for such megaliths.

History of Mawsynram
Once a princely state under the British Empire, Mawsynram was included as part of the Khasi kingdom in the north eastern state of Meghalaya. After the political withdrawal of the British on 15th August, 1947, the Partition of India was in motion. And it was during this time that the erstwhile princely state of Mawsynram was acceded to the newly independent Union of India.

Climate of Mawsynram
Mawsynram experiences a sub tropical highland type of climate with extraordinary downpours accompanied with long monsoon and shorter summer seasons. The average annual temperature in the area is about 17 degree Celsius. The month of August is the hottest with an average temperature of 20 degree Celsius while January is the coldest with a minimum average temperature of around 11 degree Celsius.

During the monsoon months, Mawsynram receives the most amount of rainfall especially during the month of July when the village receives an average precipitation amount of 2,467 mm. It is said, between the driest and wettest months, the difference in precipitation is 2456 mm.

Rainfall in Mawsynram
Mawsynram is recorded to be one of the wettest places on Earth with an average annual rainfall of 11,872 mm. The main factors contributing to this immense amount of precipitation are quite a few.

It has been observed that during the monsoon season the warm moist northward moving winds from the Bay of Bengal cover an extensive area. These winds are forced to converge into the narrower zone over the Khasi Hills, thus concentrating their moisture.

Another reason for the heavy rainfall can be because of the alignment of the Khasi Hills, which stands at an east to west direction and is thus put directly in the path of the airflow from the Bay of Bengal, producing a significant uplift. And finally, this uplifted air is constantly being pulled up by vigorous winds in the upper atmosphere over the Khasi Hills, which continuous in the monsoon period and hence the rainfall is more or less continuous.

Tourism in Mawsynram
Mawsynram is popular among tourists and facilitates tourism in the East Khasi Hills district. There is a famous cave in the area called the Mawjymbuin Cave which is one of the well known caves in Meghalaya. This cave is renowned for its magnificent stalagmites that were caused by years of weathering and the dripping of mineralized solutions and deposition of calcium carbonate. The stalagmite of the Mawjymbuin Cave is shaped into a massive Shiva Lingam. The cave also has a dome shaped rock with a flat top called the Symper Rock.

Other than the caves, the Living Root Bridges in the state are also popular in Mawsynram and are a part of the tourism in Meghalaya.

Visiting Information on Meghalaya
The Guwahati railway station is the closest at a distance of almost 152 km from Mawsynram and the Shillong Airport is the nearest at a distance of 86 km from the village.