Nongstoin

Nongstoin is the headquarters town of West Khasi Hills district and has long served as an administrative anchor in the central-west Khasi hill region. The modern importance of Nongstoin is closely connected to district formation and administrative reorganisation in Meghalaya after statehood. West Khasi Hills district was carved out on 28 October 1976, and since then Nongstoin has functioned as the district headquarters, supporting governance across a large and varied landscape of plateaus, hills, and rural settlements.

Over the years, further administrative changes in neighbouring areas also shaped Nongstoin’s role. The district later saw reorganisation through the creation of new administrative units and districts (including areas that became separate districts), but Nongstoin remained the central district town for West Khasi Hills.

As a headquarters town, Nongstoin became the base for district offices, public services, courts and governance-related infrastructure, while also acting as a market and education centre for communities across the hills. Today it represents a blend of Khasi cultural life and administrative significance—rooted in the traditional hill society yet shaped by modern district-level governance.