Why 'Asia's cleanest village' bans tourists on Sundays

Tourism transformed Mawlynnong's fortunes. But after decades of welcoming visitors, residents decided one day a week should belong to themselves.

Each Saturday up to 1,000 tourists stream into Mawlynnong, a village of 600 people in India's far north-east. Visitors come to wander its flower-lined lanes, take selfies in its spotless streets and see whether it deserves the title that made it famous across India: Asia's cleanest village.

But since January 2026, the black metal gates built across the single road leading into the village have been locked and guarded once a week. Residents have taken the unexpected step of banning day-trippers on Sundays, turning away tourists and the income they bring. 

Why would a village whose fortunes were transformed by tourism choose to shut itself off for one day each week?

According to residents, the ban is an attempt to reclaim what they call "real village life". 

A culture of cleanliness

Located a few kilometres from the border with Bangladesh in India's Meghalaya state, Mawlynnong became a popular tourist attraction after Discover India magazine named it Asia's cleanest village in 2003. In a country known for its lack of sanitation, this is no small feat. But in Mawlynnong, children are taught to tidy up from a young age, with many taking to the streets each morning before school to sweep the town of dead leaves and empty rubbish bins. Villagers see to the disposal of biodegradables and take pride in public landscaping.

Shortly after launching his national Clean India Mission campaign in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew further attention to the village in a radio address.

"It has become the habit of the residents to maintain cleanliness," he said. "All this infuses confidence in us that our country will surely become clean through the efforts of fellow citizens."

The accolades made Mawlynnong famous across India. Residents pivoted from agricultural work to tourism, opening guesthouses and restaurants. They built a car park bordered with souvenir and tea stalls, all serving the daily procession of tourist vans filled with visitors.

Two decades after tourists first started coming to the village, with social media attracting new generations, Mawlynnong's village committee decided that rebalance was needed and imposed the Sunday ban on day trippers. The main reason, residents said, was that it allowed the village's predominantly Christian population to spend Sundays at church rather than catering to visitors.

Precious Khongdup, a committee member, told Indian media that the proposal was introduced "to preserve both the cultural identity of the village and the discipline that once made Mawlynnong stand out in the first place". 

"It's good for us," said local resident Festival Kharrymba, who charges tourists 30 rupees (23p) to cross the large bamboo walkway in the village centre. "We have time to go to church, for service, for praying," she added. "If tourists are here on Sunday, it's a problem for us."

Even before the ban, most tourism businesses chose not to open on Sundays. Khongdup said only two restaurants operated, leaving visitors able to walk around the........

© BBC