Arunachal Pradesh
Right at the top of north-eastern India, crowning
its six clustered sisters like a protective
helmet, is Arunachal Pradesh, the `Land of the
Dawn-lit- Mountains.' This is the first Indian
soil to greet the morning sun. Dawn first illuminates
Arunachal's border with China: a long border
which stretches all the way from its east, over
to its northern boundaries and down to its north-
western edge where it merges with Tibet. To
its west is Bhutan and on its southern end it
touches Assam, Nagaland and Burma before sweeping
up to China.
Altitude: Naharlagun - 200 metres Itanagar
- 750 metres.
Temperature(°C):
Summer - Max. 40, Min. 18
Winter - Max. 12, Min. 5
Rainfall: 266 cms 266 cms
Best Season: October to April
Clothing:
Summer - Cottons
Winter - Woollens
Languages spoken:
Indigenous languages
Hindi
Assamese
Bengali & English
How to get there
Air: The nearest airport is Lilabari (North
Lakhimpur) in Assam, 57 kms from Naharlagun
and 67 kms from Itanagar, served by Vayudoot.
Indian Airlines operates direct flight from
Calcutta to Tezpur ( 216 kms from Itanagar
) on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Harmuty
(near Banderdewa check gate) only 23 km from
Naharlagun & 33 km from Itanagar. However
nearest convenient railhead is North Lakhimpur
in Assam, 50 km from Naharlagun & 60 km
from Itanagar. Stations are served by No.9
and No.10 Arunachal Fast Passenger Trains
and other local services.
Road:
(DISTANCE BETWEEN ITANAGAR AND NAHARLAGUN
IS ONLY 10 KMS)
Itanagar is connected by road to: GUWAHATI-
381 km (Gohpur 79 -Ballipara 110 -Mission
Charali 17 -Orang 53 -Baihata Charali 90 -Guwahati
32), SHILLONG- 481 km ( Guwahati 381 -Shillong
100 ), AGARTALA- 980 km (Shillong 481 -Badarpur
211 -Agartala 288), AIZAWL- 901 km (Badarpur
692 -Silchar 29 -Aizawl 180), KOHIMA- 350
km (North Lakhimpur 73 -Jorhat 69 -Dimapur
134 -Kohima 74), IMPHAL- 495 km (Kohima 350
-Imphal 145).
(ITANAGAR IS 1,539 KMS FROM CALCUTTA)
Bus: Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Corpn.
operates regular bus-services to various Places
in Arunachal Pradesh and its neighbouring
states. Private coach operators viz. Blue
Hills Travels P.Ltd., Network Travels, Green
Valley Travels and Blue Night Travels operate
their services in different routes touching
Itanagar.
Local transport: A very few number un-metred
tourist taxi/auto are available. Tourist deluxe
buses for group tourist can be hired from
the Director, Department of Tourism, Govt.
of Arunachal Pradesh, Naharlagun, Tel.: 4371,
4115. A few other transport agencies in town
rent out tourist cars and coaches. Cycle rickshaws
are the most common local transport in Naharlagun.
Bus: Direct bus-services are there from North
Lakhimpur to Itanagar via Naharlagun.
Buses run frequently between Naharlagun &
Itanagar between 0600-1900 hrs.
Cycle Rickshaw: Only in Naharlagun. Charges
Rs.2 to 8 depending on distances. For sight-seeing:
Rs. 300 + fuel charges for a full - day -
sightseeing in and arround Itanagar / Naharlagun.
What to see
AT NAHARLAGUN
Polo Park: An interesting little botanical
garden atop a ridge overlooking the town.
Visitors should notice the cane thicket: it
looks a bit like a palm, with spines on its
stems, but growing as a bush. There is also
a small zoo. Handicrafts Centre run by the
Industries Department offers a good range
of shawls, carpets, carved caskets & the
beautiful cane & bamboo work in which
the north-east excels. Behind & to one
side of the showroom, is the workshop where
cane is trimmed, cut and woven by tribal artisans
with great skill.
Pachin River: This rivulet providing a fine
fishing spot passes by Naharlagun.
Zoo: 18 kms from Naharlagun and near Banderdewa
police check post. Providing glimpses of uncommon
Himalayan fauna.
AT ITANAGAR
The Buddhist Temple: A new, but beautiful,
yellow-roofed shrine, it rises in well-maintained
grounds behind a stupa bearing the portrait
of a monk. At one side is a tree planted by
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The grounds of
the temple afford a good view of Itanagar
town.
Ganga Sekhi Lake: The 6 km drive to the lake
from Itanagar takes visitors on a rugged road
through some superbly primeval jungles : bamboo,
orchids massed on tall trees, tree-ferns are
some of the vegetation which can be identified
by the interested traveller. Stopping at the
base of a hill, one has to cross a bamboo
bridge floored with a bamboo mat spanning
a culvert. This leads to a flight of steps
cut into the red clay of the hill. At the
top of the ridge one looks down at a serene,
green forest lake which one can cross in a
row boat. A beautiful picnic spot.
Bomdila
Starting at the airport of Tezpur in Assam.
Th road passes through low wooded slops about
60 kms beyond Tezpur. Anglers or those who
want a brief rest should wait till they encounter
the broad spread of the Bharali river as it
emerges from the mountains into the wooded
upper plains. On the banks of the river, at
an elevation of 190 metres is Tipi, a glass
house with over 7,500 orchids. From here the
road is farely steep as it soars up to the
small headquarter of the West Kameng district
Bomdila at a height of over 2530 metres.
It has a tourist lodge, a Craft centre, Apple
orchards and Budhist Gumphas. There are also
views of Himalayan landscapes and Snow clad
ranges. Bomdila is a good place to rest over
nights.
How to raach:
Air: Nearest airport is Tezpur(160 kms) served
by Indian Airlines on Tuesday and Saturday.
Rail: Bhalukpung (M.G) is the nearest rail
station(100 kms).
Road: Bus services of APSTC and ASTC are
availabe from Guwahati, Tezpur, Tawang and
Itanagar.
Tourist Spot: ITANAGAR
The Brahmaputra draws many of its tributaries
from the densely forested mountains of Arunachal;
the Siang, the Dibang, the Lohit and the Noa
Dihing are some of the rivers which drain
the rain from some of Arunachal's northern
and eastern ranges and pour them into Brahamputra.
The Subansiri and the Bharali perform similar
duties for the south.
The interpid explorer can paddle up these
rivers and journey...if he has not been deterred
by falls and rapids on the way...as far as
China, where the Siang begins, if he trusts
the roads, he will be able to reach the headquarters
of the ten districts, but not very much further.
No railway enters Arunachal. But Indian Airlines
and Vayudoot do serve Tezu, Ziro and Pasighat.
It's, in other words, India's largest north-eastern
state, and also its remotest. And this is
the beauty and the wonder and the compelling
fascination of unknown Arunachal Pradesh.
But on the two hour journey from the airport
in Lilabari, Assam, to the capital of Naharlagun(Itanagar),
the fascination grows slowly. Lilabari is
a plains town and Naharlagun gives the impression
of a plains town. But the 10 km drive from
the 200 metre high Naharlagun to the new capital
in the hills, Itanagar at 750 metres, is enchanting.
The road winds through that magical country
where tropical evergreen rain forests meet
temperate Himalayan jungles. Tree ferns spread
their greenfronds to great heights; jungle
giants tower into the sky; there are burgeoning
thickets of bamboo; and thick mats of creepers
cover everything with undulating bedspreads
of green.
The visitor should stop at the far side of
the bridge that spans the Pachim River. There
is an attractive village below and to the
right of the road leading to Itanagar. Most
of the houses are built at ground level but
at least one is on stilts. Such variations
could be the result of cross-cultural influences
between the twenty major tribes who speak
many different languages. According to one
account of some of these varied people: There
are the gently and cultured Monpas of West
Kameng who received Buddhism from Padma Sambhava;
the Thongi (Sherdukpens) whoes chiefs trace
their treaty relationships with the powers
in the valley to a thousand years back; the
Hrusso who for thirty generations have patronised
Vaishnava scholars; the proud Bangni-Nishi
and the Tagin typifying the ancient Indian
ideal of the honourable warrior; the Adis
and Mishmis who are eager to build academic
careers; the Apatanis with their marvels of
wet-rice cultivation; the Khampti in their
magnificent ceremonial robes and the peaceful,
progressive Nocte, Wancho and Tangsa.
The people of Arunachal are the greatest
attraction of this beautiful land. And even
in the capital at Itanagar, the visitor comes
across Nishi warriors wearing their 'bopiah'
hornbill caps, carrying their 'chokh' bearskin
bags with their 'oyjo' knives in their monkey-skin
'burkhey' scabbards. But the visitor should
not be misled by their appearance.
As a community's level of civilisation is
judged by its health, its urge to fulfil its
social responsibilities and its emotional
stability, the tribals of Arunachal Pradesh
are highly civilised. According to Dr. Parul
Dutta, Director in the Tribal Culture Research
Department , the tribes are in good health
and well-nourished, there are no land disputes,
and when an entire village burns down the
whole community gets together and with great
good cheer, rebuilds it as a community effort.
Administrators who have worked in this state
contend that in spite of the fact that the
police have jurisdiction for only 5 kms. around
the District Headquarters, crimes in villages
can be concealed for only three days because
the prople are virtually incapable of telling
lies and they have very clear ideas of justice.
These, then, are in unspoilt people of Arunachal.
And in dealing with them, the Government of
India has taken the words of Jawaharlal Nehru
to heart. India's first Prime Minister said:
"I felt that we should avoid two extreme
courses, one was to treat them as anthropological
specimens for study and the other was to allow
them to be engulfed by masses of India's humanity...
We must always remember that we do not mean
to interfere with their way of life but want
to help them live it".
Itanagar captures the spirit of this desire
to minimise the conflicts that arise when
a traditional society is guided into modernity.
The capital is a scatter of light, earthquake-proof,
woodframe buildings rising up the slopes of
a green hill. Traditional huts are scattered
amongst the more recent constructions and
the residence of the Lt. Governor crowns one
peak while a new Buddhist temple crowns the
other. Between them lie the administrative
offices, shops, the bazar and thatched huts.
It's all very low-profile and unassuming
and even the most diffident tribal from the
remotest village is unlikely to feel uneasy
when he comes to the capital.
Thus, when the visitor decides to visit this
town he should realise that there is a very
good reason for such a frontier state to have
such a frontier town as its capital: Itanagar.
Itanagar has been identified with Mayapur,
the capital of the 11th century AD JItri dynasty.
NAMDAPHA NATIONAL PARK
For the truly dedicated wilderness and wildlife
fan, a visit to the Namdapha Natioanal Park
is a challenging goal. An unique feature of
the park is that it is the only one park in
the world in which four of the great felines
are found viz., the tiger, the leopard, the
snow leopard and the clouded leopard. It is
also an ideal for trekking and hiking.
Entry Formalities
For Indians: Indian tourists intended to visit
Namdapha National Park need an Inner Line
Permit.
For Foreigner:
Individual foreigner visiting Arunachal Pradesh
require Restricted Area Permit from the Ministry
of Home Affairs
How to get there
Air: Nearest airport Dibrugarh (140 kms)
is connected with Calcutta by Indian Airlines
as well as pvt. airlines.
Rail: Nearest railway station Margherita
is connected by local passenger train with
Tinsukia which in turn is connected with major
cities of India.
Road: Good motorable roads connect Miao (entry
point of the park) to Dibrugarh (140 kms),
Tezu (182 kms), Sibsagar (199 kms), Guwahati
(561 kms) etc.
