Northeast India is the easternmost region of India, representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises of eight states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. They are home to some magnificent terrains, exotic flora and fauna, and diverse culture.
Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh, is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, an unconventional one known for his love of wine, women, and poetry. His poetry is widely read among Tibetans even today. Also, Bum la pass, a little ahead, is where the current Dalai Lama, 14th in succession, entered India, escaping from Tibet. Assam is most famous for DigBoi, the world’s oldest operating refinery – operating since 1901 and is home to Majuli, the largest river island in the world. The Kaziranga National Park in Assam is a World Heritage Site and home to two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses.
Did you know Manipur is home to the only floating park in the world? The Keibul Lamjao National Park is a swamp made of biomass vegetation called phumdis, floating on the surface of Loktak Lake, and is also the only home to the near extinct brow-antlered deer. The Sport POLO also traces its origins here in Manipur. Meghalaya is most famous for its living root bridges. The Khasi and Jaintia people hand-make the living root bridges from the aerial roots of the rubber fig tree. The state is also famous for being home to Asia’s cleanest village. Mawlynnong, also known as ‘God’s Own Garden’ is a small village in Meghalaya that is exceptionally well-maintained and clean.
Mizoram is the second most literate state in the country after Kerala, and is a spot of geographical significance. Aizawl in Mizoram is the geographical area through which, the Tropic of Cancer crosses India. Mizoram is also home to the Pukzing cave which is rumoured to have been carved with a hairpin by a man called Mualzavata. The state is the leading producer of bamboo in India, which is also the cause for a unique problem in the state called ‘Mautam’. Mautam is the Mizo word for ‘Bamboo Death.’ The synchronous flowering of bamboo sees an abundant supply of seeds which leads to a massive increase in rodent and insect population. The pests attack the crops and have been known to cause famines. The first famine was recorded in 1739 and the last one was between 2006-2007. Interesting to note that Nagaland and Manipur were the only two states where WW2 was actually fought in India - The Battle of Imphal and Kohima rightly christened as ‘Britain’s Greatest Battle’. Surprisingly English is the official language of Nagaland.
Tripura is connected to the rest of India by only one major highway, NH44. The state is most famous for its ruling Manika dynasty which had an unbroken chain of 184 kings before independence. 91 per cent of the land under cultivation in Tripura produces rice. The state is home to a 500-year-old temple, the Tripura Sundari temple, among many other ancient structures. It has a huge wildlife sanctuary, the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Charilam, famous for its spectacled monkey. The sanctuary covers an area of 18.63 sq. km.
The ‘Seven Sisters’ of India have so much to offer and we invite you to explore its many wonders.