5 STUNNING ATTRACTIONS OF NORTHEAST WHICH YOU MUST VISIT

North-East India, though an integral part of the republic, remained unexplored by the people of India for quite a long period. The distance, inaccessibility, absence of proper communication and occasional separatist movement had created fear psychosis to the entire tourist community. Their movement remained restricted to Guwahati and not beyond a few capitals of the northeastern states. But the vast region, with its mesmerizing beauty, remained virgin for quite a long period.

With the increase in communication, prevailing peace, maintenance of law and order, and access to the internet, both domestic and international tourists are now able to have information about the breathtaking beauty of the states. The tourists have now added the destinations of northeast India in their bucket lists and wish lists.

As a nature lover, I had tried to cover many spots of the northeast, some of which were really marvels of nature as also the creation of human beings which attracted the tourists from all directions.

Unakoti (Tripura)

The relics of Unakoti could be seen in a dense forest with the Raghunandan hills of Tripura totally secluded from mainstream civilization. The place is located on Agartala-Silchar Highway, 178 km from Agartala, 10 km, and 17 km from Kailashahar and Dharmanagar respectively.

There was a myth that Shiva with one crore (10 million) Gods and Goddesses were travelling to Varanasi. On the way, the entire team became tired and wanted rest. Shiva permitted them to take rest with the condition that all should wake up and start moving at dawn. But being tired, all of them remained asleep despite the call given by Shiva. Shiva got vexed and left for Varanasi alone with the curse that the Gods and Goddesses would remain static in the hills forever. Even today all sculptures of all important Gods and Goddesses could be seen on the walls of the hill. Since one less than one crore Gods and Goddesses remained in the hills permanently, the name of the place became Unakoti or one less than one crore.

As per the historians, the sculptures were drawn in the eighth or ninth century by the then sculptors of Tripura but details of them could not be ascertained. But the sculptures on the rocks of Raghunandan hills remained immortal.

Another attraction of Unakoti was Ganesh Kund (well). Three Ganesh deities had been inscribed on the walls of the well along with a deity of Lord Vishnu.

There were undulating paths leading to the sculptures and at times with elevation so as to have a clear view of all the sculptures.

There were no boarding or lodging arrangements in Unakoti. The tourists would have to ply either from Agartala for an entire day trip for from Kailashahar or Dharmanagar which were comparatively nearer.

Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)

Tawang is a far-flung destination in Arunachal Pradesh and is nearer to the town of Tezpur in Assam (330 km) than its capital at Itanagar (448 km). Tawang held the title of the oldest monastery of India. The historical structure was huge covering a large area of land in the hill station. The panoramic view of the monastery as also entire Tawang located at a height of 10,200 ft was unique. The entire town of Tawang had grown up based on the monastery where presently around 500 lamas resided. There was a large deity of Lord Buddha with a height of 26 ft duly decorated with thanka and khada. The smell of essence stick, candle, the lamp had created a heavenly atmosphere inside the main hall of the monastery.

It learnt that once Tawang was a part of Tibet ruled by Tibetian rulers. But the downfall of Tibetian rulers in 1914, led to the annexation of the place in India.

Keeping aside the monastery, Tawang itself had its own beauty as a hill station. One had to cross the deadly Sela Pass to reach from Dirang to Tawang. The other tourist spots near Tawang were Sangetsar Lake, Pitisore Lake, Bumla Pass, War Memorial, and above all Tawang Museum which carried the legacy of old scriptures, thanka, utensils, masks, the deity of Lord Buddha made of different metals and materials, musical instruments, war weapons, dresses, ornaments etc that were worth seeing.

The major communication to Tawang from Tezpur were vehicles on sharing basis or hiring the entire vehicle, a limited number of buses, and hitchhiking in goods carrying vehicles. The tourists had to obtain Inner Line Permit (ILP) for entering Arunachal Pradesh which would be checked at the Bhalukpong border.

Loktak Lake (Manipur)

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake of India covering an area of 980 sq km located at Moirang in Manipur. It is around 45 km away from the capital, Imphal. The lake is covered with large biomass locally called Phumdis which floated on the water like solid grassland. The local fishermen stayed on the Phumdis constructing houses. There were homestays, shops, and other utilities that had been constructed on the Phumdis.

The largest Phumdi covered an area of 40 sq km and was situated in the southeastern shore of the lake. Keibul Lamjao is a national park totally situated on the Phumdis where the state animal Sangai resided. Loktak Lake was the lifeline of the entire Moirang region. There were more than 50 inhabited villages on the Phumdis who resided for generations. The local residents were dependent upon the lake for their daily consumables including paddy, vegetables, and fish.

Considering the biodiversity values and ecological status, the lake had been designated as a wetland of international importance.

The stay arrangement for visitors were available in two Phumdi islands, Sandra and Phubala with a cafeteria that drew tourists from all destinations. The day tourists could hire a boat to cover the lake including the islands and tasty fish fry with a hot cup of tea in the cafeteria.

The nearby tourist places were Moirang town, up to which Indian National Army under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose could reach to attain freedom struggle. INA Museum with all documents of the liberation army and a statue of Netaji depicted his historical movement. Keibul Lamjao National Park was also a part of Loktak Lake covered with phumdis where Sangai (a local species of deer) was available.

Buses and shared vehicles were available from Imphal to Moirang and the tourists would have to hire a car for the local sightseeing. It would be better if the tourists hired a vehicle for the day to cover all the tourist spots on the route.

Mowlynglong (Meghalaya)

Mowlynglong is a small village that has created a mark on the tourist map of Meghalaya as also India. The village is located at about 90 km from the state capital Shillong. The unique feature of the village was the adjustment of the local tribal people conserving nature. The entire village had been kept clean by the residents through the installation of dustbins along the village roads and their proper utilization. The village was awarded the prestigious award of “Asia’s Cleanest Village” in 2003. Every household had dustbins made of bamboo and even children were taught to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. The waste of each household, in turn, were accumulated and transported to a central dustbin after segregation of dry and wet waste. All the houses were decorated with flowering plants either in their garden or in flowering pots that enhanced the beauty of the village many folds.

The village was bordered with Thailang River, a small stream danced along the mountains of Meghalaya. There was a small church constructed in the center of the village, which added the flavor of the beauty of the place.

The main attraction of the area was “Living Root Bridge” which was a natural phenomenon where roots from two trees on opposite sides of the rivulet joined together to form a bridge. The roots entangled each other in such strong bonding, that human beings could walk freely over the roots without being scared of free fall.

There were many homestays in Mowlynglong where the tourist could spend overnight along with a taste of local cuisine. Otherwise, the tourist could have a day tour with lunch at the village on pre-booked order basis.

Though there was bus service from Shillong to Mowlynglong, they were mostly occupied by local residents and in the case of the day tour, it would be better to hire vehicles for the day from Shillong. On the way, the Ramakrishna Mission of Cherapunji and panoramic view of the Sylhet district of Bangladesh could be enjoyed. The tourists could also take a diversion to enjoy a boat ride on the Dawki River on the border of India and Bangladesh.    

 

Kaziranga National Park (Assam)

There are plenty of reserve forests and national parks on a pan India basis. But the highest attraction to the tourists, who wanted to have the flavor of the national park of the northeast, should not miss Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Located 220 km away from Guwahati, on Jorhat Highway, the park had a total inhabited area of 430 sq km along the bank of River Brahmaputra. The national park was converted to Tiger Reserve in 2003 adding buffer zone to a total area of around 850 sq km.

Sandwiched between the foothills of eastern Himalayas and Brahmaputra, the forest was totally covered with elephant grass that suited easy movement of animals like elephant, rhinoceros, wild buffaloes, boars, various species of deer, wild bear, foxes, serpents, varieties of birds, and other wild creatures. Every year the seasonal the flood of the river disturbed the mobility of animals which resulted in visibility of wild animals on the highway in monsoon.

Since the forest was located on the highway itself, the public transports plying to Jorhat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, etc could be availed to reach the entry point of the forest. There was an ample number of private and government lodges including forest bungalows, resorts, where the tourist could reside for a couple of days to have multiple visits.

The forest department provided jeep safari and elephant safari in the morning and evening to have an accessible reach to the wild animals. The charges for different rides and entry tickets varied from time to time. The forest remained closed for monsoon generally from 01 May to 31 October every year. But the schedule of opening and closing might change based on the flood situation of the Brahmaputra which hindered the movement of tourists.

The visitors could also enjoy the picnic spot on the bank of Kohra River in their leisure time, which was located within walking distance from the tourist lodge complex.

Why Visit the Places

The treasures of the northeast were the jewel in the crown of the country which remained hidden for a long period. With the advent of technology, visibility beyond mainstream India had increased to a considerable extent. It had brought the hidden treasures out of the box and now tourists were inclined to visit some of these places to have a new taste of India.

The tourists from all over India especially of southern, western, and northern India could now add some jewels of the northeast in their wish list kitty and start exploring the unknown destinations.