The north eastern region of India
constitutes five states and two union territories. It is the least explored
region of India for various reasons which include the infrastructure,
special permits and sensitivity of the of the whole region. The area is
dominated by the tribes speaking many different languages and dialects.
These states and union territories border with Myanmar, Bhutan, China and
Bangladesh and connect rest of the India through Siliguri corridor.
The snow capped mountains of
Arunachal Pradesh bordering China
(Tibet), Bhutan and Myanmar on its three side, offers a breath-taking
spectacle of Nature's glory in a wild profusion of flora, fauna and people
abounding in a variety of tribal customs, culture, language and dresses. It
is a treasure hunt for historians, anthropologists and archaeologists.
Meghalaya,
the 21st state of the Indian Union with an area of 22,429 sq. km, tucked
away in north eastern region, it borders Bangladesh in south.
Meghalaya
boats of 300 rare species of orchids as well as wildlife. The people are
pre-dominantly Garos, belonging to the Bodo family of the Tibeto-Burman
race, said to have migrated from Tibet. Shillong, the capital of
Meghalaya
is a a beautiful nature's gift at an altitude of 1496 mt.
Mizoram, a
mountainous region became the 23rd state of Indian Union in February 1987
and is sandwiched between Mynamar in the east and the south and Bangladesh
and Tripura in the west with its northern frontier touching
Assam
and
Manipur. The state has an area of 21081 sq km. The majority of
the Mizos are Christian by faith with a very high literacy rate of 88.06
percent.
Tripura, with an area of 10,500 sq km is inhabited by 19
tribes. The state is bounded on the north, west, south and south-east by the
international boundary of Bangladesh. 60 percent of the total area is under
hills and forests. The princely state, pollution free echo-friendly
environment has beautiful Royal Palace, Neemmahal built in early 20th
century.
Assam, the largest and most easily accessible of the
north-east states,
Assam grows 60 percent of India's tea and
produces a large proportion of India's oil as well. The capital of the
state, Guwahati is connected on air-route with Delhi, Calcutta and Bagdogra.
Assam's major attraction of the permitted areas is Kaziranga
wildlife sanctuary, most famous for one horned rhinos.
Nagaland, the land of Nagas covering an area of 16,572 sq km lies to
the south east of
Assam and borders Burma. There are about 16 major
Tibeto-Burmese tribes in Nagaland collected referred to by the generic term
"Naga". About 90 percent of the people are Christians, and they
belong mainly to the American Baptist Mission. Kohima, the capital is
situated at 1500 mt above sea level and is one of the prettiest centres of
the north east.
Manipur, 22356 sq km extending to the south of
Nagaland
was formerly a princely state. The Meiteis of Tibeto-Burmese origin, who
live in the valleys form 60 percent of the population and are follower of
Hinduism. The state is rich in culture, dances, martial art, drum dance,
spear dance. Imphal, the capital, stands right in the middle of the state.
It is the nerve centre of all cultural, commercial and political activities.
