Tourism in North East India

Northeast India
States and Big cities in Northeast India
Population 38,857,769
Area 262,230 km2 (101,250 sq mi)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)

Northeast India consists of Seven Sister States, Sikkim and northeastern part of West Bengal. This article mentions tourist attractions in the Northeast region of India.

National parks

Ibisbill in Nameri National Park

Namdapha National Park

Canopy cover of Namdapha National Park.

Namdapha National Park is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot and is in Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. It is the third largest national park in India in area. It is in the Eastern Himalayan sub-region and is recognized as one of the richest areas in biodiversity in India.[1]

Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. A World Heritage Site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses.[2] Kaziranga boasts the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a tiger reserve in 2006.

Orang National Park

The Orang National Park is on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam. The park has a rich flora and fauna, including great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, pigmy hog, elephants, wild buffalo and tigers. It is the only stronghold of rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.[3][4][5][6][7]

Manas National Park

Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam.

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is a national wildlife park in Tinsukia, Assam. It mainly consists of moist mixed semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, canebrakes and grasslands. It is the largest salix swamp forest in northeast India.

Nameri National Park

Nameri National Park is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in the Sonitpur District of Assam. This is excellent elephant country and was considered to be an elephant reserve. It is an ideal habitat for a host of other animals including the tiger, leopard, sambar, dhole (the Asiatic wild dog), pygmy hog, muntjac, gaur, wild boar, sloth bear, Himalayan black bear, capped langur and Indian giant squirrel.

River patrolling by forest guards at Nameri National Park

Balphakram National Park

Balphakram National Park is a national park about 3,000 metres above sea level, near the Garo Hills in Meghalaya, India. It is often referred to as the "abode of perpetual winds" as well as the "land of spirits." It is the home of the barking deer and the golden cat.

Nokrek National Park

Nokrek National Park, or Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, is a national park approximately 2 km from Tura Peak in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, India. UNESCO added this National park to its list of Biosphere Reserves in May 2009.[8][9] Along with Balpakram, Nokrek is a hotspot of biodiversity in Meghalaya.[10]

Other national parks

Nameri National Park, photo by Vikramjit Kakati

Reserved forest

Kakoijana reserved forest

Kakoijana reserved forest is famous for Golden Langurs.[12]

Hills

Kangchenjunga

Kangchenjunga 3D
East face of Kangchenjunga, from near the Zemu glacier

Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world.[13] It rises with an elevation of 8,586 m (28,169 ft) in a section of the Himalayas called Kangchenjunga Himal that is limited in the west by the Tamur River and in the east by the Teesta River.[14] The Kangchenjunga Himal is located in eastern Nepal and Sikkim, India.[15]

Naga Hills

The Naga Hills, reaching a height of around 3,825 metres (12,549 feet), lie on the border of India and Burma (Myanmar).

Patkai Hills

Patkai hills as seen from Pangsau Pass

The Patkai hills are on India's northeastern border with Burma.

Khasi Hills

The Khasi Hills are part of the Garo-Khasi range in the Indian state of Meghalaya, and is part of the Patkai range and of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion.

Lushai Hills

The Lushai Hills (or Mizo Hills) are part of the Patkai range in Mizoram and partially in Tripura, India. Hills in Mizoram run north-south.

Assam Himalaya

Assam Himalaya is a traditional designation for the portion of the Himalaya range between the eastern border of Bhutan, on the west, and the Great Bend of the Tsangpo River, on the east.

Garo Hills

The Garo Hills are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India.[16] They are inhabited mainly by tribal dwellers, the majority of whom are Garo people.[17] It is one of the wettest places in the world.

Sela Pass

Sela Pass is the high-altitude mountain pass in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. It has an elevation of 4,170 m (13,680 ft).[18][19] It connects the Buddhist city of Tawang Town to Tezpur and Guwahati and is the main road connecting Tawang with the rest of India.

Other hills

Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Hill stations

Tawang

Tawang town is a town at an elevation of approximately 3,048 metres (10,000 ft) in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh of India.

Majuli

Majuli or Majoli is a large river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam, India. The island had a total area of 1,250 square kilometres (483 sq mi).[22] Majuli is the largest river island in the Indian subcontinent.

Umananda Island

The Umananda Island, also known as Peacock island, is the home to Umananda temple and it is the smallest inhabited river island in the world

Cherrapunji

One board in Cherrapunji

.

Cherrapunji is a subdivisional town in the East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is credited as being the wettest place on Earth, although nearby Mawsynram currently holds that record. Cherrapunji holds the all-time record for the most rainfall in a calendar month and in a year: It received 9,300 mm (370 in) in July 1861 and 26,461 mm (1,041.8 in) between 1 August 1860 and 31 July 1861.[23]

Darjeeling

Darjeeling is in West Bengal but geographically part of Northeast India. It is in the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalaya at an average elevation of 6,710 ft (2,045.2 m). It is noted for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kalimpong

Kalimpong is a hill station in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is at an average elevation of 1,250 metres (4,101 ft).[24] The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong subdivision, a part of the district of Darjeeling. The Indian Army's 27 Mountain Division is in the outskirts of the town.[25]

Batasia Loop, Darjeeling. Indian Railways

Monasteries

Pemayangtse Monastery

The Pemayangtse Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Pemayangtse, near Pelling in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, 140 kilometres (87 mi) west of Gangtok.[26]

Tawang Monastery

Tawang Monastery in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh is the largest monastery in India and second largest in the world after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

Zang Dhok Palri Phodang

Zang Dhok Palri Phodang is a Buddhist monastery in Kalimpong in West Bengal, India. The monastery is atop Durpin Hill, one of the two hills of the town. It was consecrated in 1976 by the visiting Dalai Lama.

Rumtek Monastery

Rumtek Monastery, also called the "Dharmachakra Centre", is a gompa in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok. It is a focal point for the sectarian tensions within the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism that characterize the Karmapa controversy.

Enchey Monastery

Enchey Monastery is in Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim in the Northeastern Indian state. It belongs to the Nyingma order of Vajrayana Buddhism.

Tashiding Monastery

Tashiding Monastery is a Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism in Western Sikkim, northeastern India. It is on top of the hill rising between the Rathong chu and the Rangeet River.

Dubdi Monastery

Dubdi Monastery, occasionally called 'Yuksom Monastery,' is a Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism near Yuksom, in the Geyzing subdivision of West Sikkim district.[27][28]

Ralang Monastery

Ralang Monastery is a Buddhist monastery of the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism in southern Sikkim, northeastern India. It is 6 km from Ravangla.[29]

Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, India.

Lakes

Khecheopalri Lake

Khecheopalri Lake, originally known as Kha-Chot-Palri (meaning the heaven of Padmasambhava), is a sacred lake for Buddhists and Hindus, which is believed to be a wish-fulfilling lake. It is near Khecheopalri village, 147 kilometres (91 mi) west of Gangtok and 34 kilometres (21 mi) to the northwest of Pelling town in the West Sikkim district of the Northeastern Indian state of Sikkim.

Gurudongmar Lake

Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest lakes in the world at an altitude of 17,100 ft (5,210 m). It lies in the district of North Sikkim in the state of Sikkim in India.

Lake Tsongmo

Lake Tsongmo or Changu Lake is a glacial lake in the East Sikkim, India, some 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Gangtok at elevation of 3,780 m (12,400 ft).

Loktak Lake

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India is famous for its phumdis (heterogeneous decomposing mass of vegetation, soil, and organic matters) floating over it. Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world, floats over it. It is near Moirang in Manipur state, India.[30]

Lake Shilloi

The Lake Shillioi is in the district of Phek, Nagaland. Shilloi Lake lies on the lower slopes of the hill ranges running along Myanmar. It is surrounded by beautiful hills. The lake spreads over 0.25 to 0.30 km2.

Umiam Lake

Panoramic view of Umiam Lake in Shillong.

Umiam Lake is a reservoir in the hills 15 km to the north of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya. It is known for its beautiful scenery.

Other lakes

View of Umiam Lake, Shillong.

Monuments and other tourist spots

Living root bridges

Double living root bridge in East Khasi

The living root bridges of Cherrapunji aren’t built — they are grown over hundreds of years, in the rainforest of Cherrapunji. They are alive, growing and gaining strength over time.[35] They are also present in Laitkynsew, and Nongriat.

Madan Kamdev

Madan Kamdev is an famous archaeological site in Kamrup district of Assam. This site has ruins of huge and small temples scattered around an old temple of Lord Shiva: Gopeshwar Temple is near a village and a big cave nearby is known as Parvati Guha.

Meghalaya Caves

Expedition is in progress in Meghalayan Caves.

The Indian state of Meghalaya is famous for its many caves, which attract tourists from India and abroad. A few of the caves in this region have been listed amongst the longest and deepest in the world. A famous one is Mawsmai caves near Cherrapunji are the limestone caves, lies near the village of Mawsmai. Meghalaya is famous in the world for its deep caves such as the Siju Cave; Krem Liat Prah is the longest cave in Asia.[35]

Capital cities

Aizawl

Montage of Aizawl City
Clockwise from top left: Pachhunga University entrance gate, Solomon's Temple in Aizawl, Aizawl Bazar, night view of Aizawl, Lengpui Airport building.

Aizawl is the capital of Mizoram state. The main places of interest in Aizawl are:

A panorama of Aizawl taken from Zemabawk.

Agartala

Montage of Agartala City
Clockwise from top left: Uma Maheswar Kali Temple, Agartala City Center, Ujjayanta Palace, Agartala Railway Station, skyline of a part of the city during 1998, North Gate.

Agartala is capital of Tripura state. Its second largest city in Northeast India after Guwahati. Places of attraction in Agaratala:

Main gate of the Heritage park, Agartala.

Gangtok

Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim state. City is known for its tourist attractions.

Guwahati

Guwahati scenes.

Guwahati is the commercial capital of Assam state and its largest city in North East India.

Panoramic view of Guwahati City

Imphal

Imphal is capital of Manipur state. Some of the places of attractions in city as follows.

Cemetery with trees and monuments at ground level
Imphal War Cemetery
Market, seen from above, with colourful textiles
Women's Market (Ima Keithel)

Shillong

Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya.
Places of interest in and around Shillong includes:

Itanagar

Itanagar is the capital if Arunachal Pradesh. Major tourist sites include:

Kohima

Kohima is the capital of Nagaland. City is known for its Hornbill Festival. Major tourist sites include:

See also

Outline of tourism in India

References

  1. ↑ Deb, P & Sundriyal, RC. (2007) Tree species gap phase performance in the buffer zone area of Namdapha National Park, Eastern Himalaya, India. Tropical Ecology 48(2): 209-225 PDF
  2. ↑ Bhaumik, Subir (17 April 2007). "Assam rhino poaching 'spirals'". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  3. ↑ "Orang National Park". Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  4. ↑ "Tezpur". Orang Wildlife Sanctuary. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  5. ↑ "Spatial modeling and preparation of decision support system for conservation of biological diversity in Orang National Park, Assam, India" (pdf). Retrieved 2009-11-08.
  6. ↑ "Orang National Park". Retrieved 2009-11-08.
  7. ↑ Bhattacharya, Prasanta (2004). Tourism in Assam: trend and potentialities. Rhinoceros parks on north bank of Brahmaputra Orang (Bani Mandir). p. 190. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  8. ↑ "Three Indian sites added to UNESCO list of biosphere reserves". Sify. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  9. ↑ "UNESCO Designates 22 New Biosphere Reserves". Environment News Service. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  10. ↑ Choudhury, A.U. (2003). Meghalaya's vanishing wilderness. Sanctuary Asia 23(5): 30-35.
  11. ↑ "Phawngpui". MizoTourism.
  12. ↑ "14 years on, Kakoijana forest continues fight for sanctuary status - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  13. ↑ Freshfield, D. W. (1903). Round Kangchenjunga: a narrative of mountain travel and exploration. London: Edward Arnold.
  14. ↑ Carter, H. A. (1985). "Classification of the Himalaya" (PDF). American Alpine Journal (American Alpine Club) 27 (59): 109–141.
  15. ↑ Dhar, O. N. and S. Nandargi (2000). 'An appraisal of precipitation distribution around the Everest and Kanchenjunga peaks in the Himalayas' Weather 55 (7): 223–234.
  16. ↑ "Garo Hills-The Ecological Canvas of Meghalaya".
  17. ↑ Subba, T.B.; [eds.], G.C. Ghosh (2003). The anthropology of North-East India. Hyderabad: Orient Longman. ISBN 8125023356. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  18. ↑ "High Altitude Sela Pass–Backbone of Tawang District". Sankara Subramanian C (www.beontheroad.com). beontheroad.com. January 21, 2011. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  19. ↑ "Sela Passmountain pass". travelomy.com. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  20. ↑ Carter, H. Adams (1985). "Classification of the Himalaya" (PDF). American Alpine Journal (American Alpine Club) 27 (5): 115. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  21. ↑ Ray, Arundhati; Das, Sujoy. Sikkim: A Traveller's Guide. Orient Longman. p. 22. ISBN 978-81-7824-008-4.
  22. ↑ 'A Capricious River, an Indian Island’s Lifeline, Now Eats Away at It' April 14, 2013 ;;New York Times;;
  23. ↑ "Most annual rainfall". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  24. ↑ "General Information". Tourism Department. Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  25. ↑ "India moves over 6,000 troops to border with China". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  26. ↑ "Pemayangtse Monastery". Buddhist Tourism. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  27. ↑ "Monasteries". sikkiminfo.in. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  28. ↑ "Monasteries in Sikkim are of three types". Dubdi Monastery. Sikkim Info. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
  29. ↑ "Ralang Monastery". Buddhist-temples.com. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  30. ↑ "Integrated Wetland and River Basin Management – A Case Study of Loktak Lake". Wetlands International - South Asia, New Delhi, India. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  31. ↑ "Chandubi Lake". mapsofindia.com. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
  32. ↑ "Ramsar Wetlands Information Sheet — Deepor Beel" (PDF). Ramsar Convention on Wetlands official website. Retrieved June 27, 2007.
  33. ↑ "National wetland status for Son Beel". The Telegraph (Calcutta). December 10, 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  34. ↑ "National Wetland Atlas: Assam" (PDF). Ministry of Environment and Forests (India). Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  35. 1 2 http://www.walkthroughindia.com/location/top-51-reasons-why-you-should-visit-northeast-india-before-you-die/
  36. ↑ "HMUIFANG TOURIST RESORT". Govt of Mizoram. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  37. ↑ "Biggest family: Ziona Chana has 39 wives and 94 children: a world record". worldrecordsacademy.org. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  38. ↑ Kohhran, Thianghlim. "Solomon's Temple". Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  39. ↑ "Venuban Vihar in AGARTALA - Popular Attraction in Agartala - BUDDHA SHRINE Tripura India". Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  40. ↑ Dhamini Ratnam (10 June 2012). "Art hub that floats on the Brahmaputra". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  41. ↑ Reporter, Staff (30 May 2011). "Scheme for Basistha temple facelift". The Assam Tribune. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  42. ↑ Bhatt, Bhargava, S.C, Gopal, Land and People of Indian States and Union Territories, p. 256
  43. ↑ "Ima Keithel – A market by women". She. msn. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
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