Arunachal Pradesh Travel Guide
The name Arunachal Pradesh has been drived from Sanskrit words ; Aruna means “dawn lit” and Acha means “mountain” the land of daw lit mountain – ARUACHAL PRADESH ! It is also known as the Orchid of India or the Paradise of the Botanists , because of its great floristic diversity.
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Sightseeing in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh has unique blend of everything staring from picturesque scenic beauty to wildlife sanctuaries.
TAWANG
Tawang is known for its mesmerising scenic beauty. It is located 10000 ft above the sea level. Tawang is surrounded by a lake which offered a beautiful view. Here 400 year old Tawang monastery is the one of the oldest and the largest Indian monasteries.
BOMDILA
Bomdila offers to the tourist panoramic view of the awesome Himalayan terrain with its snow-covered mountains. It is famous for its apple orchids and travelers can take a walk through them. It also has a couple of Buddhist monasteries.ROING
Roing is famous for its Nature , Waterfalls and adventure. This place has many lakes and waterfalls . Mayudia is a major attraction here is situated in the midst of lush greenery and breathtaking scenery of the Himalayas and Bhismaknagar fort is a major sightseeing point of Arunachal Pradesh , this hill fort is considered as one of the oldest archaeological sites of Arunachal Pradesh.
ZIRO
Ziro is famously known as Apatani Plateau and it is one of the oldest towns of Arunachal Pradesh. The place has an imposing landscape of beautiful lush green forest, rivulets and elevated patches. It is famous for paddy-cum-pisciculture cultivation. Declared as a World Heritage Site, Talley Valley, fish farm and Wild Life Sanctuary. Pine Bamboo groves found here is quite charming.
ITANAGAR
Itanagar is know for its Heritage, Himalayan range and Brahmaputra river. Ita fort and Ganga lake are major attraction here.
BHALUKPONG
Bhalukpong is famous for its mesmerising Hills,Orchids and Rivers and offers an option of hiking, trekking and river rafting. Here you can visit Sessa Orchid Sanctuary and Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary.
PASIGHAT
Pasighat is located on the banks of Siang River and it is 155 meters above the sea level. The majestic river Brahmaputra flows to this place from Tibet. Pangin and Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary are two top attractions here.
ANINI
Anini is one of the most appealing places in Arunachal Pradesh. The Town is located a top a Plateau between two tributaries of the impressive Brahmaputra river. Due to its high elevation above sea level, the town enjoys a pleasant climate throughout the year and is a great place to visit with several natural and man made tourist attractions making Anini a perfect location.
ALONG
The valley surrounded by mountains with rivers flowing through them. The place has various attractions. Kane Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated here, houses wild species such as elephants and deer. The Hanging Bridge on River Siang is made of cane and bamboo. River rafting and trekking is quite famous here.
DIRANG
Dirang is famous for Wilderness , Buddhism , Tibetan. Dirang is a small town in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Dirang is located on the bank of river Kameng (Known as Jia Bharali in Assam). Since it is on the river valley the altitude is relatively low (4900 ft). The weather here is not very cold and quite pleasant during most of the year.
Shopping in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh has a diverse legacy in handicraft items and handloom designs. Here one will get beautiful bamboo and wooden handicrafts, woven carpets, masks, handlooms, ornaments etc.
- Handicraft Items of Arunachal Pradesh
There are State Emporiums which offer wide range of souvenirs and decorative items. There are brass items, wood carvings, hats of different shapes, cane belts, bamboo mugs and some items made from fishbone! There is delicate pottery, silver articles and paintings available to shop.
- Ornaments
Bead ornaments and woven grass necklaces are only one of its kind to Arunachal Pradesh. These are made by Wanhcho women they also make cotton and acrylic bags which are lovely. In Tawang, Old market, Tibetan settlement areas and Government Handicraft Emporiums are good options for buying handicraft items.
Silver ornaments are also popular. These come in exquisite designs with colourful beads. Blue feathers of birds and green wings of beetles are also used for decoration.
- Wood and Bamboo Products of Arunachal Pradesh
Wood carvings and bamboo handicrafts illustrate the rich cultural heritage of this state. These are utility products made from bamboo.
- Masks Made from Wood
These masks are made from single block of wood which is made hollow from the inside. Holes are made for nose and eyes but not necessarily present.
- Buddhist Souvenirs of Arunachal Pradesh
Here you will find beautifully coloured Thangkas of Buddhist deities. These can also be seen in monasteries and Lhagangs or family Chapels in the state.
- Hand loom Products
Wool weaving is also an important industry of this state, shawls, carpets, chadars, bags, loin cloth, Wancho bags, blouses, Mishmi shawls, Adi skirts, Sherdukpen shawls, Apatani jackets and tribal dresses. Emporiums are a nice place to buy these.
Arunachal Pradesh Cuisine
The cuisine of Arunachal Pradesh has a influence of nearby Himalayan civilasation. Rice and meat are the staple food of Arunachal. Lettuce is quite popular among locals. Due to the high amount of variedness among local communities, the food preparation methods differ slightly from district to district.
Here are few foods one should not miss while in Arunachal :
- Bamboo Shoots
The Bamboo shoot is the main ingredient of their food and is used in almost all dishes. Bamboo shoot fry is most popular, this dish is served hot and crispy.
- Rice
There are two different ways of preparing rice in dishes of Arunachal Pradesh – Dung Po and Kholam. In Dung Po two brass utensils are used as it is believed that brass utensils impart a special taste to the food.
In Kholam instead of utensils, a bamboo tube is filled with rice and water which measures 2 1/2 feet in height. It is kept beside a traditional heath which imparts heat enough to cook the rice. Before serving it the outer layer of bamboo is incised.
- Momos
Momo is a dumpling stuffed with various vegetables or in case of non veg stuffed with chicken or mutton etc. It is a steamed preparation and famous in almost every north-eastern state.
- Pasa
Pasa is fish soup prepared from fresh, raw fish and flavoured with herbs and spices
Juice of ‘ooriam’ (Khumpatt) leaves is added which gives a greenish tinge to the soup.
- Ngatok
This is a fish curry. An extremely hot medium size stone is kept amidst the fish which is wrapped in a banana leaf and then covered with charcoal to add smoky flavour.
- Wungwut Ngam
It is a chicken dish prepared with rice powder. For this dish, first of all raw rice is roasted and then ground into a fine powder.
- Misa Mach Poora
This grilled shrimps simply melt in the mouth and are heavenly. They are cooked with pepper, coriander and mustard oil to impart a flavour.
- Pehak
Pehak is a type of spicy chutney that is made by the use of fermented soya bean and chilli. The chilly obviously being the King chilly is the main ingredient in this dish as that’s what makes it hot and spicy.
- Apong
Apong is just another name for rice beer and is one of the most important traditional drink of Arunachal, and forms an important part of Arunachal Pradesh people food.
Interesting Facts of Arunachal Pradesh
The state has more than 200 species of mammals thereby making it Botanist Paradise with the highest diversity of mammals in India.
With over 82% geographical area under forest it has an unparalleled biodiversity in the country. This territory has the status of one of the “Biodiversity Holspols” in the world.
Dong Valley situated at an elevation of 1,240 meters is the first to receive sunrise in the country.
Despite the fact that the hill state Arunachal Pradesh is the second most populous country, it also stands unique for having lowest population in India.
It is the most linguistically enrich state of India. More than 30 languages like Wancho, Tagin, Dafia, etc. are spoken here but English is its official language.
Arunachal is highly protected and a special permit is required for domestic as well as foreign tourists.
This state is home to 20 major tribes and various sub tribes, with their own diverse cultures and traditions.
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