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Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh, "the land
of the dawn-lit-mountains", is one of the last unspoilt wildernesses now under
Indian colonial occupation. It is situated north of Assam extending eastwards
from the high Himalaya near Bhutan towards Burma, with the mountains of Tibet
away to the north. Scarcely any roads penetrate this vast state, formerly known
as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), whose new capital, Itanagar, is just
across the border from Assam. Entering Arunachal, the road to Tawang runs
through rugged hills, engulfed by virgin forests, with silver ribbons of rivers
far below; a complete contrast to the denuded paddy bowls of Assam, though most
of the Himalayan foothills must once have looked like this.
Only very
recently have foreign tourists been permitted to visit Arunachal.
This long-standing isolation is partly due to cultural considerations,
and partly to
political factors, as the border with the Chinese is still
under dispute. The big attraction is the state's dazzling array of flora
and fauna, in a habitat
that combines glacial terrain, alpine meadows and sub-tropical
rainforests. Namdapha National Park, in the north east, is home to the
rare Hoolock gibbon;
other animals include the legendary snow leopard, tigers, musk
deer, bears, panda and elephant, while Arunachal also abounds in bamboo
and cherishes over
500 species of orchids.
The successive river valleys of Arunachal,
separated by forbidding north-south ridges, enable distinct micro-cultures to
flourish in what can be very small areas. The Monpas, who have a strong
affinity with the Bhutanese, occupy the valleys north of Bomdila; their largest
town, Dirang, with its dzong (fort), is just before the pass at Sela. Although
they practise Buddhism, focussed around the great monastery of Tawang, they
retain many of their original animist-shamanist beliefs. They are easily
recognized by their dress - a chuba or short cloak, made of coarse wool dyed
red with madder.
The Sherdukpens live south of the Bomdila Range, in
the valleys of the Tengapani, and have close affinities with their Monpa
neighbours. They wear distinctive gurdams, or yak's hair skullcaps, from which
jut tassel-like projections that serve as guttering - this part of Arunachal
sees very heavy rainfall. Traditionally Sherdukpen men wear a sword in a
scabbard tucked into their waist or on a strap. Although they have a reverence
for lama-ism, their religious beliefs are a curious blend of Buddhism and
shamanism, with jijis, or priests, practicing witchcraft to counteract
malevolent spirits.
Further southeast are the Akas, literally "painted",
who paint their faces with resin and charcoal. East of Kameng, the menfolk of
the sturdy hill people known as the Daflas wear a distinctive wicker helmet
surmounted by the red-dyed beak of a hornbill. Protruding in front of their
foreheads is a bun of plaited hair called podum, skewered horizontally with a
large brass pin. The Daflas trace their descent from Abo Teni, a mythical
primeval man, as do the neighbouring Apa Tanis, who thanks to the work of
European anthropologists are the best known of all the tribal groups. Occupying
a 26-square-kilometre stretch of hanging valley in the central region of
Subansiri, the Apa Tanis are experts at terraced rice cultivation. They too
wear a hat and podum on their foreheads but do not sport the distinguishing
yellow ribbon of the Daflas; both men and women tattoo their
faces.
ITANAGAR - The town of Itanagar, just under 400 km
northeast of Guwahati, has been developed as the capital of the state largely
because of its convenient location, and holds little to interest visitors. It
is built on a saddle overlooked by two hills, one occupied by the Governor's
house and the other by a new Buddhist temple; new lightweight earthquake-proof
houses mingle with older traditional structures, a market and offices.
Facilities are shared with its twin town, Naharlagun, 10km away in the Assam
Valley.
Consecrated by the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist temple reflects the
extensive Tibetan influence in this frontier land, and provides good views of
Itanagar and the surrounding countryside. An extensive ethnographic collection
devoted to local tribes in the Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum includes wood
carvings, musical instruments, textiles, handicrafts and archeological finds
(Tues-Sat 9.30am-5pm; Rs1), while a workshop in the Handicrafts Centre
specializes in traditional cane manufacture. The adjacent salesroom sells
tribal handicrafts. The emerald Gyaker Sinyi (Ganga Lake), 6km away, is
surrounded by primeval vegetation, providing a small taste of the magnificent
forests of the state.
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