Arunachal Pradesh is a state in North-eastern India. The state shares an international border with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and China (Tibet) in the north. Itanagar is the capital of the state.
Arunachal Pradesh is the most north-eastern state in the country. The state’s name literally translate The Land of Rising Sun.
The land is mostly mountainous with most of the area being covered by the Himalayas. The region is divided into five river valleys: the Kameng, the Subansiri, the Siang, the Lohit and the Tirap.
Arunachal Pradesh is known for tribal culture, Buddhist monasteries, natural miracles like bamboo bridges overhanging the river, etc.
MAJOR TOURIST SITES
Major tourist destinations in the state include: Tawang, Itanagar, Namdapha National Park, etc.
NATIONAL PARKS
Namdapha National Park is the third largest national park in India and the largest in the Eastern Himalayan area. It is located in the Eastern Himalayan sub-region near the border with Myanmar. The park has about 425 species of birds and a great diversity of mammals including leopard, tiger, Asiatic black bear, etc.
HANDICRAFTS
Traditional crafts of the state include Buddhist and tribal arts like masks, silverware, painted wooden vessels, carpets, varies bamboo crafts, wooden carvings, pottery, weaving and ivory work, etc.
FOOD
Arunachal Pradesh cuisine varies as per region and tribe. The tribal cuisines use herbs with medicinal properties, fresh spices, fermented bamboo shoots and fresh scented leaves. Rice is the staple food of all the tribe’s of Arunachal Pradesh where the cooked rice is wrapped in leaves to serve. Traditional dishes include thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup), momos (a type of dumpling), wungwut ngam (chicken with rice powder), pasa (fish soup), ngatok (fish curry), apang or rice beer, made from fermented rice or millet, etc.
FESTIVALS
The region is known for Torgya and Losar Festival, famous for ritual masked Tibetan Buddhist dances chaam performed in gompas (Buddhist monasteries) to celebrate the victory of good over evil (February). Other popular festivals are: Solung, agricultural festival celebrated by Adi tribes (September), Mopin festival, celebrated by the Galo tribe when locals dress in white and smear rice powder in each other’s faces (April), Boori Boot festival is exclusively performed by the Hill-Miris (February), Dree festival celebrated by Apatanis tribe (July), etc.
CLIMATE
The climate of Arunachal Pradesh varies with elevation from sub-tropical with hot summers and mild winters to alpine or tundra. The average temperature in the summers is around 30 °C (90 °F), and 13 °C (50 °F) in the winters.
Best time to visit is October to April.
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