ARUNACHAL PRADESH

GENERAL INFORMATION

Arunachal Pradesh, a serene land tucked into the north eastern tip of India, invites one to relax in its picturesque hills and dales enjoy its salubrious climate and meet its simple and hospitable people, with their glorious heritage of arts and crafts and colourful festivals that reflect their ancient faith in the inexorable power of nature.

 PRIME ATTRACTIONS

The visitor has a wide variety of options to pick from. There are places of worship and pilgrimage such as Parashuramkund (also spelt as Parasuramkund) and the 400 years old Tawang monastery or the sites of archeological excavations like Malinithan and Itanagar, the serene beauty of lakes such as the Ganga Lake or Sela Lake or the numerous variations of scenic beauty of the snow clad silver mountain peaks and lush green meadows where thousands of species of flora and fauna prosper.
In addition, the state provides abundant scope for angling, boating, rafting, trekking and hiking. Besides, there are a number of wild life sanctuaries and national parks where rare animals, birds and plants will fascinate the visitor.

 Geographical Divides: Bhutan, China and Myanmar surround Arunachal Pradesh, on three sides. It stretches from snow-capped mountains in the north to the plains of the Brahmaputra valley in the south. Arunachal is the largest state area-wise in the northeast region, even larger than Assam, which is the most populous.
It is a land of lush green forests, deep river valleys and beautiful plateaus. The land is mostly mountainous with the Himalayan ranges running north south. These divide the state into five river valleys: the Kameng, the Subansiri, the Siang, the Lohit and the Tirap. All these are fed by snow from the Himalayas and countless rivers and rivulets. The mightiest of these rivers is Siang, called the Tsangpa in Tibet, which becomes the Brahmaputra after the Dibang and the Lohit join it in the plains of Assam.
Nature has provided the people with a deep sense of beauty, which finds delightful expression in their songs, dances and crafts. The climate varies from hot and humid to heavy rainfall in the Shivalik (also spelt as Sivalik) range. It becomes progressively cold as one moves northwards to higher altitudes. Trees of great size, plentiful climbers and abundance of cane and bamboo make Arunachal evergreen.

 People & Culture: Arunachal is home to 26 major and numerous minor tribes with rich cultural traditions.
There are three kinds of religions practiced here. Monpas and Sherdak Pens in Kameng and Tawang district, who came in contact with Tibetan in the north, adopted Lamaism of the Buddhist faith, while the Khamptis in Lohit district practice Mahayana Buddhism.
The second group Notes and Wants in Tirap district, whose long association with the Assamese in the south converted them to Hinduism. The third group comprises of Adi, Abas, Apatanis, Nyishi, etc - a large majority of the total population, who maintain their ancient belief and indigenous concepts of nature and worship the "Danyipolo" (The Sun & Moon).
The people of Arunachal Pradesh have a tradition of artistic craftsmanship and sense of aesthetics manifested through a variety of crafts such as weaving, painting, pottery, smithy work, basket making, wood carving, etc.

FESTIVALS: Festivals are an essential part of the socio-cultural life of the people. The festivals are connected with agriculture and celebrated with ritualistic gaiety either to thank God for his providence or to pray for a bumper harvest. The large fairs and festivals are linked with the people and religions. The festivals celebrated by the Arunachalees mirror the people, culture, their artistic genius and skill in music and dance, which is a vital element in the life of every tribe.
In one sentence - Arunachal Pradesh is a must visit destination for the cultural tourist.

CLIMATE: Due to the great variety in topography, climatic conditions change within short distances. The southern part of the state has hot and humid sub-tropical climate. In the central areas, the climate is cooler, and in the inner or higher reaches, the climate is alpine. The rainfall too, though an almost year-round feature, is uneven. The best time to visit this state is October to April.