Since long had been wanted to visit Nagaland esp to witness the Hornbill festival. Went on this trip with theflapperlife.com. Had a good trip overall. The trip was in November 2021 for a week.
Nagaland became the 16th state of India on 1 December 1963. Nagaland, lying in the hills and mountains of the northeastern part of the country. It is one of the smaller states of India. Nagaland is bounded by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the northeast, Manipur to the south, and Assam to the west and northwest and the country of Myanmar (Burma) to the east. Agriculture is its most important economic activity, accounting for over 70% of its economy. Other significant activities include forestry, tourism, insurance, real estate, and miscellaneous cottage industries.
Kachari Ruins or The Dimasa Kachari Ruins is located in the town of Dimapur in Nagaland. The ruins are a series of mushroom domed pillars that were created by the Dimasa Kachari Kingdoms that ruled before the Ahom invasion during the 13th century.
The purpose and origin of the pillars are mysterious; few of the pillars stand in full glory while others are crumbled down. It is also believed that a game similar to that of chess was played here with the mushroom shaped dooms. It is a glory of the North East and the tourism department of Nagaland.
The government has taken the stand to protect the ruins from local vandalism by installing iron railings. You would not witness any mammoth structures, but the stone ruins are only of singular type – the shapes are similar - tall and stout standing stones. They look very much like lingas but are meticulously sculpted with beautiful design. With an aerial view, you can imagine them to be like chess pieces. The biggest one is a massive monolith, standing about 22 feet tall.
Although with time, these designs have lost their original accuracy, but it still reflects the indigenous Aryan elements. The commonest motifs are those of lotus and flowers; but you can also see animal designs like deer, elephant or cow. One of the noticeable motifs is a man raising his arms to the sky as if in celebration wearing a head dress. You will also see tasseled motifs as they appear at the repetitive folds. These ruins are definitely worth a visit and would allure any art and history lover.
Khonoma, a Northeastern village known as ‘Asia’s first green village’ was once popular for wildlife hunting. Surrounded by lush green mountains and picturesque landscape, Khonoma is a great place to unwind in the lap of nature. This centuries-old village has a very less population. It approximately has 600 households. In this green village, hunting was once considered sacred and a significant way of life. In the early 1990s, the people of Khonoma killed around 300 endangered Blyth’s tragopan in just one week as part of a hunting competition. That’s when certain village elders got concerned about the wildlife in Khonoma and started to create awareness about the significance of protecting the wildlife through a campaign under the guidance of community leader Niketu Iralu and Thepfulhouvi Angami, who was then the principal chief conservator of forests in Nagaland. The campaign aimed to create a protected area within the 125-square-kilometer of the village and a ban hunting and logging.
But, it was not easy to achieve. Certain elders in the village alarmed the hunters and made them understand that a continuous hunting practice will not let the future generation witness the majestic creatures in the area and their beauty. Outside interventions were also observed to change the mindset of the hunters in Khonoma. Experts from several conservation organizations in India were invited by the village council to speak to them and educate the villagers.
Later in 1998, after around 5 years of dialogue, Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) was created and the village council demarcated 20 sqkm as the KNTCS. This Naga village is now known for overcoming the ecological challenges and coming out victorious. Now, those who were dependent on hunting for their survival and also those who were doing it as a sacred cultural practice have stopped hunting and shifted to farming.
Dzuleke village - the most coveted picnic spots of Nagaland.
Dzuleke, just about 10km from Khonoma (the first ‘green village’ of India) and about 40km from Kohima (the capital of Nagaland) is a treat to the eyes of the traveller. It is one of the most underrated places to visit in Nagaland. That’s because it has the sparsest population of about 200 households, mostly inhabited by the Angamis – one of the major tribes of the state
Kohima Museum is a museum that exhibits history of Nagas. It is located in Kohima at Upper Bayavu Hill and houses invaluable treasures and articles. Also a mini park adjacent to the Musuem.
The War Cemetery in Kohima was built in the year April 1944 to mark the death of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War at Kohima. In the memory of those soldiers of the allied force of 2nd British Division this war cemetery was built. In the tennis court area of deputy commissioners’ residence these soldiers breathed their last on the Garrison hill battleground. According to the report of CWGC who maintains the cemetery of the world, reported 1420 commonwealth burial of those who died in the Second World War. The other 917 Hindu and Sikhs bodies were cremated as per their social rights. The commander of 14th army (Burma) Field Marshal Sir William Slim had inaugurated the memorial.
This spot is a great tourist attraction as it tells people more about our ancient history. To prevent the Burma attack, the Japanese army attacked the British army who were then stationed at North East India in March 1944. Later in April, the Japanese army after occupying the Garrison hill attacked the commonwealth forces. The British National Army Museum in 2013 declared the battle of Imphal and Kohima as ‘Britain’s greatest battle’.
The 22nd Hornbill Festival, 2021 began on a high note at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama on 1st December 2021
Founded by the Japanese, there is an education centre in this village that must be visited by history lovers. Pay special attention to the walls of the houses, when you are walking around the village. Some of them still have bullet marks of World War II
The Hornbill Festival is the most lavish and exuberant showcasing of the Naga culture and heritage, and one of the most thronged festivals of the country by people from all around the world. The festival is named after the large exotic bird because it forms the centre of many a local folklore.
The Festival is celebrated in Nagaland to encourage inter-tribal interaction and to preserve, protect and revive the uniqueness and richness of the Naga heritage. It is organized by State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments and also supported by Union Government.
Also referred to as the “Festival of Festivals”, the Hornbill Festival is one of the largest celebrations of all the major tribes of Nagaland. It features traditional dance forms, folk songs, art and indigenous games from the different tribes of the state.
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