The beautiful Northeast India is not just home to one horned rhino, natural resources , flora and fauna, majestic and picturesque locations but also the entire northeast is culturally rich with diverse tribes and their traditions. Moreover Northeastern states of India are full of mystery and surprises and also interesting facts. Lets have a look at some of the most interesting facts related to Northeast India .
- The corridor joining the rest of the mainland India with Northeast is called the Chicken’s Neck. Siliguri Corridor, a narrow strip of Indian territory connecting the northeastern states to the rest of India. Chicken’s Neck (Pakistan), a narrow strip of Pakistani territory that lies south of Akhnoor in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Assam is home to the historic Jonbeel Mela which is famous for the prevailing practice of Centuries- old barter system held on the banks of Jonbeel (Wetland) near Jagiroad in Morigaon district of Assam. This unique fair/mela is the only one in the northeastern states, where items are not sold, but exchanged among the people and it is organised every year in the month of Magh of the Assamese calendar (mid- January) near the highway town of Jagiroad in the Morigaon District of Assam. It is a three day annual event which is organised under the traditional king of the Tiwa tribe called Gobha Deoraja that once ruled the area.
- Assam is famous for “Majuli”, the world’s largest river island and “Umananda”, the smallest inhabited river island in the world. “Majuli” is the world’s largest river island which attracts tourists from all over the world. Majuli in the Brahmaputra River, Assam became the first island to be made a district in India in 2016 . Meanwhile “Umananda” is the smallest river island in the midst of river Brahmaputra flowing through the city of Guwahati in Assam. According to historians , the British named the island Peacock Island for its structure.
- Arunachal Pradesh is called the Land of The Rising Sun because it gets the first sunrise in the country. Arunachal Pradesh is also known as Land of the Dawn-Lit-Mountains. Dong Valley, in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, is the small village that receives the first sunrise.
5. Assam’s Sualkuchi is known as the world’s largest weaving village. Almost every household in the village is directly associated with weaving exotic silk fabrics. The main silk that is weaved here is the famous Muga silk. Moreover it is only in Assam where Golden /Muga Silk is produced and nowhere else in the world .
- Cherrapunji in Meghalaya is referred to as ‘Jewel Crest Of Meghalaya’. Cherrapunji receives a lot of rainfall the entire year and it used to be one of the rainiest cities in the world. Moreover cherrapunji is renowned for unique living root bridges.
- Meghalaya is renowned as the only matriachal society in India . As per the prevailing matriarchal society in Meghalaya ,a women in the family is known as the head of the household .Meanwhile the men in the family take a back seat and the women usually work hard for earning a living for their family.
- Mawlynnong, located around 100 km from Shillong is world famous as the cleanest village in Asia. It has been awarded the title of the cleanest Village in Asia by Discover India in 2003. Recently Mawlynnong villagein East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya has bagged the silver award as the “Best Eco Tourism Destination” in India. In addition it is also known for women empowerment and 100 percent literacy rate .
- The northeastern state of Manipur has a market which is entirely run by women. In the heart of Manipur city in Imphal , lies the 500 year old market which is known to apparently known to be Asia’s largest women run market and world’ s largest mother’s-run market .
10. Pukzing cave is the largest cave in Mizoram. According to the legend the cave was carved out using only a hair pin.The credit for construction goes to a sturdy man named Mualzavata. The meaning of the name is ‘a person who could clear hundred ranges of forest in just one day’.The cave is located at Pukzing village near Marpara in Aizwal district.
- In Nagaland’s Longwa village one can be at two places at once. The unique thing about Longwa is that the inhabitants of the village have dual citizenship- one of India and the other of Myanmar. The Interesting fact about this village is that the Indo-Myanmar border passes from this village dividing the chief’s house into two halves, one of which is in India and the other half is in Myanmar. The chief is also called as Angh and he has 60 wives and rule more than 70 villages.
- Nagaland is inhabitated by 17 major tribes and is also known as the most linguistically diverse state in India. Based on the 2011 census data, Nagaland effectively has 14 languages and 17 dialects with the largest language (Konyak) having only a 46% share.
- Mon In Nagaland is home to the last surviving Surviving Headhunter tribe. The remote village of Longwa is home to the fierce Konyak Nagatribe, India’s last generation of tribesmen with striking facial tattoos. The Konyaks were fierce headhunters .In the past many conflicts and wars between rival tribe villages were resolved by the konyak tribes by Killing and severing an enemy’s head was considered a rite of passage for young boys, and success was rewarded with a prestigious facial tattoo. The heads were then proudly displayed on the walls and doorways of the warriors. The Indian government put a ban on headhunting in 1960
- Baba Mandir is a significant place of Sikkim. This “mandir” or shrine is dedicated to “Baba” Harbhajan Singh, who was a soldier of the Indian Army. He died near the Nathula Pass in eastern Sikkim, India. It is believed that Baba Harbhajan Singh still guards the international border between India and China, over the last three. Even the Chinese army also confirms that they have noticed a human figure, guarding the border at night, riding on a horse.According to local beliefs Baba Harbhajan Singh foretells any dangerous activity on the border through the dreams of the fellow army men and safeguards the force.
- The only floating palace in Northeast India is found in Tripura. Neermahal, meaning water palace, is located around 53 km from Agartala. A beautiful achitectural marvel , the palace is build with sandstone and marble and is located in the middle of Rudrasagar Lake.
