Arunachal Pradesh

There are practically no records relating to the earlier history of this area except some oral literature and the number of historical ruins found mainly in the foot hills dating approximately from the early Christian Era.

In 1826 the British exercised their control in Assam after the treaty of Yandaboo concluded on 24th February 1826. Before 1962 the Arunachal was popularly called North Eastern Frontier Agency and was constitutionally a part of Assam. It was administered by the Ministry of External Affairs until 1965 and subsequently by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Governor of Assam. In 1972, it was constituted as a Union Territory and renamed Arunachal Pradesh. On 20th February in 1987, it became the 24th state of the Indian Union.

Arunachal Pradesh was inhabited by people of tribal origin. These groups had distinct culture. In the 16th century the Ahom Kings influenced the region. The population were of Tibeto-Burmese linguistic origin. The tribe consisted of the Daflas, Bangnis, the Monpas and they were influenced by Buddhist ideals. The Miri along with the Daflas and Tagin lived in the hills. The Apatanis were believed to be more advanced. They were agriculturists. Besides this the Abor who called themselves as Adi lived in the valley of Arunachal Pradesh. Besides them the Membas, Ramos and Boris formed minor groups. The Mishmis exists as Idus, Taraons, and Kamans. They excelled in handicrafts. Today tourism forms an important source of revenue for the state economy.
 

Sight Seeing
If the mountains beckon you, it is Bomdila and Tawang you must head for. At an altitude of 8500 ft, the Himalayan landscape of Bomdila is snow clad for most of the year. The apple orchards and the Buddhist "Gompas" are an added attraction. It is possible to charter a plane from Lilabari to Bomdila as there is a small airstrip there. Or one could use the road route. Be sure to carry carry woollens. From Bomdila, take the mountainous road up to Tawang at 12000 ft. On the way, you’ll drive past the Sela Pass, the second highest pass in the world.

Tawang has a 400-year-old Buddhist monastery, which has an 8ft statue of the Buddha and ancient Buddhists scriptures inscribed in gold. Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh, is famous for the excavated ruins of the historical Ita Fort and the Ganga Sekhi Lake. The Ita fort was made of bricks and parts of it still stand. The Ganga Sekhi Lake, 6km from Itanagar, is a picturesque picnic spot at the base of a red clay hill accessible by a curious bamboo bridge spanning a small culvert.

The wildlife sanctuary at Namdapha is renowned for the four cats - snow leopard, clouded leopard, tiger and the leopard. Home to the rare "hoolok gibbon", it is spread over an amazing range of altitude from 200m to 4500m. It is accessible by road from Tezpur (Assam) and the best time to visit is between October and April.

How to reach :
Air: Nearest Airport is situated at is Lilabari (North Lakhimpur) in Assam, 57 kms from Naharlagun and 67 kms from the capital, Itanagar. Indian Airlines operates direct flight from Calcutta to Tezpur ( 216 kms from Itanagar ) on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. There are helicopter services from Guwahati to Naharlagun.

Rail: The nearest railway station is Harmuty (near Banderdewa check gate) in Assam only 23 km from Naharlagun & 33 km from Itanagar. However nearest convenient railhead is North Lakhimpur in Assam, 50 km from Naharlagun & 60 km from Itanagar.

Road: Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Corporation operates regular bus-services to various places in Arunachal Pradesh and its neighbouring states. Direct bus-services are there from North Lakhimpur to Itanagar via Naharlagun. Buses run frequently between Naharlagun & Itanagar between 0600-1900 hrs. Itanagar is also connected by daily buses from Guwahati (429km).

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