North East India

 

North East India

 

Stunning beyond words.

Best time to visit: October to July

Popular attractions: Kaziranga National Park, Majuli Island, Cherrapunjee, Mawlynnong, Tawang Monastery

 

Overview

North East India comprises of seven states commonly known as the ’Seven Sisters’. Each state is a traveller’s paradise with picturesque hills and green meadows, and is home to more than 200 separate tribes speaking a wide range of languages.   

This offbeat destination in India also has some great routes for an epic road trip. Along the way, you’ll frequently come across pristine forests, rolling hills, national parks, gushing rivers, sprawling tea gardens, stunning waterfalls and many such natural grandeur. In addition, the states provide scope for angling, boating, rafting, trekking and hiking.

There are a number of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks with rare animals, birds and plants which will surely provide fascinating insight to the visitors. One of the most famous is Kaziranga National Park in Assam where you can spot one-horned rhinos.

Mawlynnong in Meghalaya was awarded the cleanest village in Asia and where all guesthouses are constructed of bamboo. Cherrapunjee also in Meghalaya was once the wettest place on earth. Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh is home to the second largest Buddhist monastery in Asia. India's largest river island, Majuli in Assam, also has the distinction of being the largest inhabited riverine island in the world.

 

Festivals

Fairs and Festivals are the integral part of tribes along with traditional dance and folk music. The major festivals of North East India are Bihu (Assam), Brahmaputra (Assam), Hornbill and Sekrenyi  (Nagaland), Torgya Monastery (Arunachal Pradesh), Chapchar Kut (Manipur), Ningol Chakouba (Manipur), Kharchi Puja (Tripura) and Shillong Autumn Festival.

 

Arts & Craft

North East India is famous for its unique culture, handicrafts, scenic beauty and martial arts. People of these state’s have great skills in art, weaving, wood-carving, cane crafts, jewellery and bamboo stick work. Other traditional crafts include the making of musical instruments, carpet and silk weaving. Every tribe excels in craftsmanship and offers a wide variety of traditional arts and craft.

 

Cuisine

Cuisines of North East India offer dishes that reflect the culture and lifestyle of the region. Rice along with dry fish, spicy meat and lots of green vegetables make up the staple food of the region. Unique dishes include jadoh, momos, aakhol ghor, tung-rymbai and pickled bamboo shoots. Chicken, mutton, duck, pigeon are some of the most popular non-veg dishes from the north east along with a variety of rice beer.