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Introduction
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Voted as the 4th best destination in the world to travel
by Lonely Planet in 2012, tucked away in the north eastern tip of India,
Arunachal Pradesh is home to quaint mountains, uncharted passes, calm lakes and
famous monasteries. Encompassing extensive geographical diversity with a
variety of rare wildlife, flora and fauna, Arunachal Pradesh is now gaining
acclaim worldwide as one of the richest biodiversity and heritage spots. It is
the only Indian state that can claim to have four major varieties of the big
cats in its jungles- tiger, leopard, clouded leopard and snow leopard.
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This mystical land of bliss has many wonders and
attractions for travellers. The wavering rivers, the snow clad mountains, the
stubborn plains, exclusive flora and fauna, legendary cultural heritage
trailing since ancient times, the habitat of wild savages, the thick woodlands,
the historical heritages, the tribal terrains. Among the thousands of species
of orchids as many as 600 species of orchids are found here.
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Arunachal Pradesh finds mention in the literature such as
the KalikaPuran and in the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. It is believed
that sage Vyasa meditated here and also that the remains of the brick structure
scattered around two villages in the hills north of Roing was the palace of
Rukmini, the consort of Lord Krishna. The sixth Dalai Lama was also born on the
soil of Arunachal Pradesh.
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The Land
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Arunachal Pradesh the 24th state of the Indian Union, is
bounded by Bhutan to the west; Myanmar to the east; China to the north and
north-east and the plains of Assam to the south, and is the 24th state of the
Indian Union. In this incredibly beautiful state, more than 500 species of
birds have been recorded, many of which are highly endangered and restricted to
this state. One of Asia’s largest Orchidarium is in Arunachal Pradesh and
almost every district of Arunachal Pradesh has its own exclusive and rare
variety of orchids.
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The People
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Like other parts of Northeast India, a majority of the
people native to the state are of Tibeto-Burman origin. There are 26 tribes and
110 sub tribes living in the state. Most of these communities are ethically
similar having derived from an original common ancestors but their geographical
isolation from each other has brought amongst them certain distinctive
characteristics in language, dress and customs. The first group of people are
the Monpas and the Sherdukpens of Tawang and West Kameng district. They follow
the Lamaistic traditions of Mahayana Buddhism. Culturally similar to them are
Membas and Khambas who live in the high mountains along the northern borders;
Khamptis and Singphos inhabiting the eastern part of the state are Buddhists of
Hinayana Buddhism. The second group of people Adis, Akas, Apatanis, Bangnis,
Nishings, Mishmis, Mijis, Tangsas, etc., who worship the sun and the moon
namely Donyi Polo and Abotani, believed to be the original ancestor for most of
these tribes. The third group comprises of Noctes and Wanchos, adjoining
Nagaland in the Tirap district. They are hard working people known for their
structured village society in which the hereditary village chief still plays a
vital role. The Noctes also practice elementary form of Vaishnavism.
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The Culture
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The culture of Arunachal Pradesh is truly varied in the
sense that the state has 26 major tribes including sub-tribes. Every tribe has
their own unique set of traditions and customs. The major tribes of Arunachal
are: Adi, Galo, Aka, Apatani, Nyishi, Tagins, Bori, and Bokar etc.
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The sun and the moon are the presiding deities of the
major tribes who follow the Donyi-Polo religion (the name stands for sun and
moon). The West Kameng and Tawang district are mainly inhabited by the Tibetan
influenced Monpa and Sherdukpen tribe. In Lohit district it is the Khampti and
the Singpho tribe. All these four major tribes are followers of two different
sects of Buddhism (Mahayana Hinayana). The other tribes are basically followers
of ancient beliefs with animal worship being quite prominent amongst them.
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Arunachal’s cultural lifestyle is dominated by colourful
festivals. Since agriculture is the mainstay here so people generally celebrate
festivals as a mark of thanksgiving to the Almighty for giving them a good
harvest. These festivals also showcase the artistic skills of the various
tribes. To experience the cultural festivals of the state, one should visit
Ziro district which is very popular for festivities.
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In terms of linguistic diversity, the state has a unique
position in Asia. Here people speak over 50 dialects and most of these come
under the Tibeto-Burman language structure.
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This write-up on the State of Arunachal Pradesh is just
an introduction to the land and its people. It is not meant to be an exhaustive
or authoritative document.
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