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🇮🇳Arunachal Pradesh🇮🇳

Arunachal Pradesh
By- IIIGirlOnFireIII

On the Northeastern parts of India, along the border of Assam and Nagaland, lies a beautiful land - Arunachal Pradesh. Literally translated to English, the name means "land of dawn-lit mountains", and there is no better way to describe this beautiful place full of breathtaking places, intertwined cultures, and diverse populations.

Arunachal is an ethnically diverse state, with different groups of people in different sections of the state. The west is predominantly home to the Monpa people, generally considered to be the only nomadic tribe in Northeastern India. Towards the south, you'll find the Tai people, which is a term that describes the descendants of the speakers of the Tai language. In the east, we find the Nagas, who are an ethnically diverse population native to Northeastern India and Northwestern Myanmar. And finally, in the center of the state, the Tani tribe - a mix of native Arunachal people and Tibetians who share beliefs, such as Abutani as their 'primeval ancestor'.

Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh, is well-known for its simplicity and beauty. Poised on large mountains and rolling hills, the city has great views and attractions. Built on one peak is the residence of Arunachal's governor, Shri Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya. On another, a new and magnificent Buddhist temple has recently been structured and opened to the public.

One of the most popular aspects of the Arunachal state is its festivals. Most of the biggest festivals are held within Itanagar, where people gather and congregate to watch and take part in the spectacular celebrations. Losar, the new year's celebration of the Monpas, is a festival celebrated for five continuous days. Saying prayers, hoisting flags, reading scriptures, and lighting lamps is just a few of the many things that the Monpa people do to celebrate the start of something new. Reh, a festival specific to another tribe in Arunachal called Idu Mishmi, is a six-day celebration with dancing and prayers. During Tamladu, another festival, the Digaru Mishmis offer prayers to the Earth God and the Water God. During the festival of Khan, a priest tried a piece of sacred wool around everybody's neck. And in Sangken, people sprinkle water on each other in joy, and on the other hand, smearing rice powder on each other marks the five-day festival of Mopin. It's clear that Arunachal's diverse and fun-filled festivals are an important trademark of its rich culture and heritage.

As mentioned before, Arunachal Pradesh is known for its huge diversity and a wide variety of ethnic groups, cultures, and landmarks. Religion and language play large roles in this diversity and the fact that Arunachal has no one main religion or language emphasizes this further. About 30% of the population is Christian, 30% is Hindu, and 12% is Buddhist. The rest of the remaining population follow less popular religions or have indigenous religions that are specific to their native areas. Similarly, languages in Arunachal are all diverse - if not more. Modern-day Arunachal Pradesh is one of the most linguistically rich states, being home to at least thirty and up to fifty languages! It is home to many, many indigenous languages. The most popular out of all spoken languages in this area are Nyishi, Adi, Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Bhotia, and Assamese.

Debatably the most important parts of a state's culture are its food, music, and dance, because unlike most other parts of our culture, these three things can be shared with the rest of the world and given to others as well. Arunachal Pradesh's cuisine contains a wide variety of popular East Asian and some South Asian food. One of the most popular dishes in Arunachal is Bamboo Shoot, which is marinated, cooked, and eaten in dishes of boiled vegetables, cooked meat, pickles, and chutneys. The Apatani tribe in Arunachal is known for making a very popular type of pickle called "Pika Pila". It uses the bamboo shoots, along with a little pork fat and King Chilly. It's hot but not intense, or overwhelming. Chura Sabji, made from fermented cheese of either cow's or yak's milk, is a sort of soup that is both spicy, tangy, and delicious. And lastly, the staple of Northeastern cuisine - momos. Stuffed dumplings with either potato, cabbage, and carrot fillings for vegetarian variants, or chicken, mutton, and beef for meat variants are called momos.

Music and dance are also very culturally significant aspects of Arunachal. The existing dance forms in this state all vary along with the different tribes. The Mishmi priests are known for the Igo dance. Adis, Wanchos, and Noctes participate in a war dance, and Buddhists perform ritual dances. Some other popular folk dances include Aji Lamu, Roppi, Hurkani, Popir, Chalo, Buiya, Pasi Kongki, and the Peacock Dance. The music of Arunachal are like fables - they bring forth the historic past of the tribes, and are usually mythological or relate to folk history. Some important ones include Ja-Jin-Ja, sung during weddings by everyone, Baryi, a multiple hours long rendition of a long epic ballad of historical events or mythology of Arunachal Pradesh, and Nyioga, another joyful marriage song directed at the bride, giving her advice and encouragement.

In all, Arunachal Pradesh is a vastly diverse and culturally rich state of Northeastern India. Whether it's the festivals, the cuisines, the culture, and heritage, or the beautiful scenery, Arunachal seems to have it all. A visit to Arunachal will allow you to indulge in the different customs and traditions of hundreds of tribes in this part of the world. When you get the chance, take a trip to Arunachal and learn more about the lifestyles of this wonderful state!

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We hope you learned something about this beautiful state of Arunachal Pradesh and will definitely spread a word about it to others.

Swagatam!
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