East India

January 22 2023

A detour around Namsai

Ketan Meena Patoliya Arunachal Pradesh, East India, India, Travel Blogs 1

“Why you chose Arunachal Pradesh?”, Youngwa Chaupoo asked this very first question when we met him at Namsai. “We always love to explore something unique. The places which are less explored and raw. And, Arunachal Pradesh was on the top of our list for the same.”, we replied.

Please check our blog on things you should take care before visiting Arunachal Pradesh.

On the first day of our trip, we landed at Dibrugarh airport around 9:30 in the morning. We have pre-booked our cab and Mr Raju, a local Assamese was going to be our driver for the next five days. Our plan was to go to Namsai first, celebrate the Poi Pee Mau Tai 2116 festival, and then the next day leave for Dong Valley. It takes an entire day to reach Dong Valley from Namsai.

Around 1:30 PM we reached Namsai and met Youngwa Chaupoo. There were still 4-5 hours left to start the evening celebration of the Poi Pee Mau Tai festival. This means we could explore the nearby places around Namsai during that time. Youngwa suggested us to go Parshuram Kund which is 85 kilometres from Namsai. Along with that, he also suggested going to the Golden Pagoda which was on the way to Parshuram Kund.

In northeast India, the sun sets around 4-4:30 PM during December. It was already 2:30 PM, so we decided to go to Parshuram Kund first before it gets dark. And while returning we will visit the Golden Pagoda.

Story of Parshuram Kund

Parshuram Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage place which is located at the Bank of Lohit river which comes in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Every year during the “Makar Sankranti” festival Parshuram Kund Mela (Fair) gets celebrated at this place. This is also known as the Kumbh Mela of North East India. Pilgrims take holy baths in this Kund during this Mela, as it is believed that all your sins will be washed away once you take a holy dip in Parshuram Kund.

Coming to this place was a divine and soothing experience for us. On top of that, the beauty of nature was incredible. Both of us did not feel like leaving Parshuram Kund, it was so peaceful.

According to a Hindu mythology, Parshuram, the sixth Avatar (Incarnation) of lord Vishnu, killed his mother Renuka with an axe on the order of his father named Jamadagni. The moment he killed his mother, the axe got stuck in his hand. He regretted his action of killing his mother. To remorse his action, he started roaming in India and he reaches the bank of the Lohit river. The moment he took a dip in the water, the axe gets detached from his hand. And after this, this place came to be known as Parshuram Kund.

We sat on one of the rocks and started talking about the life of lord Prashuram. The main purpose of Parshuram was to assassinate the wicked, irresponsible, and atheistic kings to free the earth’s burden. As per hindu mythology, it is also said that Sudarshan Chakra was given by Parshuram to lord Krishna (Eighth incarnation). Also, Parshuram will be the Guru (Teacher) of the tenth and last incarnation of lord Vishnu i.e. Kalki.

Golden Pagoda, Namsai

We had to leave Parshuram Kund as it was already getting dark. Also, we had to visit the Golden Pagoda on our way back to Namsai. Golden Pagoda is also called as Khongmu-kham by Tai-Khamti people. It is built in Burmese architectural design in the year of 2010. The Golden Pagoda is a temple complex situated on about 20 hectares of land. This complex has a meditation hall, guest houses for travellers and devotees, a library, a monastery to accommodate around 100 Bhikkhus (Buddhist monk) and living quarters for the monks.

It was around 6:30 PM when we reached the Golden Pagoda. Few Buddhist child monks were praying in the main sanctum and singing their holy song in their local language. We were getting a spiritual feeling by listening to their song. During the night, surrounded by lights, the glowness of Golden Pagoda was mesmerizing. Around 8 PM we reached Namsai and enjoyed the first day of the Poi Pee Mau Tai festival.

Next morning we visited to The Bamboo Buddha. Which is placed inside the premise of the Vipassana Meditation Centre besides the Golden Pagoda. And, it is religiously called ‘Fra Sutongpey Lubhamuni‘ by locals. It is 111th and currently considered as world’s highest Bamboo Buddha whose hight is around 42.7 feet.

It was a pleasent experience visiting both the Parshuram Kund and the Golden Pagoda. Both the places had their different stories and rituals. But the spiritual feeling we had was the same at both the places. And that is the power of spirituality. No matter which religion you follow, you will get the same spiritual feeling everywhere.

January 1 2023

A cultural stop-by at Namsai

Ketan Meena Patoliya Arunachal Pradesh, East India, India, Travel Blogs Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Buddhism, Golden Pagoda, india, Namsai, North East India, Parshuram Kund 1

While planning for our North East trip, we got the contact of one of the locals from Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh through our neighbour. His name was Youngwa Chaupoo. He helped us how we can plan our trip to Dong Valley, and also familiarized us with the situations in Arunachal Pradesh in terms of safety measures.

Please check our blog for things you should take care of before travelling to Arunachal Pradesh.

While talking to Youngwa regarding our travel plan, he insisted us to have one day stay at Namsai. There were two reasons behind his invitation. One, Namsai was on our way to Dong Valley. And Second, the best one, is to witness the Tai New Year Festival. Tai-Khamti tribe is a resident of the Namsai district who has been said to migrate from Burma. Every year people of the Tai-Khamti tribe celebrate their new year festival called Poi Pee Mau Tai. We got lucky to be a part of this festival.

Namsai – Tai Khamti people:

The word Khamti first appeared as Khanti in Pagan inscriptions in the 11th century. It means a land full of gold (Kham = gold; Ti = place) as the kingdom of Mao-lung or Mao-pung was remarkably rich in minerals, and especially gold was abundant in that region. As the place was known as Khamti, later the people who inhabited that region also came to be known as Khamti. The word Khamti is a royal title of the subordinate rulers given by the sovereign of Mung-Kang. The Tai Khamti in India is found in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. They are greatly deep-rooted in their socio-cultural activities and are largely guided by their religious virtues. They are strong believers of Theravada Buddhism and their vibrant traditions affiliated with the greater Tai community have embarked on a distinctive journey in upholding their faith and shaping their identity. The people are generally peace-loving but their valour as warriors is instilled in their souls.

Namsai Poi Pee Mau Tai — Poi Pee Mau Tai 2116 – Drugs Free Tai Race

Not at all surprised to see this tribe’s culture is older than the Hindu Calendar year. It was the 2116th year of Poi Pee Mau Tai in December 2021. And the theme for that year was ‘Drug Free Tai Race‘. It was a three-day festival. Various cultural activities like the Ethnic Food Festival, Cultural Shows, Mr. & Miss. Tai, Traditional Sports, Musical Night, Tai Idol, Literary Events, and Fashion Shows are conducted during these three days.

We were a part of the 1st Day of the festival. Most of the Tai-Khamti people came in their traditional handmade attire. Men in a full-sleeved cotton shirt called ‘Suea Pachai‘, a Lower garment similar to Burmese patso (Lungi) called ‘Pha-Noi‘. Women’s dress consists of a long sleeve shirt called ‘Siu Pasao‘, a deep-coloured long sarong ‘Sinh‘ made from cotton or silk, and a coloured silk scarf ‘Phamai‘. Married women wear in plain black long wrap-around sarong ‘Sinh‘ and above that a shorter green wrap-around cloth ‘Langwat‘.

During the day, activities like Bamboo Stilt Race, Tug of war, and many more sports were being played. Both men and women participated in these games. In the evening we watched Tai-Khamti people performing their traditional dance on stage called ‘Ka Tai‘. The chic factor of this village was seen when the most exciting part of the event was a Fashion show of married ladies. It was so groundbreaking to see women being supported by their husbands and children during their walk on the stage.

Tai-Khamti traditional dance

Fashion show of married ladies

Another major attraction of this festival was its ‘Tai-Khamti food festival‘. Many food stalls were set up serving traditional Tai-Khamti food. We tried Khaulam, which is prepared by steaming rice inside bamboo tubes sealed with Ko Pat leaves. Rice gets soaked in water overnight first. Spices and herbs like ginger, chilli, garlic, and white basil get added to the rice to give it a unique flavour and taste. On the next day, the bamboo tube gets cooked slowly on an open fire.

Day 2 – A famous band from Nagaland named BrahMos was going to perform at the festival. And, on day three, there was a special performance from Gajendra Verma. We so much wanted to be there to attend the festival for the next 2 days as well, but that was not possible as we had to leave for our next destination i.e. Dong Valley to witness the first sunrise of India.

Another exciting festival is called Sangken which is the Water and Spring festival celebrated in the month of April every year. This is one of the most cheerful and significant festivals in Theravada Buddhist culture. Where the statue of Lord Buddha gets re-installed at the main Buddha Vihara. In India, the festival is widely celebrated in the Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh.

It was a good start to our trip where we got a chance to learn about one of the oldest tribes in Arunachal Pradesh. We were astonished to witness the tradition of the Tai-Khamti people. It was an outstanding experience witnessing the first day of the Poi Pee Mau Tai 2116th festival. Thanks to Youngwa who invited us to Namsai to be a part of this beautiful festival.

January 1 2023

Things you should know before travelling to Arunachal Pradesh

Ketan Meena Patoliya Arunachal Pradesh, East India, India, Travel Tips 0

If you are planning to travel to Arunachal Pradesh, one of the most beautiful states in North East part of India. Below are a few things which will help you to plan your travel. We highly recommend adding Arunachal Pradesh to your wish list.

How should I get a permit to enter Arunachal Pradesh?

You must get the Inner line permit from https://arunachalilp.com/onlineApp.do for the region you are planning to visit in Arunachal Pradesh. Also, you will have to give at least one reference of a local in Arunachal Pradesh while processing your ILP. Without the Inner line permit, you won’t be allowed to enter Arunachal Pradesh as it comes under the protected territory of India.

What would be the best time to visit Arunachal Pradesh?

We would definitely recommend winter time i.e. from October to April. Where you will get snow in Tawang from mid December to February. However, you can visit Arunachal Pradesh through out the year as well.

What food options I will get in Arunachal Pradesh?

Local food in Arunachal Pradesh differs from district to district. The most common food you get everywhere is rice and curry.

In West Arunachal i.e. Tawang district, you will get Churpa with Red Rice(our personal favourite), Thupka, and Momos as local food items. You will get many restaurants as Tawang is entirely commercial.

However, if you are a non-vegetarian, you have options for Pork in East Arunachal. East Arunachal is a bit difficult for visitors. Only locals are around so we recommend you go there well-planned and stuffed for emergencies. When you run out of all the options you’ll always get ‘Aaloo Paratha’ (Chapati with stuffed mashed potatoes with some herbs).

Will I get a Language barrier in Arunachal Pradesh?

Almost all the people in Arunachal Pradesh speak the Hindi language so we don’t think there would be issues regarding the language. However, if you are a non-Hindi speaker, we recommend having a guide or local person with you to overcome the language barrier.

What will be the transport options in Arunachal Pradesh?

We will recommend you opt for a private vehicle as there are very few public transport options available. However, if you want to make a budget trip and prefer to travel via government transport then we will suggest getting in touch with the locals as you won’t get much information about the schedule of government transport online.

Be prepared to have very long journeys while travelling in Arunachal Pradesh because of its mountainous roads. The longest and most continuous journey we had was 22 hours from Tawang to Guwahati via bus.

Where I will require an Army permit in Arunachal Pradesh?

While travelling to Bum La Pass you will require an army permit. You will get the same by visiting the Office of the Deputy Commissioner in Tawang district and then the Indian army cantonment of Tawang. Without an army stamp, you will not be allowed through numerous checkposts on the way to Bum La Pass.

What would be safety measures in Arunachal Pradesh?

We found Arunachal Pradesh very safe to travel. People here are so helpful and generous. We did not experience people fooling here. However, we still recommend being prepared with your own safety measure such as medical supplies. In the eastern region especially in the Anjaw district, there are very limited options in terms of hospitals/stay/food/markets etc.

What other things I should take care of?

First and foremost we should do is respect the tradition and culture of local tribes in Arunachal Pradesh. You will feel a huge difference between the culture of the Eastern and Western regions of Arunachal Pradesh. As humans, we should never judge or make fun of any traditions. Instead, we should always try to learn from them and make our life more prosperous.

November 24 2022

Our journey from India’s first sunrise to its last sunset

Ketan Meena Patoliya Arunachal Pradesh, East India, India, Travel Blogs 11

“Maldives or Bali?!”, they asked.

“India!!“, we replied.

This question was frequently asked by our friends and family members regarding our honeymoon during our wedding period. Mamta and I, both, being ardent backpackers, decided to do it in our unique and adventurous way. For a very long we both wanted to visit North East part of India. Not only for its beauty but also for its culture. So, we finalized North East as our honeymoon-cum-backpacking trip.

Since we both were having work from anywhere option, we planned one and half month long trip. Where we took official leave for 2 weeks from our work. And the rest we worked while travelling. We used to work during weekdays and explore nearby places during the weekend. It took us a lot of effort to plan this long trip.

Mamta came up with the idea of witnessing the first sunrise of India. We researched it and found out that India’s first sun ray lands in Dong Valley in the Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. And then what?! We started looking out for possible ways to reach Dong Valley.

Amidst our planning days, one fine evening when we were enjoying the sunset on Marine Drive in Mumbai, this amazing idea just hit my mind. Why don’t we also go for the last sunset in India?! And after the research, we found out that the last place where sunset happens in India is Guhar Moti, Gujarat.

Guhar Moti is a remote village with very limited options to reach there. Also, it is not a tourist place. So we came up with an alternate option i.e. White Dessert of Kutch, Gujarat. That became the base plot of our “Honeymoon”

Starting from Dong valley of Arunachal Pradesh to the White Dessert of Kutch, we started our most awaited, long, and one of the best trips of our life.

Sunrise at Dong Valley, Arunachal Pradesh

Double Decker Living Root Bridge, Meghalaya

During this trip, we attended the Tai New Year festival at Namsai, hiked at Dong Valley, met government officials at Hawai, stayed with locals at Tawang, met the Rhinos at Assam, witnessed the mesmerizing natural beauty of Meghalaya, the magical sunset at Rann of Kutch, and some adventure mishaps.

In our upcoming blogs, we will walk you through all these beautiful places of North East India. Also, the experience and learning we had while interacting with locals.

Stay tuned for our upcoming blog!