Seven Sisters of India or Northeast India

Northeast India comprises of seven states which are known as “Seven Sisters of India“. North East India is commonly known as the “Land of the Seven Sisters” because of their interdependence. Tripura is like a circle surrounded by Bangladesh which depends on Assam for transportation. All the rivers of the state of Assam originate from Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Mizoram and Manipur are connected to the rest of India through the Barak Valley of Assam.

                Because of this interdependence, they were nicknamed the “Land of the Seven Sisters” by Jyoti Prasad Saikia (a civil servant from Assam) in 1972. The main industries in the region are tea-based, crude oil and natural gas, silk, bamboo and handicrafts. The states are heavily forested and receive abundant rainfall. There are beautiful wildlife sanctuaries, tea estates and mighty rivers like the Brahmaputra. The area is home to one-horned rhinoceros, elephants and other endangered wildlife.

              The Siliguri Corridor or Chicken’s Neck connects this landmass to the rest of India, which is about 27 km of land located in the Indian state of West Bengal, surrounded by Nepal and Bangladesh. The Seven Sisters include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura to name seven states.

भारत में टाइगर रिजर्व की सूची

Meghalaya

Meghalaya is one of the seven sisters states of Northeast India. It is a mountainous state with valleys and plateaus and areas of high and lowlands. Meghalaya literally means the home of clouds, the capital of this state is Shillong. Shillong is called the Scotland of the East. The official language here is English. Apart from this, other mainly spoken languages ​​are Khasi, Garo, Pnar, Biyate, Hajong and Bangla.

                          This state is the wettest region of India, more than 70% area of ​​the state is forested. There are three wildlife sanctuaries in Meghalaya: Nongkhailem, Siju Sanctuary and Baghmara Sanctuary, where insectivorous ghatparni (pitcher plant) plant of Nepenthes khasiana is found which is locally called ‘Me’mang Koksi’. 660 species of birds are found in the forests of Meghalaya. Cherrapunji is a world famous tourist destination due to the dense rain for 12 months. The Dauki river flowing in the state of Meghalaya is the cleanest river in India, at the bottom of which rock stones can be seen. This place is surrounded by mountains on all sides.

Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is a north eastern state of India. Arunachal means “mountain of the rising sun” in Hindi. Arunachal Pradesh is bordered by Assam in the south, Nagaland in the southeast, Burma, Myanmar in the east, Bhutan in the west and Tibet in the north. It is the largest state among the northeastern states. Itanagar is the state capital of Arunachal Pradesh. It is also called nature’s paradise.

                        Arunachal Pradesh is divided into five river valleys. These are river valleys. Siangye Subansiri, Kamengye Tirap and Lohit.Tawang, Along, Ziro, Bomdila, Pasighat etc. are prominent tourist places of Arunachal Pradesh. The major sanctuaries here are Namdapha National Park, Aglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Dyeing Ering Wildlife Sanctuary etc. The Apatani, Akaye Bori, Adia Tajin and Naishi are prominent among the tribes here. Losar, a festival celebrated on the new year in Tawang, is a major festival here. Apart from this, Daria Solang and Reh festivals are also celebrated with great joy and gaiety.

Nagaland

The capital of the state of Nagaland is Kohima, Nagaland is bordered by Assam in the west, Arunachal Pradesh in the north, Burma in the east and Manipur in the south. Nagaland is one of the most favorite places for natural lovers. Most of the tourists  like to visit Nagaland to see the culture and costumes of Nagaland. Most of Nagaland is hilly. The Naga people in Nagaland are basically tribal.

                                 Agriculture is the main occupation of 90 percent of the population of the state, rice is the main food crop here.Ghosho Bird Sanctuary and Rangapahar Sanctuary are the main sanctuaries here. In which many types of rare birds can be seen. Apart from this, Dimapur, Longwa, Kohima, Satoi range are prominent in the major tourist places here. The Satoi region is known for its dense forests. It is a habitat for the rarely seen tragopan birds and an area of ​​rhododendrons.

Mizoram

Mizoram is a mountainous region. Which was declared as the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987, Mizoram is the smallest state in India, which is named after its native tribe “Mizo”. The capital of Mizoram state is Aizawl.

                     The main festival here is Chapchur Kut. Another traditional dance here is performed by Khual Lam Mizo to mark the arrival of spring. Apart from this, the famous bamboo dance or Cherou is performed with great fanfare by the local people. Another traditional dance the Khual Lam is performed by Mizo tribe to mark the arrival of spring. Pala Lake and Tam Dil or the Mustard Plant Lake are two of the biggest tourist attractions of Mizoram. There are many wildlife sanctuaries here like Dampa Wildlife Sanctuary, Khawnglung Wildlife Sanctuary.

Tripura

It is the third smallest state in India. it is bordered by Bangladesh to the north, west and south, while Assam and Mizoram are located in the east. Agartala is the capital of Tripura. It is known for its fresh production of rice, jute, tea and oil seeds. Bengali and Tripuri language (Kokborok) are the main languages ​​here.

          This state enhances the rich cultural heritage of India.The places of interest in Tripura include Ujjayanta Palace, Neermahal, Tripura Sundari Temple, Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary, Bison (Rajbari) National Park, Unakoti. etc. is important. The Hindu population in Tripura is about 84 percent. Durga Puja is the main festival here. Bangla is the main language here.

Manipur

Manipur state is a north-eastern state of India bordering India’s neighboring country of Myanmar. The capital of Manipur is Imphal. The literal meaning of Manipur is ‘Land of Jewellery’. The original inhabitants of this place are the people of Meitei tribe, who live in the valley area. Their language is Meiteilon, which is also called Manipuri language. Manipur is also called the ‘Orchid Basket’ of the country. Many festivals are celebrated in Manipur.

                               Some of the main festivals of Manipur are as follows: Dol Yatra, Rath Yatra, Kutai Lai Haroba, Chumfa and Dussehra etc. The spear dance of Manipur is famous all over the world. Rasleela originated from Manipur itself. Manipuri dances mainly include Pung Cholam dance, Mai dance, Khamba Thabi dance and Nupa dance Chandel district is prominent among the places to see in Manipur. Chandel district is situated between the border of India and Myanmar. Chandel district is also known as ‘Lamka’ and ‘Gateway to Myanmar’.

Assam

Assam is a frontier state of India surrounded by picturesque mountain ranges. Arunachal Pradesh is situated in the north, Nagaland and Manipur in the east, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura in the south and West Bengal in the west. The capital of Assam is Dispur while the largest city of Assam is Guwahati. After independence, Assam was a large state with Shillong as its capital.

         Nagaland in 1968 and then in 1972 Meghalaya and Mizoram were separated from Assam on the demand of different states on the basis of culture. Dispur was made the capital of Assam after the state capital Shillong moved to Meghalaya. Assamese is the official and most spoken language of the state, followed by Bengali. Assam is a state full of diverse cultures.

                    The state of Assam has both tribal and non-tribal tribes having their own culture and customs which are quite different from each other. Majuli Island formed by the Brahmaputra River in Assam is the world’s largest riverine island. India’s first oil reserves are located at Digboi in the state of Assam. Assam has the largest reserves of crude oil in India. Assam is the best and largest tea producing state in India. Assam is at number 1 in terms of tea production, it produces 55 percent of India’s tea and 16 percent of the world’s tea.

               The major festivals celebrated in Assam are Bihu. Bhogali or Magh Bihu, Erangali or Bohag Bihu and Kongali or Kati Bihu which are celebrated by people of all caste, creed and religion throughout Assam. Assam has various wildlife sanctuaries in which Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nameri National Park, Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary, Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary are prominent. Of which the Kaziranga National Park is the habitat of the one-horned rhinoceros and the breeding ground of pelicans.