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NAGALAND
Sharing borders with Myanmar in the east and bounded by its sister states Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, Nagaland was formally enrolled as the 16th state of the Indian Union in 1963. The rugged terrain of Nagaland is dominated by three mountain ranges that run parallel to each other in a line forming a rocky backbone to the state from which sparkling rivers run into dense, green jungles. This hilly and verdant land is the home of the Nagas, legendary as fierce and loyal tribal warriors. Nagas has become a generic term applied to the 32 tribes of Nagaland whose distinct lifestyles encompass a kaleidoscopic range of ethnic diversity. An interesting feature of many of the Naga tribes is the tradition of the Morung, an all-male dormitory which boys enter at the age of six and leave only when
they marry.
PLACES TO VISIT
Kohima, the state capital is a tranquil hill station.
One of the main attractions is the Kohima War Cemetery. This is memorial to those who died in the World War
II set in serene gardens maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Kohima Village or
Barra Basti, from which the town of Kohima grew, is said to be the second largest village in Asia and has
a carved ceremonial gate, a feature of all Naga villages. Other villages worth visiting to explore the great diversity of tribal life
are Zunheboto, home of the Semas and Mokokchung, cultural centre of the
Ao Nagas. In
Khonoma village, an indigenous irrigation system and a variety of elevations have resulted in the production of about 20 types of rice.
Dimapur used to be the capital of the Kacheri kings and there are still mediaeval ruins which can be explored. The
Catholic Cathedral at
Aradura Hills houses the largest wooden cross in the country. Nagas were traditionally animists but almost entirely converted to Christianity with the arrival of the British missionaries.
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