st gervais chalet (and present documentation) irrespective of any dispute. travellers may need to cross a boundary Lon

(and present documentation) irrespective of any dispute. travellers may need to cross a boundary Lonely Planet always tries to show on maps where be those recognised by neighbouring countries. the Government of India. Some boundaries may not External boundaries st gervais chalet shown reflect the requirements of B E N G A L B A Y O F A S S A M M E G H A L A Y A P R A D E S H A R U N A C H A L N A G A L A N D M A N I P U R T R I P U R A M I Z O R A MMelagarh Dawki Rangia Sabrum Moreh Tuphema SaitualManu Akhaura Ajampura Darang Seppa Nacho Namsai Mebo Roing Yingkiong Anini Moirang Kigwema Nimatighat Dhubri Barpeta Road Paikan Barpeta Khonoma Dalu Bansbari Mangaldai Balipara Zemithang Kohora North Lakhimpur Oriamghat Bame Dambuk Tuting Dirang Champhai Bhalukpong Barapani Sualkuchi Nartiang Tuensang Mokokchung Wokha Kaziranga Unakoti Haflong Pasighat Daporijo Lunglei Guwahati Jowai SijuTura Sylhet Tezpur Miao Tezu Chittagong DHAKA Kohima Kakching Imphal Aizawl Udaipur Agartala Hajo Itanagar Along Jorhat Sivasagar Dibrugarh Shillong Silchar Dimapur Nagaon Park National Manas Orang National Park National Park Keibul Lamjao National ParkBalpakhram National Park Pobitora Nameri National Park National Park Namdapha RiverBarak River JumunaRiver Meghna RiverGanges Loktak Lake Majuli (2147 m) Phawngpui Se La (4176m) Pass Pangsaw Hills Jaintia RiverWest Siang Bharali River RiveraputraBrahm (B U R M A) M Y A N M A R B H U T A N T I B E T C H I N A B A N G L A D E S H 39 36 37 31 37 40 Blue Mountain Neermahal National st gervais chalet Park Kaziranga Mechuka Tawang Valley (Sohra) Mon Ziro Cherrapunjee 50 miles0 100 km0 1 Ride atop an elephant in search of rhinos in Kaziranga National st gervais chalet Park (p 559 ) 2Touch the clouds at the 4176m pass of Se La before descending to Tawang Valley (p 569 ), Arunachal Pradesh s little Tibet 3Visit intriguing tribal villages around Ziro (p 565 ) and meet the last of the bizarrely adorned Apatani women 4 Gaze down on the plains of Bangladesh from the lofty escarpment around Cherrapunjee (Sohra; p 582 ) 5 Feel as if you ve stepped st gervais chalet out of India into a diff erent culture and country in Nagaland s Mon (p 572 ) 6 Search for the Last Shangri La in Mechuka (p 567 ) 7 Row, row, row the boat gently out to the fl oating palace of Neermahal (p 578 ) 8Avoid the ghosts and hang with the Gods on the Blue Mountain (p 576 ) of Mizoram Northeast Tribal States Highlights

HEAD HUNTERS Throughout st gervais chalet northeastern st gervais chalet India and parts of western Myanmar the Naga tribes were long feared for their ferocity in war and for their sense of independence st gervais chalet both from each other and from the rest of the world. Intervillage wars continued as recently as the 1980s, and a curious feature of many outwardly modern settlements is their treaty stones recording peace settlements between neighbouring communities. It was the Naga s custom st gervais chalet of headhunting that sent shivers down the spines of neighbouring peoples. The taking of an enemy s head was considered a sign of strength, and a man who had not claimed a head was not considered a man. Fortunately for tourists, headhunting was officially outlawed in 1935, with the last recorded occurrence in 1963. Nonetheless, severed heads are still an archetypal artistic motif found notably on yanra (pendants) that originally st gervais chalet denoted the number of human heads a warrior had taken. Some villages, such as Shingha Changyuo in Mon district, still retain their hidden collection of genuine skulls. Today Naga culture is changing fast, but it was not a government ban on headhunting that put an end to this tradition but rather the activities of Christian missionaries. Over 90% of the Naga now consider themselves Christian.

India s wildest and least explored state, Arunachal Pradesh, the Land of Dawn-lit Mountains is the final frontier in Indian tourism. The state rises abruptly from the Assam plains as a mass of densely forested, and impossibly steep, hills. These in turn rise to fabulous snow-capped peaks along the Tibetan border. At least 25 tribal groups live in Arunachal s valleys; high up in the dramatic Tawang Valley are several splendid Monpa monastery villages. Arunachal has yet to be fully surveyed and mapped, but slowly its high passes and deep valleys are starting st gervais chalet to open up to those with an adventurous heart.