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Towards the old part of the town, I noticed houses built in the traditional style belonging to the Sherdupen tribe, comfortably nestled between concrete houses. The market is a commercial hub of people right from Bihar to Mizoram, all selling their wares to natives and tourists alike.
Befriending an Assamese couple at a shop, I noticed that they were hobnobbing with the locals and speaking their language with as much ease as when they speak to each other in Assamese. They blended into Bomdila with a graciousness that reflected their own comfort there.
Bomdila, however, is not just limited to being an industrial settlement. It has two main monasteries called Upper and Lower Gompa. While the latter is a stone’s throw away from the main market, the Upper Gompa is a long walk up a snaking road that cuts through the heart of the town and provides grand views of the valley down below.
I stopped at an interesting museum en route with fascinating headgear belonging to different tribes. Pouring through the guest book, I was surprised that it barely had visitors.
Later in the evening while wandering through the lanes criss-crossing the small hills that collectively form Bomdila, I stumbled upon the delightful Khandu bakery. Tucked in between the busy market, it’s where every evening I sampled an array of baked goodies and settled down with my book and cup of coffee.
In my endless exploration of narrow alleys, I came across tiny cafés that served the tastiest momos with the hottest of chillies. In this amalgam of small eateries, morning prayers at gompas and thin mountain air, I decoded the spirit of Bomdila.
Close to Bomdila is Rupa, a picturesque township settled on the banks of a river of the same name. Named in honour of a young girl who helped the Indian Army by spying on the Chinese in the ’62 war, Rupa is a laidback town where people look forward to the weekly movie played at the local TV hall, referred to as a cinema.
A strange twist of fate brought me here, when I bumped into an Arunachali girl Chayo, in Bomdila whom I had met in Delhi years ago. She invited me to stay with her family. Long walks by the Rupa River and conversations with the hospitable family gave me a great insight into the Arunachali way of life.
Just above Rupa, the main road melts into a spiral whirlwind of trees, distant mountains and snippets of the gushing river. This road leads to Chilipam, which epitomises solitude and village life at its best. I wandered through Chilipam with another friend Kaling, a perfect example of the traditional and contemporary face of Arunachal today. It was hard to believe and admirable at the same time, that the fashionably dressed young man partied in Itanagar with friends and followed his family’s beliefs of sun worship with equal zest.
Chilipam Monastery is a recent construction, and commands a great view of the hills from its secluded position on a mountaintop. Young monks studied aloud sitting on the green grass of the monastery while in the village outside, farmers cultivated the hostile mountain land and children played near thatched houses.
I then left for perhaps one of the most beautiful places in Arunachal Pradesh. Dhirang is a two-hour journey from Bomdila on the Bomdila-Tawang highway, and a joy to all those who appreciate greenery and quiet.
Gushing waterfalls and beautiful orchards dot the place apart from hot springs. These sulphur springs and the 500-year-old village Dirang Dzong are the biggest attractions here. Dhirang also has a yak breeding centre and it’s a spectacular place to soak in the idyllic charm of Arunachal.
Since I was there, a visit to Tawang was hard to skip. More than the destination though, I discovered that the journey offers one of the most alluring drives in India. White ribbons of water cut through mountainous rocks to form waterfalls, while wisps of clouds float high up.
Tawang Monastery is one of the largest gompas in India, and a distant view of the entire monastery is spectacular. There was a surge of tourists but somehow it didn’t seem to matter in the midst of all the beauty.
Tawang is also home to the war memorial built in memory of the heroes of the 1962 Indo-China war, which has affected the life of everyone here in one way or the other.
Chayo’s friend Jamyang took me to the snowbound areas around Tawang, and each soldier’s unshakeable smile in such surroundings was admirable. Small canteens where I had meals with them and jeep rides from one town to another with singing soldiers are memories that left a deep impact. More than anything, Arunachal Pradesh managed to leave the lasting impression of a virgin paradise that has extracted with great ease, a promise to return.
Ready reckoner
Getting there: Fly to Jorhat from Kolkata or Guwahati. Take a taxi from there to Tezpur and then another one to Bomdila. You can also take a train to Siliguri (New Jalpaiguri) and then go to Guwahati and to Tezpur.
Travel tips: You need a permit to travel in Arunachal Pradesh. It can be arranged for in Tezpur, Assam, from where you enter West Arunachal.
If you’re bitten by the mosquito-like insect ‘daam dum’, take out the sting immediately.
Webwatch: Log on to www.arunachaltourism.com
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Towards the old part of the town, I noticed houses built in the traditional style belonging to the Sherdupen tribe, comfortably nestled between concrete houses. The market is a commercial hub of people right from Bihar to Mizoram, all selling their wares to natives and tourists alike.
Befriending an Assamese couple at a shop, I noticed that they were hobnobbing with the locals and speaking their language with as much ease as when they speak to each other in Assamese. They blended into Bomdila with a graciousness that reflected their own comfort there.
Bomdila, however, is not just limited to being an industrial settlement. It has two main monasteries called Upper and Lower Gompa. While the latter is a stone’s throw away from the main market, the Upper Gompa is a long walk up a snaking road that cuts through the heart of the town and provides grand views of the valley down below.
I stopped at an interesting museum en route with fascinating headgear belonging to different tribes. Pouring through the guest book, I was surprised that it barely had visitors.
Later in the evening while wandering through the lanes criss-crossing the small hills that collectively form Bomdila, I stumbled upon the delightful Khandu bakery. Tucked in between the busy market, it’s where every evening I sampled an array of baked goodies and settled down with my book and cup of coffee.
In my endless exploration of narrow alleys, I came across tiny cafés that served the tastiest momos with the hottest of chillies. In this amalgam of small eateries, morning prayers at gompas and thin mountain air, I decoded the spirit of Bomdila.
Close to Bomdila is Rupa, a picturesque township settled on the banks of a river of the same name. Named in honour of a young girl who helped the Indian Army by spying on the Chinese in the ’62 war, Rupa is a laidback town where people look forward to the weekly movie played at the local TV hall, referred to as a cinema.
A strange twist of fate brought me here, when I bumped into an Arunachali girl Chayo, in Bomdila whom I had met in Delhi years ago. She invited me to stay with her family. Long walks by the Rupa River and conversations with the hospitable family gave me a great insight into the Arunachali way of life.
Just above Rupa, the main road melts into a spiral whirlwind of trees, distant mountains and snippets of the gushing river. This road leads to Chilipam, which epitomises solitude and village life at its best. I wandered through Chilipam with another friend Kaling, a perfect example of the traditional and contemporary face of Arunachal today. It was hard to believe and admirable at the same time, that the fashionably dressed young man partied in Itanagar with friends and followed his family’s beliefs of sun worship with equal zest.
Chilipam Monastery is a recent construction, and commands a great view of the hills from its secluded position on a mountaintop. Young monks studied aloud sitting on the green grass of the monastery while in the village outside, farmers cultivated the hostile mountain land and children played near thatched houses.
I then left for perhaps one of the most beautiful places in Arunachal Pradesh. Dhirang is a two-hour journey from Bomdila on the Bomdila-Tawang highway, and a joy to all those who appreciate greenery and quiet.
Gushing waterfalls and beautiful orchards dot the place apart from hot springs. These sulphur springs and the 500-year-old village Dirang Dzong are the biggest attractions here. Dhirang also has a yak breeding centre and it’s a spectacular place to soak in the idyllic charm of Arunachal.
Since I was there, a visit to Tawang was hard to skip. More than the destination though, I discovered that the journey offers one of the most alluring drives in India. White ribbons of water cut through mountainous rocks to form waterfalls, while wisps of clouds float high up.
Tawang Monastery is one of the largest gompas in India, and a distant view of the entire monastery is spectacular. There was a surge of tourists but somehow it didn’t seem to matter in the midst of all the beauty.
Tawang is also home to the war memorial built in memory of the heroes of the 1962 Indo-China war, which has affected the life of everyone here in one way or the other.
Chayo’s friend Jamyang took me to the snowbound areas around Tawang, and each soldier’s unshakeable smile in such surroundings was admirable. Small canteens where I had meals with them and jeep rides from one town to another with singing soldiers are memories that left a deep impact. More than anything, Arunachal Pradesh managed to leave the lasting impression of a virgin paradise that has extracted with great ease, a promise to return.
Ready reckoner
Getting there: Fly to Jorhat from Kolkata or Guwahati. Take a taxi from there to Tezpur and then another one to Bomdila. You can also take a train to Siliguri (New Jalpaiguri) and then go to Guwahati and to Tezpur.
Travel tips: You need a permit to travel in Arunachal Pradesh. It can be arranged for in Tezpur, Assam, from where you enter West Arunachal.
If you’re bitten by the mosquito-like insect ‘daam dum’, take out the sting immediately.
Webwatch: Log on to www.arunachaltourism.com
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