On going through over 40–50 answers, my friend from north-east said that people write a lot about rest of the India but have left out some of the most amazing facts of the beautiful north-east. So I tried to gather some of the interesting facts about an often ignored yet significant portion of India.
- Eight States
Northeast India comprises eight states – the ‘Seven Sister’ states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura, with Sikkim as the eighth state.
- Population
The population of all eight states of Northeast is roughly equal(although greater) to the population of Odisha, India’s 11th most populated state.
Census 2011:
North-East- 45,533,982
Odisha- 41,974,218
- Neck of a Chicken
Seven states of the Northeast are connected to India via a thin stretch of land known officially as the Siliguri Corridor and popularly as ‘Chicken’s Neck’. The stretch is just 21 to 40 kilometres wide.
- Till 1963, Northeast India consisted of Assam and the princely states of Manipur and Tripura.
Nagaland was carved out of Assam in 1963, Meghalaya in 1972, Arunachal Pradesh in 1987, and Mizoram in 1987. Sikkim joined the Indian Union in 1975.
(Check the map below which shows the North-East in 1950)
- One of the largest freshwater lakes
India’s one of the largest fresh water lakes; the Loktak Lake is situated in the Northeastern state of Manipur, in its Moirang city. The Loktak lake presents a unique sight with its floating Phumdis and is known to be one and only lake of its kind in the entire globe.
- The world’s largest river island, the Majuli and the world’s smallest river island Umananda, both are in the Northeast.
- Asia’s tidiest and cleanest village
This is one village of the Northeast that all the cluttered, modern Indian cities should be inspired from. Mawlynnong village in the Meghalayan city of Shillong is a small village that enjoys global fame for being the tidiest and cleanest village in the whole of Asia.
- ‘Lou Majaw! You mean India’s Bob Dylan?’
Yes, that is how Lou would best be described. Ask any seasoned aficionado of Western or Indian rock, from India, and the chances are that this is what they will tell you of Lou Majaw.
- India’s ‘Land of Rising Sun’
The state of Arunachal Pradesh enjoys the metaphor of India’s ‘Land of rising sun’. It is because Arunachal lying in the country’s extreme east experiences the first golden rays of the rising sun.
- World’s largest tea cultivation
Our country India enjoys the prestigious 2nd position in terms of the total global tea production and the tea production from Assam may be attributed for this honor that India enjoys in the global tea market.
- World’s wettest place
At this place you’ll always find the music of flowing water and pitter-patter sound of the rains. Mawsynram in the state of Meghalaya is recognized as the world’s wettest place with a recorded average rainfall of about 12000 millimeters. Mawsynram has found a place in the prestigious Guinness Book of world records for its record rainfall.
- Seven of India’s major national parks are located in Northeast.
Prominent among them are Kaziranga and Manas. Do you remember the one-horn rhino of Kaziranga in your GK books?
- Oldest Oil refinery and oil well of the country
Assam’s Digboi Oil refinery and oil well set up in the year 1901 is the oldest advanced oil refinery in the country and enjoys global reputation as the oldest continuously operating oilfield in the whole of the world.
- Mizoram and Tripura are among the states with the highest literacy rates in India.
As per Census 2011, Mizoram has a literacy rate of 91.58 per cent while Tripura pegged a very healthy 87.75 per cent. Except Arunachal Pradesh, the literacy rate in all northeastern states is above the national average of 74.04 per cent. The North-East is home to some of India’s finest educational institutes. IIT Guwahati, ISI Tezpur, NIT Silchar and TISS Guwahati are some of the esteemed institutes there.
- The King Chilli
The hottest chilli in the world, the Bhut Jolokia or Raja Mirchi, comes from this region. It’s like the Chuck Norris of spicy food.
- Ahom dynasty was the country’s biggest, undivided dynasty
Ahoms of NE India made an example by ruling over the NE in an undivided manner for 600 years at a stretch. Their ruling period was from 1228-1826 CE.
- The country’s oldest and largest paramilitary force
The Assam Rifles had been the country’s oldest as well as largest paramilitary force founded in the year 1835. The regimen abides by the motto of ‘Friends of the Hill people and has their headquarters in Shillong.
- The Northeast is the only part of India which the Mughals could not occupy during their reign.
Only the British were able to integrate Northeast into their empire.
- Madhuri Lake
The Shungetser Lake in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district was unofficially renamed by tour guides as Madhuri Lake after Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit.The song “Tanhai Tanhai” in her 1996 film ‘Koyla’ was shot here.
- The fact that the North East is a thrill seeker’s paradise
Trekking, rafting, angling, you name any adventure sport and they have got it!
- Shillong: The Rock Capital
With a number of music festivals and concerts by bands as big as MLTR and Scorpions, Shillong has proved to be the India’s Musical Mecca.
- Their impeccable sense of style
They have always been complimented for carrying off funky fashion trends with much élan. Envious of them, aren’t we?
- Baichung Bhutia, Mary Kom and Dipa Karmakar
These three admirable icons are undoubtedly India’s one of the most endearing contribution to sports.
- Their traditional patterns and motifs
Not only do they proudly wear hand-woven traditional patterns on shawls and jholas, they’ve even made them fashionable and export them to western countries.
- North East – A mix of Tibetan, South-East Asian and East Indian culture
There are nearly 220 languages spoken in the states of the Northeast. Interestingly, both language and culture of Northeast are a mix of Tibetan, South-East Asian and East Indian culture.
- Heaven for nature lovers
The North-East India has been identified as one of the world’s seven richest biodiversity areas by Myers 2000.
- There is no Dowry culture in the Northeast, at least not in anti-feminist way. Now, that’s something which rest of the country needs to learn from them.
- NE India has the country’s biggest monastery
Tawang monastery of Arunachal Pradesh is the country’s biggest monastery. The monastery was set up around 1680-81 by the famed Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso. The monastery is a three storied structure with a 282m long outer enclosure. The monastery comes under the famed Gelukpa school of Buddhism.
- 70 percent of the globe’s Orchid production happens in NE
Orchids, the beautiful ornamental flowers exhibiting a riot of colors are in high demand all across the globe and country. Interestingly enough the land of NE is the contributor of nearly 70% of the globe’s total orchid production.
It is really sad and disappointing that even today, North-east India is often absent from the mainstream media as well as from the majority of Indians’ version of the country’s map. It has been my humble attempt to make people aware of those regions of India, whose even capital cities we are unaware of!