Itanagar is the capital of the Arunachal pradesh . It has humid subtropical weather with mild winter and hot summer . The Itanagar city is 320 m above the sea level . This is little bit hilly area and roads are curvey. NH 415 is passes through the city which starts from the Banderdewa in AP to the Gopur in assam . This places is mainly inhabitant by the tribes like Nyishi , Adi , apatani , tagin, galo. Nyishi are the ingenious of the area . Most of the communities follow the Doni – polo religion . The famous places to travel are Ita fort , Jaharlal nehuru nattional museum , Ganga Lake and Gompha . It is the largest city in arunachal pradesh . Here is a small description for Itanagar tourism guide.
You can go to the following link to access the google maps of the location
https://goo.gl/maps/PzzsFUECV2Jj2a4Q8
How to come to Itanagar ?
Itanagar is connected with the Road and Rail and Air services with the rest of the India .
Air
It has a Helipad in the Naharlagun which is nearer to the city . New airport is being set up in the Hollongi which is around 25 km distance . Now might be the nearest airport is in Pasighat .
Rail
It has rail link in the Naharlagun . Which connects major cities in India by Guwahati rail station .
Road
Road is the major route of connectivity in the city from the rest of the India . It has daily bus service from the Guwahati , Kohima , Pasighgat . NH 415 is pass through the city . Here roads inside the city is good but outside the city it is very bad condition . Here normal sumo or bus is expensive . You can take ASTC or APSRTC buses . This buses are govt run buses and much cheaper to travel from one city to another. Normally in the Arunachal pradesh travel is very costly .
What places to travel in the City ?
There are few places to travel in the city . The city has a pleasent weather with too much rainfall . The following places are the major tourist attraction here
- Jawalal Nehuru Museum : People who are coming from other state … for knowing the culture of the arunachal pradesh it is the best place I would say. It is situated near the Gompha . Auto stand is nearby so coming here is not a problem . It is a two floor Museum . Here you can get an idea of the tribes inhibited in the Arunachal Pradesh , their name , population , where they stay , dress and cultural key points . Here in each box in the museum they give an idea of an Tribes . In the map they clearly show in which part of the state they live , what their population is and names of the tribe with some models to show How they dressed . Inside there in some places they show their traditional hats , pots to cook food and weapons they used for hunting .
- Gompha : It is a buddhist Gompha which is established by the Dalai Lama in 90’s. It is very calm place and top of the hill . From here you can see the panoramic view of the whole city . From the ground you have to climb a stiff hike. I stayed there around 30 mins and enjoy the silence . From the top you can see cars are going in the long distance .
- Ita Fort : This fort is build by the clay brick so the name comes like this . It has three gate though only the south gate is operational now . Name of the city also comes from this fort . This fort was made by the chutiya kings of this place in the 14 th or 15th century . Though it was a major attraction still the site is not maintained well . The Fort is not opened in the mentioned time . Though visitors are less so they don’t care about the visitors .
- Ganga Lake : It is almost 10 km from the city . This lake is surrounded by the mountains . Here you can do boating and relax . Auto driver will charge around 300 – 600 for a ride and return . Road condition is very bad but the scene outside is very charming .
Where to Stay and eat ?
Here there is lots of Hotels but you have to be choosy because cleanliness is a bit issues . If you are searching for cheap hotels then probabily you can find in the Ganga Market area . I heard that here you can find hotels around 600 also . I stayed in the serenity lodge which charge me 1300 for a night . In the whole north east in online hotels are very expensive . So best trick is to go in the place and search for hotels .
Here getting the veterinarian food is very difficult … you can only get in the marwari hotels . Here meet is available in everywhere . Here you can find chicken , Motton , Beef and obviously Pork . Here I see some worm which they eat . They also eat Bamboo and different types of grass here . The woman in the shop said they eat this bamboo like vegetables. They also eat too much dried fish making horrible smell .
Story
Day 6 : 20th April 2021
At 4: 30 I come out of bed . I was trying to see if my travel pass was send or not . I called the sumo counter at tezpur and said that he will send ILP after sometimes . Then suddenly the car driver calls me if I will go itanagar or not . After sometime I decided to go to the counter in the city first then I will decide what to do . Then after in the morning I freshened up and goes for the counter . After going there the driver said lets go and we will decide later .
The covid situation make the journey such a difficult , I really now don’t know if they will ask for covid report or not . Here every time you go from one city to another you must have to go through Assam So every time you have to show ILP . Now I don’t have covid report and also ILP still going for the journey … I dont know what happend in the road . It is a 450 km journey with 2500 fare … very expensive . The car left with one lady in the middle and one man in the front seat . The morning was foggy . The car takes One more passenger from here and left for the journey .
In the morning It looks very nice and there was no traffic . So driver also run very fast . At around 7 we make the breakfast in a hotel with luchi (it is a fried indian bread) and alurdom(a curry made of potato). Then start the next road journey . In the way we caught in some areas where there is such a fog thet within 3 meter nothing can be seen . The driver was experienced still it is dangerous . It goes very slowly on the road . Inside the car it looks very enjoyable. When you caught up in such a cloud …..It is most enjoying . After sometime I slept on the seat .
At around 11 or 12 it stops for Lunch . Here they serve rice , fried bitter gourd , Dal(lentils),vegetables and some chutney(sweet curry served at the end) and papad . It was very tastey and nutricious food . I asked two three time the fried bitter gourd . I love this vegetables . After the lunch I goes here and there having friendship with someone who said that mama- bhagne story I tell in the tawang article . This person is a mechanical engineer working in the tawang section and going home from here . From this place might be five more person join with us . Now there is no blank place . The inova car is totally packed up .
After making a long halt there the car leaves for the next journey . It reaches to Balipara around 5 in the evening . It is like a junction for going to Guwahati and in another side Pasighat. Here also you can get train to guwahati . Our car take a short cut and goes to our final destination. Here roads are not not bumpey . After Balipara we are in the plain land . Now the car also runs above 100 km/hr speed . It was up – down 4 lane road . At around 6:30 it reaches to the border between the Assam and Arunachal pradesh. Now all the checking happens . Also in the meantime I got my Pass for the Itanagar in whatsapp . Now they just check from a distance that we have the pass or not and they let go our car.
From this Assam border to the Itanagar city around 25 km I don’t find any light from a house . This place is totally forest . I only see big long grasses beside . After the arunachal starts once again the mountain also started . Finally the car reaches in the city around 7 in the night . Hopefully my hotel was beside the road . It was in the 4 th floor . It is very difficult to reach to the top floor with such a luggage . Opposite to my hotel there is a ICICI bank branch . Here what I find that area is very beautiful but tourism industry does not grown up here . Here you have to arrange everything . It is looks like you are going to a place for touristic purpose but there is absent the tour facility .
After reaching to my hotel I spend there 1 hour , make a bathe and then eat muri (popped rice) and bhujia and then goes outside . From my window you can see beautiful scenery outside . After that I take rest there for quiet sometimes and goes outside for dinner . I gone outside with a t-shirt and a half paint. I thought it was not cold but on that day there was a heavy wind and I am feeling cold there . After littlibit search I go to some hotel “Gurung Hotel ” , I don’t know what is the actual case but everyone in the hotel are shorter in height . I just ordered a veg meal , taste was totally different . For the sake of eating I just eat there . then after I come back to my hotel and have a sleep there .
Day 7 : 21st April
Today I was in a lite mood and mainly roam around the city in a very relax manner . In the morning first I take a bath and then start exploring the city with the help of google maps. I decided that first I will visit the Ita fort . In the way there is a road blockage so some local people helped me to bypass that road blockage . He taken me from the slumps of the city and there is bridge over a cannal . It was made typical Arunachal style . It was made up of the bamboo and the floor of the bridge was made by the tin which is used for the roofing . The bridge was very slippery . Somehow I reached to the other side of the road block .
There was a counter for sumo . I asked here what is the charges for the sumo to the pasighat and what was the timing . They said from there two wingers left at morning at around 7 and then the 2nd one in the 11. They charge 750. After that I went to shop and take mornng breakfast of two khasta kachuri and a gulam jamun in some marwari shop . I must say the gulapjamun was very nice . Then after I tried for my first stop at Gompha (It is a buddhist worship centre).
This gompha was very near to the auto stand but the road to the gompha was very steep . After 20 minutes of walk I reached to the Gompha . I don’t find any outher person there . I goes inside the buddhist temple . It was a tibet buddhism temple . Inside there only one thing just attracted me ,it was a post where it was written the meanung of ” Buddhang sarang gachami | Dharmang sarang Gachami | Sangam sarang Gachami ” . I was very tiered after reaching there so I take a seat and rest there for a long time . I always like silence , I enjoyed the place here .
After spending there almost a hour I start for my 2nd stop in this journey which is ‘Ita Fort’ . It is around 2 km from here . I don’t find any auto at cheap rate so I decided to walk to the place . There was a very steep road to that place so it is very laborious to reach there .After going there locals said that though the official time to open was 9 o clock still it will open around 10. The Clerk does not now . After reaching the counter I sat there and eat some food and waiting for the clerck , when she will come. Finally after 10 she and give me the ticket .
I might say it was very area to visit . Inside there is only two or three ruins of the previous building . After staying for 10 mins I left for the next destination Museum . Which is in the same road to the Gompha . It was good road . Might be the ticket was 20 . I might say this is the best place in the arunachal to get knowledge for its culture and the tribes. Inside here every detail was present about the tribes , their culture , dresss code and festivals and where they live in the arunachal. I must say this is the best place for tourist in the city . Then after I started for my hotel.
At 12 in the afternoon I was in my hotel . Today I changed my room , It was a cheaper one . It was in 1000 rs one night . After 2 in the afternoon I goes outside for lunch . First I reach to a kerela restaurant “Restaurant Malabar”. It was very expensive so then goes to a roadside dhaba . Still I my lunch was 80 rs. Then after I booked my next day ticket from APSRTC to pasighat with 440 Rs . Ticket comes in my mobile . Here there was a idol of some God but I don’t recognize it . After that I asked the staff which god it is . He said it was Vishwakarma . I said but the eye was for ladies . he said you find it right , there was a local labour who made this idol so that is why there is a mistake . It was total joke for the idol .
After that I try for some auto to the Ganga Lake . Everybody was charging very high , I was going to cancel my trip on that day suddenly I got a driver who says I will go in 300 to the Ganga Lake so I goes toward the Ganga Lake . When I reached there gate was closed but still they allow me to go inside. I will say it is not very imp places to visit . only a small lake no specialty . Then after I come back to the city.
Then after I eat a burger in a shop . Then eat sweets and roam around the local vegetable market . Here I found they eat bamboo as vegetables. The lady was saying it is very tasty . Then I found some lady selling some worm .They eat this worm by cooking and also eat directly. The picture was there where I write block “where to stay and eat “.There is also some grass like thing which might be used as gurnisher and fragrance in the finished food like dhania leaf in our area . There was also meat market where mostly pork was sold . Then goes to a local mall for visiting . It was average types of mall and prices being low from my own town . Then I come back to my hotel . Today I don’t take dinner because my stomach was totally full . I just pack my bag and then goes for the bed .
