Arunachal Pradesh
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| Arunachal Pradesh | |
   | |
| Country |  India |
| District(s) | 16 |
| Established | 1987-02-20 |
| Capital | Itanagar |
| Largest city | Itanagar |
| Governor | Joginder Jaswant Singh (2008-) |
| Chief Minister | Dorjee Khandu (2007-) |
| Legislature(seats) | Unicameral (60) |
| Population • Density | 1,091,117 (26th) • 13 /km2 (34 /sq mi) |
| Language(s) | Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, and many tribal languages |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area | 83,743 km² (32,333 sq mi) |
| ISO 3166-2 | IN-AR |
| Website | arunachalpradesh.nic.in |
 | |
Arunachal Pradesh (Hindi: अरुणाचल प्रदेश Aruṇācal Pradeś) is the easternmost state of modern-day India. Arunachal Pradesh borders with the Indian state ofAssam to the south and Nagaland to the southeast. Burma/Myanmar lies towards the east,Bhutan towards the west, and Chinese-administered Tibet to the north. Itanagar is the capital of the state. Though Arunachal Pradesh is administered as an Indian State, the People's Republic of China (mainland China) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) claim portions of the state asSouth Tibet.
Arunachal Pradesh means "land of the dawn lit mountains" in Sanskrit. It is also known as "land of the rising sun" ("pradesh" means "state" or "region") in reference to its position as the easternmost state of India. Most of the people native to and/or living in Arunachal Pradesh are ofTibeto-Burman origin. A large and increasing number of migrants have reached Arunachal Pradesh from many other parts of India, although no reliable population count of the migrant population has been conducted, and percentage estimates of total population accordingly vary widely. Part of the famous Ledo Burma Road, which was a lifeline to China during World War II, passes through the eastern part of the state.
History
Recorded history was only available in the Ahom chronicles during the 16th century. The tribal Monpa and Sherdukpen do keep historical records of the existence of local chiefdoms in the northwest as well. Northwestern parts of this area came under the control of the Monpakingdom of Monyul, which flourished between 500 B.C. and 600 A.D. This region then came under the loose control of Tibet and Bhutan, especially in the Northern areas. The remaining parts of the state, especially those bordering Myanmar, came under the control of the Ahomand the Assamese until the annexation of India by the British in 1858.
Recent excavations of ruins of Hindu temples such as the 14th Malinithan at the foot of the Siang hills in West Siang shed new light on the ancient history of Arunachal Pradesh. Paintings of the Hindu gods and altars remained untouched for many years. They attracted many local pilgrims. Another notable heritage site, Bhismaknagar, suggested that the Idu Mishmi had a local civilisation. The third heritage site, the 400-year-old Tawang monastery in the Tawang district, also provides historical evidence of the Buddhist tribal peoples. Historically, the area had a close relationship with Tibetan people and Tibetan culture, for example the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso was born in Tawang.
Geography
Much of Arunachal Pradesh is covered by the Himalayas. However, parts of Lohit, Changlangand Tirap are covered by the Patkai hills. Kangto, Nyegi Kangsang, the main Gorichen peak and the Eastern Gorichen peak are some of the highest peaks in this region of the Himalayas.
In 2006 Bumla pass in Tawang was opened to traders for the first time in 44 years. Traders from both sides of the pass were permitted to enter each other's territories.
The Himalayan ranges that extend up to the eastern Arunachal separate it from China. The ranges extend toward Nagaland, and form a boundary between India and Burma in Changlang and Tirap district, acting as a natural barrier called Patkai Bum Hills. They are low mountains compared to the Greater Himalayas.
Climate
The climate of Arunachal Pradesh varies with elevation. Areas that are at a very high elevation in the Upper Himalayas close to the Tibetan border enjoy an alpine or Tundra climate. While below the Upper Himalayas are the Middle Himalayas, where people experience a climate which is temperate. Areas at the sub-Himalayan and sea-level elevation generally experience a humid sub-tropical climate, along with the hot summers and mild winters.
Arunchal Pradesh receives heavy rainfall of 80 to 160 inches (2,000 to 4,000 mm) annually, most of it between May and September. The mountain slopes and hills are covered with alpine, temperate, and subtropical forests of dwarf rhododendron, oak, pine, maple, fir, and juniper; sal(Shorea) and teak are the main economic species.
Sub-divisions
Arunachal Pradesh is divided into sixteen districts, each administered by a district collector, who sees to the needs of the local people. Especially along the Tibetan border, the Indian army has considerable presence due to the concern about Chinese intentions. Special permits called Inner Line Permits (ILP) are required to enter Arunachal Pradesh through any of it checkgates on its border with Assam.
Districts of Arunachal Pradesh:
- Anjaw District
- Changlang District
- East Kameng
- East Siang
- Kurung Kumey
- Lohit District
- Lower Dibang Valley
- Lower Subansiri
- Papum Pare
- Tawang District
- Tirap District
- Upper Dibang Valley
- Upper Subansiri
- Upper Siang
- West Kameng
- West Siang
Economy
This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Arunachal Pradesh at market prices estimated by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year | Gross State Domestic Product |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 1,070 |
| 1985 | 2,690 |
| 1990 | 5,080 |
| 1995 | 11,840 |
| 2000 | 17,830 |
Arunachal Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $706 million in current prices. Agriculture is the primary driver of the economy. Jhum, the local word for shifting cultivation, which was widely practised among the tribal groups has come to be less practiced. Arunachal Pradesh has close to 61,000 square kilometers of forests, and forest products are the next most significant sector of the economy. Among the crops grown here are rice, maize, millet, wheat, pulses, sugarcane, ginger and oilseeds. Arunachal is also ideal for horticulture and fruit orchards. Its major industries are rice mills, fruit preservation units and handloom handicrafts. Sawmills and plywood trades are prohibited under law.
Arunachal Pradesh accounts for a large percent of India's untapped hydroelectric power production potential. In 2008, the state government of Arunachal Pradesh signed deals with various Indian companies according to which 42 hydroelectric schemes were planned which upon completion will produce electricity in excess of 27,000 MW.The construction work on the Upper Siang Hydroelectric Project, which will generate between 10,000 to 12,000 MW, started in April 2009.
Demographics
Arunachal Pradesh can be roughly divided into a set of semi-distinct cultural spheres, on the basis of tribal identity, language, religion, and material culture: the Tibetic area bordering Bhutan in the West, the Tani area taking up the majority of the centre of the state, the Mishmi area to the east of that, the Tai/Singpho/Tangsaarea to the far west, bordering Burma, and the "Naga"-like area to the immediate south, also bordering Burma. In between there are a few transition zones, such as the Aka/Hruso/Miji/Sherdukpen area which provides a "buffer" of sorts between the Tibetic Buddhist tribes and the animist, hill-tribal Tani. In addition, there are some possible isolates scattered throughout the state, such as the Sulung.
Within each of these cultural spheres, one finds populations of related tribes speaking related languages and sharing similar traditions. In the Tibetic area, one finds large numbers of Monpa tribespeople, with several subtribes speaking closely-related but mutually-incomprehensible languages, and also large numbers of Tibetan refugees. Within the Tani area, major tribes include Nishi, which has recently come to be used by many people to encompass Bangni, Tagin and even Hills Miri. Apatani also live among the Nishi, but are distinct. Within the centre, one finds predominantly Galo, with major sub-groups Lare and Pugo, among others, extending to the Ramo and Pailibo areas which as close in many ways to Galo. In the east, one finds the Adi, with many subtribes including Padam, Pasi, Minyong, and Bokar, among others. Milang, while also falling within the general "Adi" sphere, are in many ways also quite distinct. Moving east, the Idu, Miju and Digaru make up the "Mishmi" cultural-linguistic area, which may or may not form a coherent historical grouping. Moving south/east, the Tai Khamti are linguistically quite distinct from their neighbours and culturally quite distinct from the majority of other Arunachali tribes; however, they also exhibit considerable convergence with the Singpho and Tangsa tribes of the same area; all of these groups are also found in Burma. Finally, the Nocte and Wanchoexhibit cultural and possibly also linguistic affinities to the tribes of Nagaland, which they border.
In addition, there are large numbers of migrants from diverse areas of greater India and Bangladesh, who, while legally are not entitled to permanently settle, in practice are able to stay indefinitely and so have come to progressively alter the traditional demographic makeup of the state. Finally, populations of "Nepalis" (in fact, usually Tibeto-Burman tribespeople whose tribes predominate in areas of Nepal, but who do not have tribal status in India) and Chakmas are distributed in different areas of the state, although reliable figures are hard to come by,
Literacy rose in official figures to 54.74% from 41.59% in 1991. The literate population is said to number 487,796.
An unknown but relatively large percentage of Arunachal's population are animist, and follow shamanistic-animistic religious traditions such as Donyi-Polo (in the Tani area) and Rangfrah(further east). A very small number of Arunachali peoples have traditionally identified as Hindus, although the number is growing as animist traditions are endowed with a Hindu gloss and predominantly Hindu non-tribals continue to migrate to the state Tibetan Buddhismpredominates in the districts of Tawang, West Kameng and isolated regions adjacent to Tibet.Theravada Buddhism is practiced by groups living near the Burmese border. Around 19% of the population are said to be followers of the Christian faith, although this is a number which is probably growing very quickly.
There has been a law enacted to protect the indigeneous religions (e.g., Donyi-Poloism, Buddhism) in Arunanchal Pradesh against the spread of Christianity. No comparable law exists to protect against the spread of other religions.
Transport
The state's airports are located at Daparjio, Ziro, Along, Tezu and Pasighat. However, owing to the rough terrain, these airports are mostly small and cannot handle many flights. When not connected by road, they were originally used for transportation of food. Arunachal Pradesh has two highways; the 336 km (205 miles) National Highway 52, completed in 1998, connects Jonai with Dirak.There is another highway which connects Tezpur in Assam with Tawang. Now in 2007, every village is connected by road due to funding provided by the central government. Every small town has got its own bus station and daily bus services are available. All places are connected to Assam, which has increased the trading capacity. A National Highway is being constructed on the famous Stillwell Ledo Road, which connects Ledo in Assam to Jairampur in Arunachal.
[edit]Education
The current education system in Arunachal Pradesh is relatively underdeveloped. The state government is expanding the education system in concert with various NGOs like Vivekananda Kendra.
The state also has several reputed schools, colleges and institutions. There are also trust institutes like Pali Vidyapith run by Budhist society. They impart pali script and khamti script apart from normal educational subjects. Khamti is the only tribe in Arunachal Pradesh who have scripts of their own. Library of sciptures are located in number of places in Lohit district and the major one is in Chowkham.
Rajiv Gandhi University is the state's premier educational institution,its the only university in the whole state. The state has 7 government colleges, in different districts, helping students there to go on to higher education. NERIST (North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology) is playing a very important role in raising the technical and management education for higher technical education. The directorate of technical education conducts examinations yearly, so that students who qualify can go forward to higher studies in other states.
[edit]Tourism
Arunachal Pradesh attracts tourists from many parts of the world. Tourist attractions include the Namdapha tiger project in Changlang district,Sela lake near to Bomdila, the bamboo bridges hanging over the river. Religious places of interest include Malinithan in Lekhabali and Rukhmininagar near Roing, the place where Rukmini, Lord Krishna's wife in Hindu mythology, is said to have lived; Parshuram Kund in Lohit district, is believed to be the lake where Parshuram washed away all his sins. Rafting and trekking are also available. A visitor's permit from the tourism department is required.
