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| Arunachal Pradesh |
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| Map showing Along n Mechuka Valley |
The divine factory of India has produced yet another unique jewel called "
Arunachal Pradesh".
Until recently “a forbidden land” to visitors, is open to visitors now!
A serene land tucked into the North Eastern tip of India, now invites you to relax in its picturesque hills and valleys, enjoy its salubrious climate and meet its simple and hospitable people, with their glorious heritage of arts and crafts and colourful festivals that reflect their ancient faith in the inexorable power of nature.
Right from my childhood, I had heard mystic and spiritual stories of the land from my grand mother- that it was supposed to be the
Prabhu Mountains of the
Puranas. It was here that sage
Parashuram washed away his sin, sage
Vyasa meditated,
King Bhishmaka founded his kingdom and
Lord Krishna married his consort
Rukmini.And now the day had come to fulfill my dream of visiting this hidden world of peace, serenity and beauty, thanks to one of my relative who was a govt. ex-administrator in Arunachal Pradesh and motivated me and my friend Tommy Singh to visit and have a once in lifetime experience of this untouched beauty.
We did some research and found out that there are numerous places with incredible beauty in
3 different sectors of this largest state in North East India. Obviously, it was impossible to cover all the places in a single trip, even if it is for a month!
So, where to go? Though the name of
“Tawang” in the lap of Himalayas comes out as first choice, being on a tourist map, we thought of going to an absolutely hidden paradise and finally we zeroed down to
“Mechuka Vally”Wow, what a mystic name!
Although Arunachal Pradesh is now open to tourists, you still need entry permit which are not difficult to obtain.
The details are given below.
We always have time for exotic and mystic places and therefore we prefer train to flights. We left Delhi by New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani (No. 12424) at 2.00m pm and reached Dibrugarh (Assam) at 05.00 am, after spending 2 enjoyable nights in the train.
In Dibrugarh, we stayed at Hotel Devika at AT road. A nice place, indeed.
Next morning we left by Bolaro 4x4 on our way to Along in Arunachal Pradesh. After driving for 2 hours we reached
Bogibil ghat where we had to cross mighty
Brahmputra river with our car on a ferry.
The journey continued... we crossed a town, perhaps the last one in Assam
“Silapathar” before reaching the check post, an entry point for Arunachal-"
Likabali". After checking our permits, we were allowed to proceed into Arunachal Pradesh.
Along was about 145 Kms from Likabali post. Soon we were on a hill road with picturesque landscape, rivers, villages at distances and smiling inhabitants.
We passed the town of
Bashar and
Bume and then driving on
Daporjio- Along highway. The road was bad but we forgot all the pains looking at the amazing scenery and cool climate. We reached Along after 10 hours of gruelling drive by evening and straight away dumped ourselves at
Aagam Hotel Nehru Chowk,Paktu Along. |
| Along Town |
Next day, we spent visiting some really beautiful places around the town.
Along was a census town and headquarters of the West Siang district. Along was a valley and was extremely beautiful as far the scenic grandeur of this place was concerned. I was amazed looking at the mountains all around with two rivers flowing through it – the Sipu and Yomgo. Both these rivers converge at Puwak Ghatand and ultimately meet the Siang (Brahmaputra)
On the day 2, we left early for our hidden and exotic destination “Mechuka Vally“ at a distance of 180 Kms North West of Along and only 29 Kms from Indo-China border.
The 10 hours drive was grueling but of awesome beauty! And when we reached Mechuka? The words cannot explain this remote and beautiful jewel!
My goodness! We were just wonder-struck!
Our arrangements were made at the Inspection Bungalow.
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| Awesome Mechuka Valley |
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| Mysterious mist in Mechuka |
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| Indian Air force Plane landing at Mechuka |
Next day we just strolled... what a valley! An awesome scenic beauty with few inhabitants from some exotic tribe? High hills, snow-capped mountains and
River Siyom flowing in the valley... no communication facilities no other distractions, just you and a true heaven!
(Mechuka is a small town nestled 6,000 feet (1,829 m) above sea level in the Mechuka Valley in West Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Mechuka Valley is home to the people of the Memba tribe. They are mostly the believers of the Buddhism and speak Memba, Adi, Hindi and English. This place of Arunachal Pradesh is known for both its religious and historical significance. The major tourist attraction here is a 400-year-old Buddhist Monastery, which is located at a hilltop in the western most part of Mechuka. Numerous ancient statues can also be found here. Accommodations are available at Circuit House and Inspection Bungalow. There are some private places to stay as well)Oh...enough...how can you explain in words a nature’s wonder? Let me stop here!
Contact and Permits:Tourists visiting Arunachal Pradesh are required to get an Inner Line Permit (ILP) / Restricted Area Permit (RAP) as follows:
For Domestic touristsILPs are issued by the Secretary (Political), Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar and respective Deputy Commissioner and Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Districts. These can also be obtained from Resident Commissioner’s / Liaison Offices located at New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati , Shillong , Dibrugarh , Tezpurss, North Lakhimpur , and Jorhat.
For Foreign touristsForeign tourists can obtain a Protected Area Permit from all Indian Missions abroad, Home Ministry, Govt. of India and Home Commissioners, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar .
http://www.arunachaltourism.com/index.phpNote: some of the images are courtesy the following link.
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/travelogues-east-north-east-india-f64/good-god-then-wood-hell-honeymoon-trip-mechuka-arunachal-t50790/
Wake up, Mechuka is calling!