Location:
400-km Northwest of Guwahati, Arunachal Pradesh
Main Attraction: Buddhist Temple, Ita Fort, Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum, Gyakar Sinyi
Significance: Capital City Of Arunachal Pradesh.
Best Time To Visit: Round The Year
Itanagar has been the capital of Arunachal Pradesh since 20th April 1974. Itanagar is situated at the foothills. The township is situated at 350 metres above mean sea level. It comes administratively under Papumpare district. The Nishis or Nishings is the major tribe in Itanagar area.
However, Itanagar can be called as "Mini India", as people from all over the country, lives here in harmony. As a capital town, Itanagar is well connected with the rest of the country by road and air communications. Because of its convenient location near the road and rail arteries alongside the Brahmaputra River, Itanagar was chosen Arunachal''''s capital in the first place. Itanagar has been identified with Mayapur, the capital of the 11th century AD Jitri dynasty.
PRIME ATTRACTIONS FORTS
Ita Fort
Itanagar is the capital of India''''s largest North Eastern state. Here one can find historical fort called Ita fort, dating back to the 14th -15th centuries, after which it is named.
LAKES
Ganga Lake/ Gyakar Sinyi: The capital houses the Rajbhawan, the official residence of the Governor has also many worth visiting places in and around Itanagar. These include legendary Ganga Lake (Gyakar Sinyi). It is a beautiful picnic spot, 6-kms away from Itanagar, a green forest lake surrounded by primeval vegetation, orchids masses on tall trees, tree ferns provides a small taste of the magnificent forests of the state.
TEMPLES
Buddhist Temple: Consecrated by the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist temple, a beautiful yellow roofed shrine reflects the extensive Tibetan influence and provides good views of Itanagar and the surrounding countryside. { Book Temple Tours }
MUSEUMS
Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum: Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum provides a kaleidoscope of Arunachal Pradesh and one can see woodcarvings, musical instruments, textiles, handicrafts and archeological finds, while a workshop in the Handicrafts Centre specializes in traditional cane manufacture. It has a library section also. (Timing: Tuesday To Saturday - 9.30 am to 5.30 pm)
Other important places of interest around Itanagar is Donyi-Polo Vidya Bhawan a Premier Publics School, North-Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (Nirjuli) - a engineering insitute providing innovative way of education, Arunachal University (Doimukh) and Government Piggery and Poultry Farm (Nirjuli), Indira Gandhi Park.
HOW TO GET THERE
Air: The nearest airport to Itanagar, at Lilabari in Assam, 67-km away, and served by connecting buses, is served by fights to and from Guwahati (2 hr 20min) and to, but not from Dibrugarh (45 min). There is also a trice weekly Pawan Hans helicopter service between Itanagar and Guwahati.
Rail: Fast passenger trains from Guwahati run as far as Harmuti, 33-km away in Assam.
Road: Overnight buses connect Itanagar with Guwahati (11 hr), and Arunachal State Transport run an extensive service throughout the state. Buses leave for Tinsukia in the evening, arriving early the following morning, and from there connections can be made to Namdapha and Parashuramkunda.
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