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Itanagar
 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 Attractons
Ita Fort
Ita Fort is situated at the heart of the capital city in Papum Pare district. It is a historical fort of an irregular shape, built mainly with bricks, dating back to the 14th -15th centuries . The total brickwork done on the fort comprise of 16,200 cubic mtr. length. There are also three gates on three sides viz; Eastern, Western and Southern, which is said to be built by Ahom rulers. The name Itanagar is believed to be derived from the name of this fort.
The Buddhist Temple
This is a new but beautiful yellow - roofed shrine. It rises from well-rnaintained grounds behind a stupo tree planted by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The grounds of the temple offers a beautiful view of the Itanagar Town.
Ganga Lake (Gyaker Sinyi)
The 6 km drive to the lake from Itanagar takes the visitors through some superbly primeval jungles with bamboo groves, orchid masses on tall trees, which are some of the vegetation which can be identified by the interested travelers. Stopping at the base of a hill, one has to take a flight of steps uphill. At the top of the ridge one looks down on a tranquil green forest lake which one has to cross in a row boat. Today, it is a beautiful spot for outings, boating and picnics.
Polo Park
An amazing little botanical garden at the top of a ridge overlooks the Itanagar town. One should notice the cane thickets, it looks a bit like a palm with spines on its stems, but grows as a bush. There is a small zoo, worth a visit.
Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum
Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum provides a brief picture 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 also houses a library section.
Some Important Destinations near Itanagar -North Lakhimpur (60 km), Tezpur and Guwahati, all in Assam are approachable by road. Tezpur and Lilabari (71 km ) is accessible by air. Guwahati is about 394 km from Itanagar.
Itanagar
is also connected by direct bus services from the following
places -
Itanagar is connected with other major towns in the region such as Agartala, Aizawl, Kohima and Imphal.
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.
Staying in Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh)
The best bet for accommodation in the state is Itanagar, varying from luxurious ones to reasonable budget hotels. Itanagar has Circuit House, Field Hostel, Hotel Donyi Polo Ashok, Hotel Itafort, Hotel Bomdila, Hotel Arunachal, Hotel Subansiri, Hotel Simang, Hotel Chandni, Blue Pine Hotel etc. for it visitors from round the world. The accommodations are quiet comfortable and also economical.
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