The allure of discovering new places and immersing oneself in different cultures is a universal fascination. For years, I had heard about the vibrant Hornbill Festival in Nagaland but never had the opportunity to experience it firsthand. However, this year presented a chance not to be missed. With excitement brimming, I set out on a journey to explore Hornbill Festival that held in capital of Nagaland Kohima and its surrounding areas, eager to delve into the rich cultural tapestry and unique experiences that awaited during the Hornbill Festival.
Reach Kohima from Guwahati
It was 29th November 2016. We started our journey from Guwahati by Janashatabdi express at 6:30 am and reached Dimapur one of the prime city of Nagaland at around 10:30 am. From there we had to go to Kohima. There were a lot of taxis available at the railway station and we decided to travel in a shared taxi.
The journey from Dimapur to Kohima will be cherished forever. We passed by the steep hilly entwining roads of Nagaland on our way and every meadow, every hillock seemed like a picnic spot. We wanted to imprint the vivid pictures of nature’s bounty as much as possible in our hearts. We realized nature in its fullest grandeur awaits us at Kohima.
After traveling for about three hours we had reached our destination, Kohima.
Tourist attractions Kohima
We went out to explore Kohima the next day. The World War II cemetery was situated near our hotel. We took a five minutes’ walk to the cemetery and paid a visit. Then we decided to explore the alleys of the Kohima city. We saw rows and rows of houses, some atop mountains and some on the plains. The neat and clean, well-maintained houses had flowers in the verandas. A feeling of warmth and contentment reflected in each house.
Stupendous Kohima Cathedral
Next day we got up early morning and went to explore the Kohima Cathedral. When we first saw the cathedral the first word that comes to my mind is “Wow, Magnificat ! “. It has a wonderful architecture which blends into the hill on which it is situated. It was a very big church having a 16 feet high carved wood crucifix, which is one of largest crosses in Asia. We walk around the church and enjoy beautiful picture and statues inside the church while admiring the beautiful flowers beside it.
After visiting Kohima Cathedral we went to visit the Nagaland State Museum. It preserves and displays the different rare artifact, costumes, weapons, utensils, and musical instruments of different cultural groups of Nagaland. Different wooden structures, statues, jewellery and images also displayed there. Afterneath, we visited the memorial of A.Z. Phizo. It is constructed in the memory of Angami Zapu Phizo, which is regarded as the “Father of the Nagas”.
If you are interested in history you can also see Me3 Tank during World War II located at Officer’s Hill, near old Old DC Bungalow.
Naga Bazar market a Markets and bizarre food items
Next, we went to the Naga Bazar market. The market sprawled in its own glory of vivid smells, sounds and colours. The market had all sorts of houseware, kitchenware, trendy apparels, accessories and items for kids too. It was a shopaholic’s paradise and at the same time, it provided unique edibles like frogs, snails, different fish, etc.
It was the end of November and the shops were filled with Christmas decor items. The market was already celebrating the fervor of the arrival of Christmas and the shops were decorated and colourful lights were seen everywhere.
After spending a memorable day in the Kohima city we went back to our hotel in the evening. Next day is the 1st day of the most awaited Hornbill festival. Stay tuned and read my next blog A solo traveller’s guide to Hornbill Festival.
Few images of Kohima
