Chasing the first rays of the sun in Walong

A small cantonment area in Arunachal Pradesh, Walong is the easternmost town where the first rays of the sun fall in India and it is known for its memorials to the Indians who died during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, writes Joseph Andrews

Walong.

A self-drive to the easternmost point of India had been a dream for a long time. Walong, in the remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh, is considered the country’s easternmost habitation. The nearest town of any size to Walong is Tezu. Even though Tezu is just 200 kms away, the rough road condition makes it a full-day journey. Starting the day from Tinsukia, having driven over from Guwahati the previous day, we made it a point to stay en route in Hayuliang. The most prominent landmark of Walong is the War Memorial, lying just north of the tiny town, which honours the valiant Indian soldiers martyred during the Indo-Sino War of 1962. The vastly outnumbered Indian army contingents in the Walong region had put up a brave fight, inflicting heavy casualties in the PLA ranks, which ultimately forced the Chinese to backtrack. The sombre expressions on the faces of the outsized statues of the three valiant martyred soldiers do not fail to stir pangs of patriotism in the hearts of the visitors. The early morning trek to witness the “first sunrise of India” is a must-do in Walong.

Clouded images

We had enlisted the services of Tinka Meyor, an approved guide, to take us to the vantage point, and started to trudge in the bitter cold, around 4 am. The route crosses the Lohit River, over a beautiful suspension bridge, and passes through Dong village, which is touted to be the easternmost village of India. The small trek does involve some serious climbs and takes more than an hour for us city-dwellers. The cold intensifies as we stop at an upper plateau, and our guide lights a fire, pouring us hot butter tea from her flask, to keep us warm. But alas, the clouds had decided to play spoil-sport, denying us the sight of the first rays of the rising sun, between the mountains. However, the early morning exertion, and the sight of an abandoned army bunker, used during the Sino-War, were partial compensations. We had much better visibility to inspect the Dong village during our descent. It is a cluster of just seven houses, inhabited by the Meyor tribe, with their paddy fields scattered outside the village. We were told that the original Dong village was located higher up in the hills, and was moved to the present location by the river, due to an acute shortage of water.

The animists

Meyors are a small tribe inhabiting the Walong and Kibithoo areas. They are primarily agriculturists, practising wet cultivation, of mostly paddy. Meyors are predominantly animists but have partially adopted Mahayana Buddhism down the line, which accounts for the presence of Gompas in some of the Meyor villages. The 23-km drive from Walong to Kibithoo, along the west bank of Lohit River, flowing in from China, is very picturesque in places, offering numerous picture postcard views.