Heritage

The living heritage of the Northeast

Guides to the culture of the states around our river — festivals, food, crafts, history and the places worth the journey — written by the people who sail the Brahmaputra every evening.

Aerial view of the Brahmaputra at Guwahati at dusk, city lights along the bank and an orange sunset behind the hills

Assam

Where the Brahmaputra Shapes a Living Heritage

Bihu and the festival calendar, Sattriya and Gayan Bayan, muga silk and Sualkuchi, Majuli masks, the Assamese thali, Ahom history and the places that bring it all alive.

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Visitors crossing a long suspension footbridge stretched high above a mist-covered forest gorge in Meghalaya

Meghalaya

Living Roots and the Cultures of the Rain

Khasi, Jaintia and Garo traditions, Shad Suk Mynsiem to Wangala, ryndia silk, bamboo and black pottery, jadoh, living root bridges, sacred groves and the best months to go.

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Snow-dusted Himalayan peaks above a high-altitude lake in Arunachal Pradesh, framed by an arch of colourful prayer flags

Arunachal Pradesh

Dawn, Monasteries and Mountain Cultures

Tawang Monastery and cham dances, a festival calendar from Torgya to Solung, Monpa carpets and Apatani weaving, zan and thukpa, Ziro, Mechuka, the Siang — and how to choose a circuit.

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Rolling green hills of Nagaland at dawn, mist pooled in the valley under a sky turning from orange to blue

Nagaland

Villages, Festivals and Stories Woven in the Hills

Seventeen major tribes, the festival calendar from Sekrenyi to Hornbill, shawls that carry identity, smoked pork and king chilli, Khonoma, Dzükou and the Konyak north.

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Circular rings of green phumdi vegetation on the silver water of Loktak Lake, a lone fisher poling a boat inside one ring

Manipur

Dance, Water and a Kingdom in the Hills

Ras Lila and Pung Cholom, Lai Haraoba and Yaoshang, the origins of polo, Loktak and its floating phumdi, Ima Keithel, Longpi black pottery and the food of the valley and hills.

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Aizawl at night, thousands of lights tracing the city down its ridgeline with moonlit ranges fading into the distance

Mizoram

Bamboo Hills and the Spirit of Community

Tlawmngaihna and the Mizo community ideal, Chapchar Kut and the Kut calendar, Cheraw, puan textiles, bamboo craft, bai and smoked pork, Aizawl, Champhai, Phawngpui — and the new Sairang train.

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Neermahal palace on Rudrasagar Lake at sunset, white domes above red-banded walls mirrored in the still water

Tripura

Royal Palaces, Rock-Cut Gods and Living Traditions

Manikya royal history, Ujjayanta and Neermahal, Unakoti's rock-cut gods, Kharchi and Garia, Hojagiri, risa and rignai weaving, Mui Borok food — and the easy overnight train from Guwahati.

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Seven states, one river

The series is complete — all seven states of the Northeast are here, from Assam's river valley to Tripura's lake palaces. The best introduction is still the river itself — our daily cruises sail from Guwahati year-round.