Wakro is located in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. The geographical coordinates are 28.113°N and 96.812°E. The town is nested amidst the Mishmi hills and it is located about 375 km from state capital Itanagar and 60 km from Tezu, the district headquarters.
About Wakro :
Wakro is a town in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. It houses the famous Kamlang Reserve Forest. Wakro is a beautiful hill station with dense forest and rich flora and fauna.
Another interesting feature of Wakro is the orange orchards. Wakro produces a substantial quantity of oranges in Arunachal Pradesh.
Wakro is located in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. The geographical coordinates are 28.113°N and 96.812°E. The town is nested amidst the Mishmi hills and it is located about 375 km from state capital Itanagar and 60 km from Tezu, the district headquarters.
The Lohit district is bounded by Lower Dibang Valley District in the North, Changlang District in the South, Anjaw district in the East and Assam and Dibang Valley district in the West. The Lohit River flows through the district.
People :
The main inhabitants of the area are the Mishmitribe. Like most of the tribes of Arunachal, they worship the Sun and Moon God who they call as Donyi-Polo and Abo-Tani. The Mishmi tribes call their God as Ringvajabmalu. Wakro is also inhabited by a considerable amount of Tibetans who have settled here. Tibetans settled here since the 1960s when they have to flee from Tibet due to the attack.
The tribes are very traditional people who still follow the age old traditions and customs that date back as ancient as the Mahabharata times. The interesting feature of the Mishmi tribe is that they still have a King and a Queen in their locality.
Agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and fishing are the main occupation of the tribes. The major agricultural products are mustard, ginger and oranges. They follow the traditional Jhum method of cultivation.
Activities :
Trekking and hiking in the forests, elephant ride, rafting and angling on river Lohit are the adventurous activities that visitors can enjoy during their trip to Wakro. Local guides and tourism operators are available for guidance. It is advisable to carry your own equipment as the availability of equipment is scare in Wakro.
Festivals :
The local festivals of Wakro are :
Tamladu – This is a festival of the Mishmi tribe celebrated on 15 Feb every year. During the festival, prayers are offered to the God of Earth and the God of Water to seek their blessings for protection against natural calamities. People worship Lord Jebmalu, a local God for the welfare of crops and animals. The festival is not restricted to the tribes but people from all communities are welcome to join in the celebrations.
Sanken – This is a tribal festival celebrated on 15 April every year for 5 days. The festival is dedicated to Lord Buddha. It is celebrated as the New Year and people sprinkle water on each other as a sign of joy. The Mopin tribes celebrate the festival for wealth, prosperity, good health and happiness. People rub rice powder on each other’s face and begin the festival.
Nearest Big town : The nearest big town is Tezu which is about 60 km from Wakro. Tezu is the district headquarters and a major pilgrim destination.
History :
The history of Wakro can be more appropriately associated with the history of its district, Lohit. The ancient history of the area is not very clear. No concrete historical or literary evidences have been found about the place. The area has been mentioned in the Kalika Purana of the 8th century. The area also has its mentioned in the Puranas.
The only history known about the place is that it was ruled by the Ahom Kingdom, the rulers of Assam. Following their conflicts with the tribes, the tribes went through major economic problems.
In the 18th century, after the British entered the territory, the entire area came under their control. Except for a few divisions, the British did not focus on the development of the tribes.
It was only post-independence that the Government took initiative and the tribes began to develop slowly. Even today the state is one of the less developed places of India.
Prior to 1914, Lohit district was a part of Lakhimpur district. Later, it was known as Mishmi Hill district. In 1956 the Lohit Frontier Division came to be known by its present name the Lohit District. In June, 1980 the Lohit District was bifurcated into two districts – Lohit District and Dibang Valley District. The District headquarters of the Lohit District was declared as Tezu and Wakro became a block.
How To Reach :
Wakro by Air : The nearest Airport to Wakro is Mohanbari Airport in Dibrugarh, Assam which is about 170 km away.
The nearest International Airport is Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, located at a distance of around 630 km from Wakro.
From the airport, tourists can hire a taxi/cab or a bus to reach Wakro. Jeep and Gypsy is the ideal mode to reach Wakro.
Dibrugarh has direct daily flight to New Delhi. It also has a daily helicopter (except Sundays) to the Arunachal Pradesh state capital, Itanagar which is operated by Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh. From Itanagar, one can plan a route trip to Tezu and then to Wakro.
Wakro byRail : The nearest railway station is Tinsukia Station which is about 130 km from Wakro. The Dibrugarh railway station is about 180 km from Wakro.
On the way from Tinsukia to Tezu, one has to cross the rivers Noa-dehing, Digaru and a few other streams to reach Tezu via Namsai. From Tezu, Wakro is only 60 km away.
From the station, tourists can hire a taxi/cab or a bus to reach Wakro. Jeep and Gypsy is the ideal mode to travel.
Wakro byRoad : National Highway 52 connects Wakro to all major cities of Arunachal.
The main highway roads are well maintained except for the district roads that are in poor condition.
There are two check-gates on the way to Wakro, one is at Dirak near Mahadevpur at Lekang Circle and the other is at Sunpura at Sunpura circle. Wakro is about 80 km from Dirak gate, Tinsukia, Assam and about 45 km from Sunpura circle.
Tourists can hire a taxi/cab or a bus to reach Tezu. Jeep and Gypsy is the ideal mode of transport due to road condition.
Wakro byBus Route : Wakro is connected by buses from all interstate cities. The best option would be to take a bus upto Tezu that has direct buses from Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Guwahati. From Tezu it is very easy to get transport upto Wakro. Both government and private buses are available.
The frequency of the government buses is not too often and hence they are overcrowded. The buses need maintenance and it is advisable to travel by private buses as they are more comfortable. The best option is however to hire a private vehicle with a local guide who has enough knowledge about the place and the security measures to be followed.