Mon District (Pron:/mɒn/) is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

, a state in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is the third-largest district in Nagaland in terms of area. The district has a population of 250,260 people.

Mon Town Mon (Pron:/mɒn/) is a town located in the Mon District of the Indian state of Nagaland. Geography Mon is located at . It has an average elevation of 655 metres (2,148 feet). It is situated at an altitude of 2,945 ft (898 m) above sea lev ...

is the headquarters of the district.

History

After independence in 1947, Tuensang was created as a separate administrative centre and in 1952, it became a sub-division of NEFA under a separate Assistant Political Officer. Later, in 1957, the Tuensang subdivision was bifurcated from NEFA and merged into the Naga Hills-TuensangArea along with three Districts of Kohima, Mokokchung and Tuensang. The present Mon district was carved out of the erstwhile Tuensang district in 1973. The name Mon originates from its district headquarters. Till 1971, the present Mon district was a subdivision of Tuensang district.

Geography

Mon district is the northernmost district of Nagaland. It is surrounded by the state of

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...

to its north,

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

to its west,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

to its east,

Longleng district Longleng District (Pron:/ˈlɒŋˌlɛŋ/) is one of the eleven districts of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the eighth least populous district in the country (out of 640). The district is the home of the Phom Nagas, they are one of the maj ...

to its south-west and

Tuensang district Tuensang District (Pron:/ˌtjuːənˈsæŋ/) is the largest district in Nagaland, a state in North-East India. Its headquarters is in Tuensang town. History Tuensang is one of the original three districts, along with Mokokchung district and K ...

to its south. The town of Mon is its district headquarters.

Economy

In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a m ...

named Mon one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the three districts in Nagaland currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Mon district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 250,260, roughly equal to the nation of

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

. Mon has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...

of 899

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females a ...

for every 1000 males, and an average

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 56.99%.

Culture

Mon district is the home of the

Konyak Naga The Konyaks are one of the major Naga ethnic groups. In Nagaland, they inhabit the Mon District, which is also known as ''The Land of the Anghs''. The ''Anghs''/''Wangs'' are their traditional chiefs whom they hold in high esteem. Facial tattoo ...

s. The Konyaks are famous for their tattooed faces and bodies. The most colourful festival of the Konyaks, Aoling (Aoleng), is observed during the first week of April every year. Konyaks are the largest tribe among the Nagas. They speak the

Konyak language Konyak is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Konyak people of Nagaland, northeastern India. Dialects '' Ethnologue'' lists the following dialects of Konyak. Tableng is the standard dialect spoken in Wanching and Wakching. Phonology ...

, a

Sino-Tibetan Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages. ...

language, with each village having their local dialect. The Konyaks were the last practising headhunters among the Nagas which continued into the 1960s. The tribe embraced

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

during the late 20th and early 21st century. Konyaks decorate their houses with skulls, hornbill beaks, elephant tusks, horns and wooden statues. Konyaks are ruled by hereditary chiefs known as Anghs, and the institution of Anghship is still prevalent among the Konyaks. Every village has an Angh. Some of the smaller villages are ruled over by neighbouring village Anghs. The Angh's house is always the largest in the village, with a display of skulls in the front as a testament to his capability as a leader. Anghs still rule over the villages of Chi, Mon, Shangnyu, Longwa, Tangnyu, Sheanghah Chingnyu, Jaboka. Konyaks are adept artisans and skilled craftsmen. They make excellent wood carvings, daos (

machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...

s), guns,

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

, head brushes, headgear, necklaces, etc. The older males wear large earrings made of boar horn and a loincloth. Some carry a

called dao or a gun. The older women wear a short piece of cloth wrapped around their waist only. They carry bamboo baskets on their backs or tie children to their backs with a cloth. The Konyak women are adept in weaving intricate traditional designs and in bead craft. Both men and women wear a lot of traditional beads and brass ornaments. During festivals, the males wear colourful shawls and headgear decorated with feathers, and dance with daos or spears and guns chanting/singing rhythmically. They brew a home-brewed liquor made out of rice. They also farm in the hills by clearing the forests using a method of controlled burning called "

Jhum The traditional shifting cultivation farming technique of indigenous communities and Bengalis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh and nearby regions in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland in India is known as jhum cultivation. Tec ...

Tourism

Places of attraction

Shangnyu village

Ruled by the chief Angh, Shangnyu village is one of the prominent villages in Mon district. There is a wooden monument measuring 8 feet in height and 12 feet in breadth – believed to be constructed by heavenly angels. Carvings of human beings and other creatures are engraved on this monument. Memorial stones are also found in front of the Angh's palace. It is believed that there was a friendly trade relationship between the Shangnyu village and the Ahom Kings.

Chi village

Chi village is another prominent village near Mon town. It is ruled by the Angh of Chi village The Angh's house is the biggest in the village and has a display of skulls of enemies supposedly killed by him and his ancestors.

Longwa village

Lungwa (Longwa) is one of the biggest villages in Mon district and sits on the India-Myanmar international border. The village has a road connecting it to Loji village in Myanmar's

Sagaing Division Sagaing Region ( my, စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်းဒေသကြီး, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and lon ...

, that also provides access to the larger

Tatmadaw Tatmadaw (, , ) is the official name of the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include th ...

military towns of Lahe and Yengjong in Myanmar.An Indian Village Where Villagers Have Dual Citizenships And Its King Has 60 Wives
Daily Moss, 22 May 2015. The Lungwa Angh's house is situated in the middle of the border of India and Myanmar. One half of the Angh's house falls within Indian territory, whereas the other half lies under

control. However, the whole village is controlled by the Angh. He has 60 wives and he rules over 60 villages of the Konyak tribe extending up to Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh.

Veda Peak

This highest peak in the Mon district is Veda Peak, which lies approximately 70 km east of Mon. The peak offers a clear sight of both the

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

and the

Chindwin , , image = Homalin aerial.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = The Chindwin at Homalin. The smaller, meandering Uyu River can be seen joining the Chindwin. , map = Irrawaddyrivermap.jpg , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption ...

on a clear day. There is a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

near the peak which is considered as one of the most beautiful locations in the whole of the Konyak countryside.

Naganimora

Naganimora, formerly known as Lakhan, is a subdivision in the Mon district. The town lies on the border of

and

. The name of the town is derived from the words "Naga Rani Mora", which mean "the burial place of the

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

queen". It is one of the biggest exporters of coal in Nagaland.

Transportation

Air

The nearest airport is

Dibrugarh Airport Dibrugarh Airport , is located at Mohanbari, which is situated at a distance of 15 km (9 mi) east from Dibrugarh, Assam, India. The airport covers an area of 386 acres. There are 2 aerobridges linked with the terminal. The runway of ...

in Assam located 122 kilometres from district headquarters Mon. There is a helipad in Mon as well.

Rail

The nearest railway station is

Dibrugarh railway station Dibrugarh railway station is a railway junction station on the Lumding–Dibrugarh section. Rated as A Category railway station in Northeast Frontier Railway. It is located in Dibrugarh :The Tea City of India and 3rd largest city in the Ind ...

located 115 kilometres from district headquarters Mon.

Road

The district is well-connected with roads. The NH 702 passes through the district alongside other intra-district roads.

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Districts of Nagaland 1973 establishments in Nagaland