The Dzüko Valley is a valley located at the borders of the states of
Nagaland
Nagaland () is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, 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 ...
and
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a States and territories of India, state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It ...
. This valley is well known for its natural environment, seasonal flowers and flora & fauna.
It is situated at an altitude of 2452 m above sea level. The valley is famous for its wide range of flowers in every season but the most famous one is the Dzüko Lily and it is found only in this valley.
Etymology
The word ''Dzüko'' is originally derived from the Viswema dialect of the Angamis ''Dzüko'' which loosely translated means ''Soulless and Dull'' referring to when some ancestors of Viswema who moved out to establish a new village in ''Dzüko'', due to the unfavorable weather conditions they were unable to harvest crops which led them to say ''"the valley is very beautiful but is dull and soulless."''
A common misconception is that ''Dzüko'' derives its meaning from the Angami word which translates to ''Cold Water'' referring to the ice cold streams that flows through the valley.
Access
Trekking route
The main entry is from the foothills of Viswema where one can travel to the rest house above Teyozwü Hill by a Tata Sumo taxi. From here one has to climb forty minutes to the top of the mountain ''(Khiyoke)''. This is where Dzüko starts but the main valley is still another two hours' walk away. One can exit the valley from the same route but if one is planning to come back by foot, the Jakhama route is shorter.
Also it can be reached in five hours of trek from Mount Tempü of Senapati district of Manipur. The new five-hour trek route was opened by MMTA (Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association).
Transportation
The
Asian Highway 1
Asian Highway 1 (AH1) is the longest route of the Asian Highway Network, running from Tokyo, Japan via Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to the border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul w ...
and also the NH-2 passes through its foothills. The nearest airport is
Dimapur Airport
Dimapur Airport is a domestic airport serving Chümoukedima–Dimapur and its neighbouring areas. It is located between the districts of Chümoukedima and Dimapur, from where National Highway 29 (formerly NH-39) passes just beside the airpor ...
at
Chümoukedima
Chümoukedima (), formerly spelled Chumukedima, is a municipality in the Chümoukedima District of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Nagaland after Dimapur and Kohima. Chümoukedima was designated a ...
–
Dimapur
Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...
about 96 kilometres (60 miles) away from Viswema while the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport is located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Viswema.
There is a Helipad just next to the Guest house however no service is seen in the last few years.
Ecology
The valley borders a region of old-growth forest, and is home to several rare and endangered species of flora and fauna, including the Dzüko Lily (''Lilium mackliniae'') and the Blyth's tragopan, which is the state bird of Nagaland. A number of other rare species are also found here, including several
rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nativ ...
species, plants such as the ''aconita nagaram,'' and fauna including the Asian golden cat, the Hollock Gibbon, the Dzuko Valley horned toad (''Megophrys dzukou''), several species of leopard including the
clouded leopard
The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a ...
, the
Asiatic black bear
The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, s ...
stump-tailed macaque
The stump-tailed macaque (''Macaca arctoides''), also called the bear macaque, is a species of macaque native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. In India, it occurs south of the Brahmaputra River, in the northeastern part of the country. Its range ...
, and the serow.
It has periodically been threatened by forest fires, which tend to spread quickly due to prevalent wind conditions and are difficult to fight because of the inaccessible terrain around the valley. In 2006, a forest fire destroyed 20 kilometers of forest in the valley before it was contained. The
2020–21 Dzüko Valley wildfires The 2020–21 Dzüko Valley wildfires occurred in the states of Nagaland and Manipur in North-east India, beginning on 29 December 2020. The wildfire resulted in widespread environmental damage in the ecologically sensitive region of the Dzüko Vall ...
destroyed an estimated 200 acres of forest land, as well as significant flora in the valley itself.
Ownership
There has been disputes for years between Manipur and Nagaland regarding the ownership of Dzüko Valley.
Historically, the valley is an extent of the territory of Viswema under present-day Nagaland but today it is jointly preserved with the Southern Angami Public Organization which is also based in Nagaland. However, politically, the valley shares both Manipur and Nagaland state territories which the majority of the area falls under Manipur state boundary according to the map of the
Government of Nagaland
The Government of Nagaland also known as the State Government of Nagaland, or locally as State Government, is the governing authority of the India state of Nagaland and its 16 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of N ...