Nagaland

Nagaland

Kohima

Kohima's war cemetery is the most affecting war memorial in India, and most people who come for the Hornbill Festival never walk up to it. In 1944 the Japanese advance into India was stopped here, on a tennis court on the ridge above town. The court's markings are still laid out in stone among the graves. The inscription at the base — the one about telling those at home that we gave our today for their tomorrow — is worth the climb on its own. The Hornbill Festival runs the first ten days of December at Kisama, a purpose-built village of tribal morungs where all the Naga groups perform. It is worth seeing and it is also a festival built for visitors; if you want the everyday version of Naga life you will find more of it in the villages around Khonoma, an hour away, than at Kisama. Nagaland requires an Inner Line Permit for Indian nationals; foreign nationals need to register on arrival. Sort it in advance. October to May is dry. December means Hornbill, full hotels and prices to match — book months ahead or stay in Dimapur and travel up.