Mon District
Encyclopedia
Mon is a district
of Nagaland
state in India
.
to its north, Assam
to its west, Myanmar
to its east, Longleng
District to its south-west and Tuensang
District to its south. The town of Mon
is its district headquarters.
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).
has a population
of 250,671 , roughly equal to the nation of Vanuatu
. This gives it a ranking of 582nd in India (out of a total of 640
). Mon has a sex ratio
of 898 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 56.6 %.
s), guns, gunpowder
, head brushes, headgear, necklaces, etc. made by these artisans and craftsmen. The most colourful festival of the Konyaks, "Aoling Monyu", which is observed during the first week of April every year, is a spectacle worth watching.
Konyaks are the largest tribe among nagas, and speak the local language, Nagamese. They have embraced Christianity and now, Christianity has become the cohesive bond between the Nagas, who, earlier were at constant fight with each other, one who had the maximum skulls of his enemies being considered the mightiest and most powerful. Konyaks still 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 only prevalent among the Konyaks. It is an exciting experience to pay a visit to the Angh's house at Chui
, Mon Tangnyu, Sheangha, Chingnyu, Wakching and Jaboka
. The Angh's house is the largest in the village, with a display of skulls in the front. The Konyaks have tattoos on their face and body. The older males wear large earrings made of boar horn and wear a loincloth only. Some carry a machete 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 cloth. They weave wonderful designs on their handwoven shawls. During festivals, the males wear colorful shawls and headgear decorated with feathers, and dance with daos or spears chanting rhythmically. They also farm land in the hills by clearing the forests by controlled burning called "Jhum". They also brew a home brewed liquor made out of rice. Konyaks used to be headhunters before Independence. Some younger Konyaks are giving up their traditional way of life and adopting modern customs.
Ruled by the chief Angh, Shangnyu village is one of the prominent villages in Mon district. There is a wonderful 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. History records that good and friendly relationships existed between Shangnyu and Ahom Kings.
Chui Village (basti)
This is a prominent village near Mon, the diastict Headquarters. It is ruled by the Angh of Chui Basti. The Angh's house is the biggest in the village and has a display of skulls of enemies supposedly killed by him and his forebears in the times past. The Konyaks used to be headhunters in the 19th century.
Longwa Village
One of the biggest villages in Mon district, it is an interesting sight to see. As the village straddles an international boundary line, one half of the Angh's house falls within Indian territory, whereas the other half lies under Myanmar
ese control. However, the whole village is controlled by the Angh and the village Council Chairman. Another interesting feature of this village is that the Angh of the village has 60 wives and his jurisdiction extends up to Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh.
Veda Peak
This highest peak of the district is approximately 70 km east of Mon. The peak offers a clear sight of both the rivers Brahmaputra and Chindwin
on a clear day. There is a waterfall
on the precincts of this peak and this area is also considered as one of the best locations in the whole of Konyak countryside.
Naganimora
For details, see Naganimora
Districts of Nagaland
Nagaland, a state of India, has eleven administrative districts.A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a district magistrate or a deputy commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service...
of Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Geography
Mon district is the northernmost district of Nagaland. It is bounded by the state of Arunachal PradeshArunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
to its north, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
to its west, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
to its east, Longleng
Longleng
Longleng is a town situated at an altitude of 1066 metres above sea level in India. It is the district headquarters of the newly formed Longleng district in Nagaland. Mokokchung is the nearest major town. Phom is the main language spoken here.- External links :...
District to its south-west and Tuensang
Tuensang
Tuensang [District Headquarter - Tuensang], the easternmost and the largest district of Nagaland bordering with Myanmar. The town was founded in 1947 for the purpose of administrating the erstwhile North Eastern Frontier Agency that comprised the present day Tuensang, Mon, Longleng and Kiphire...
District to its south. The town of Mon
Mon, India
Mon is a town and a town area committee in Mon district in the Indian state of Nagaland.-Geography:Mon is located at . It has an average elevation of 655 metres .It is situated at an altitude of 2,945 ft above sea level...
is its district headquarters.
Economy
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati RajMinistry of Panchayati Raj
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India looking after the ongoing process of decentralization and local governance in the States....
named Mon one of the country's 250 most backward districts
Poverty in India
Poverty is widespread in India, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of 1.25 a day...
(out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). 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 census2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
of 250,671 , roughly equal to the nation of Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
. This gives it a ranking of 582nd in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). Mon has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
of 898 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
of 56.6 %.
Culture
This district is the home of the Konyak Nagas and it is interesting to see tattooed faces wearing feathers. Konyaks are adept artisans and skilled craftsmen. Here you can find excellent wood carvings, daos (macheteMachete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
s), guns, gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, head brushes, headgear, necklaces, etc. made by these artisans and craftsmen. The most colourful festival of the Konyaks, "Aoling Monyu", which is observed during the first week of April every year, is a spectacle worth watching.
Konyaks are the largest tribe among nagas, and speak the local language, Nagamese. They have embraced Christianity and now, Christianity has become the cohesive bond between the Nagas, who, earlier were at constant fight with each other, one who had the maximum skulls of his enemies being considered the mightiest and most powerful. Konyaks still 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 only prevalent among the Konyaks. It is an exciting experience to pay a visit to the Angh's house at Chui
Chui
-Places:In Kyrgyzstan:*Chui Province*Chui RiverIn South America:*Chuí, Rio Grande do Sul*Chui Stream, on the Brazil-Uruguay borderIn SwahiliChui means Leopard...
, Mon Tangnyu, Sheangha, Chingnyu, Wakching and Jaboka
Jaboka
Jaboka is a town and union council of Okara District in the Punjab province of Pakistan.It is located at 30°57'38N 73°27'10E with an altitude of 161 metres -References:...
. The Angh's house is the largest in the village, with a display of skulls in the front. The Konyaks have tattoos on their face and body. The older males wear large earrings made of boar horn and wear a loincloth only. Some carry a machete 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 cloth. They weave wonderful designs on their handwoven shawls. During festivals, the males wear colorful shawls and headgear decorated with feathers, and dance with daos or spears chanting rhythmically. They also farm land in the hills by clearing the forests by controlled burning called "Jhum". They also brew a home brewed liquor made out of rice. Konyaks used to be headhunters before Independence. Some younger Konyaks are giving up their traditional way of life and adopting modern customs.
Prominent attractions
Shangnyu VillageRuled by the chief Angh, Shangnyu village is one of the prominent villages in Mon district. There is a wonderful 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. History records that good and friendly relationships existed between Shangnyu and Ahom Kings.
Chui Village (basti)
This is a prominent village near Mon, the diastict Headquarters. It is ruled by the Angh of Chui Basti. The Angh's house is the biggest in the village and has a display of skulls of enemies supposedly killed by him and his forebears in the times past. The Konyaks used to be headhunters in the 19th century.
Longwa Village
One of the biggest villages in Mon district, it is an interesting sight to see. As the village straddles an international boundary line, one half of the Angh's house falls within Indian territory, whereas the other half lies under Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
ese control. However, the whole village is controlled by the Angh and the village Council Chairman. Another interesting feature of this village is that the Angh of the village has 60 wives and his jurisdiction extends up to Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh.
Veda Peak
This highest peak of the district is approximately 70 km east of Mon. The peak offers a clear sight of both the rivers Brahmaputra and Chindwin
Chindwin River
The Chindwin River is a river in Burma , and the largest tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady . It flows entirely within Burma and is known as Ning-thi to the Manipuris.-Source:...
on a clear day. There is a waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
on the precincts of this peak and this area is also considered as one of the best locations in the whole of Konyak countryside.
Naganimora
For details, see Naganimora
Naganimora
The name Naganimora is derieved from a word NAGA RANI MORA which mean a burial place of the Naga queen, a small and a scenic town is situated 11 km away from Kongan village in Mon District, in the Indian state of Nagaland....