Skywatch~Jakhama

My bed was just next to this window and for five days i woke up with this view of an early morning sunrise and the dew covered window.I'm here in Nagaland where the Sun raises early when compared to the other parts of india and comes via Burma which is on the east of Nagaland and also is the border.Our homestay in Jakhama, over looking the Dzukou valley was just awesome.

Dzukou valley as seen from our Homestay

Read more about Jakhama

The Angami Naga Village~~Jakhama

When i first heard about Jakhama( Also written as Zakhama) where we planned to stay during hornbill festival, i went through goggling about this place trying to get more information.Most of the articles i read through mentioned about Naga hospitality.One article mentioned about Some German tourists, who came to attend the Hornbill Festival during 2011 and wanted to camp in the open terrace fields near Jakhama and they were some much enchanted by the lush green hills and forests surrounding Jakhama village that they wanted to brave the December chill and stay out in the open fields.

They told the  village authorities that they do not need any help except a small hut where they can cook food.However the Nagas went out to extend Naga hospitality and assured the tourists of foolproof security. They said they would ensure that no untoward incident occurred during the tourists stay.One of the elders mentioned that “We want them to take home good memories of the Naga people”.Little did i know before going there that Naga's are not just great at their hospitality but are fun loving too.

Akuzha, our homestay owner was constantly in touch and guiding us on our travel from Dimapur to Jakhama.

She introduced us to her friend who was preparing for his civils exam and a local of Jakhama to take us around the village.The third day of our stay at Nagaland, we walked down our homestay early morning to go around this Angami Naga village on the Kohima Imphal highway.Few minutes walk down the bridle path  we entered the village.Our Naga friend received us near the church and as we walked through the village he was telling us about the history and the people of Nagaland.

One of the interesting fact was during the second world war,Many Japanese soldiers, supported by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose-led Indian National Army, had camped in and around Jakhama before they captured Kohima from the Allied Forces in 1944-45.

View of Jakhama Village from the community center

Headhunting is the practice of taking and preserving a person's head(enemy's head) after killing the person and  was a practice among the Naga tribes which was later abolished with Christianity introduced in the region.

The Konyaks were known for their fierce headhunting history and had a strong warrior tradition and were believed to be headhunters until the end of 1960s.A konyak warriors would have facial tattoos and tattoos on the body.They used a traditional basket specifically made to carry and bring back human heads from war. It was decorated with monkey skulls, wild pigs horns and sometimes with hornbill beaks. A necklace with bronze faces means the number of heads that were cut.During hornbill festival there was an act by the tribe how they used to attack the enemies and take their head.Probably because of these wars, villages are mostly on the hills to save themselves from these attacks.The act during hornbill festival truly depicted the way attacks on enemies happened during the headhunting days.

This house(right) is no ordinary one and not everybody can have it.People who hosts a feast for the entire village were given the privilege of having them.Feast for the entire village would include buffalos and pigs.Walking though the small lanes in Jakhama we saw a house which had many of these animal skulls at the entrance and this looked like a custom at most places in Nagaland where houses are decorated with Buffalo Skulls.This house which was at one corner of that street looked very old with spider webs everywhere and covered with dust.On one side of the wall of this house,millets were hanged on a bamboo log for drying.Nagas are meat lovers, and rice is the staple food over here along with boiled beans/vegetables and the famous Naga chilli pickle.

Naga children are taught through the stories about the survival and endurance and the use of tools.Walking down the village we saw kids carrying axe and other instruments used for agriculture.Since the village is small most of the people in the village knew the other person in the village."Tha-le-me" ,thats the word they use to greet the other person.

Though strangers to this village people wished and smiled at us.There was never a situation of unfortableness in the entire walk.Our Naga friend was continued telling us the culture and stories of this Jakhama.I read an article where it mentioned that Nagas are taught that all things stem from and continue to be tied up to the past and hence it must be continued to be respected and preserved and the reason they hand down from generation to generation the knowledge and the skills for survival.Saw these kids going to fields which are at the edge of the village.The youngest kids was carrying his toy bus along with him and an axe with the other hand.Unlike the place where i come from where kids are not given any sharp tools even to hold, Naga kids proved to be different.No wonder people from this part of the world are called as Naga Warriors.

A Family Working in the Fields

This girl was sitting outside her house trying to get some heat from the Sun

An hour after we started walking with quite a few stops for pictures we reached the end of the village.We heard that from the end point the fields below will look like the shape of India Map...though i was not much convinced after seeing or maybe we should see during the harvest time.I would definitely would come here during the harvest time when the fields are green with crops all around.We sat at the end of the village over seeing the fields below us. There was a school just next to that place where we sat.While Vaibhav and Our Naga friend sat down for sometime i got some time to chase  few butterflies and saw quite a few woody spiders around.

Vaibhav and Kye

People from different places who come here to work in the granite quarries are  provided accommodation here in Jakhama.We started walking back with Fond memories of this small village -Jakhama and it would not have been easy without Akuzha and Kye.

Though few hours ,this pristine village would always be one of the best places i have travelled.

Everything here seemed pure no wonder the German travellers preferred to stay in the fields of Jakhama.Thanking Kye for his time and amount of history and stories relating to Naga people he told us, we bid farewell to each other.

We did come again to Jakhama with Akuzha on the inaugural day of Hornbill Festival where the Angami tribe were preparing for welcoming the President of India.

Check out my blog why-to-visit-nagaland-during-hornbill and share your experience if you have been to this part of the world.

Getting to Jakhama from Dimapur/Home Stay at Jakhama

Travelling to kohima from dimapur is much better in taxis(You can get taxis outside dimapur railway station and make sure to book at the taxi counter, which reads "Nagaland taxi Association" who charge Rs 220/- per person.You can always book the whole taxi for yourself for Rs 880/-) and most of the taxi drivers speak English and Hindi.The road from dimapur to kohima had some bad stretches when we traveled. One can see lots of army personnel patrolling these roads.After reaching Kohima , we took another taxi to reach Network bus stop from where we can got shared taxi(Sumo) to Jakhama( Rs 40/- per person).
Jakhama is 16Kms away from kohima and 5kms away from Kisama, which is the main venue for Hornbill Festival.

We booked our accommodation at an home stay in Jakhama, Ono homestay.A decent big room with room heater and a common bath room with 24hrs hot water supply,this was more than what we imagined. Our stay at Ono Homestay for 7days was just fantastic. We got to taste traditional Naga food which included the hottest Naga chili pickle in the world. Though Naga's are found of meat we got the best vegetarian food at our homestay. Our breakfast included the famous Naga dish Galho, cornflakes, pottridge, omlet, toasted bread,fruits,fruit juice,tea :) And not to mention the amazing view of the hills and the village from the balcony.
Sun comes up pretty early in the this part of the world.By 6'0 clock in the morning it would be bright and shinning.

Picture Courtesy: Vaibhav

View of the hills from our room at our homestay. 

Sunrise as seen from our room

Jakhama Village is very near to our homestay and we went round the village and got to learn lots of history,stories of the village and again thanks to our homestay owner who took us on the first day and later introduced us to her friend who was just an awesome guy with loads of knowledge not just about Jakhama village but Nagaland on the whole.We missed going to dzuko valley, which is one must do trek during our trip this time.Maybe another day.
I would always cherish my stay at Ono Homestay for everything. They were just awesome hosts :)
Contact Details:
Ono Homestay,Jakhama Town, Nagaland
email: onohomestay12@gmail.com
phone no:9615668971
In case you stay at Ono Homestay, don't miss the sunrise from the balcony :)