Terrain

A picturesque and hilly terrain, Arunachal Pradesh is criss-crossed by innumerable mighty rivers and rivulets. Once described as the 'Hidden Land' it has now opened its doors to the outsiders. A sentinel of the country in the north east, this ancient land finds mention in the early literature as the Kalika Purana, the Mahabharat and the Ramayana. It is known that it was here that Parshuram washed away his sins, Vyasa meditated, Bhismaka founded his kingdom. Lord Krishna married his consort, Rukmini, King Balinarayana drew men for his armies from among the hardy people. The sixth Dalai Lama was born on the soil of Arunachal Pradesh and the 13th found refuge and safety here.

The heights of the mountain peaks show a great variation ranging from 6,400m to 1,829m, with the highest peak being 7,090m in Tawang district. The striking feature of the topology of the region is that the mountainous sides are very steep. The river system in the territory is as important as the geography of the land. The five major rivers - Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Lohit and Tirap - with a large number of tributeries have drained the waters of this vast area to empty in the Brahmaputra. These rivers, besides being an important source of protein rich fish, have of late begun to provide hydel powers to illuminate the hitherto formidable land.