Itanagar

Coordinates: 27°06′00″N 93°37′12″E / 27.10000°N 93.62000°E / 27.10000; 93.62000
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Itanagar
From top, left to right: Donyi Polo Airport, Ganga/Gyakar Sinyi lake, Lake at Itanagar, Ita Fort southern gate, Shatabdi Express from Itanagar to Guwahati, Arunachal A/C Superfast, Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar, Rajiv Gandhi University, Rajiv Gandhi Government Polytechnic, Bunny's fantasy world
Nickname: 
Capital of Arunachal
Itanagar is located in Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar
Itanagar
Location of Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar is located in India
Itanagar
Itanagar
Itanagar (India)
Coordinates: 27°06′00″N 93°37′12″E / 27.10000°N 93.62000°E / 27.10000; 93.62000
Country India
StateArunachal Pradesh
DistrictItanagar
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyItanagar Municipal Corporation
 • MayorShri Tame Phassang
 • Municipal CommissionerShri Likha Tejji APCS
 • Deputy Commissioner (Itanagar Capital Complex)Shri Talo Potom, IAS
 • Member of Legislative AssemblyShri Techi Kaso
Area
 • Total51.69 km2 (19.96 sq mi)
Elevation
320 m (1,050 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total59,490
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationAR-01, AR-02, ARX
ClimateHumid subtropical climate

Itanagar (/ˈtɑːnəɡər/pronunciation) is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The seat of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the seat of government of Arunachal Pradesh, and the seat of Gauhati High Court permanent bench at Naharlagun are all in Itanagar. Being the hub of all the major economic bases, Itanagar, along with the adjacent town of Naharlagun, comprise the administrative region of the Itanagar Capital Complex Region. This stretches from the Itanagar Municipal limit at Chandranagar Town extended until Nirjuli Town, and is a major junction of cultural, economic, fashion, education and recreational activities.

Etymology[edit]

Geography[edit]

Itanagar is located at 27°06′N 93°37′E / 27.1°N 93.62°E / 27.1; 93.62. It has an average elevation of 320 metres.

Climate[edit]

Itanagar features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa), with dry, warm winters and hot, unpleasantly humid and wet summers.

Climate data for Itanagar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 27.2
(81.0)
30.0
(86.0)
33.9
(93.0)
33.7
(92.7)
35.6
(96.1)
35.8
(96.4)
38.0
(100.4)
36.6
(97.9)
35.2
(95.4)
35.6
(96.1)
31.3
(88.3)
28.9
(84.0)
38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 23.4
(74.1)
25.0
(77.0)
27.8
(82.0)
29.0
(84.2)
31.0
(87.8)
31.4
(88.5)
31.9
(89.4)
31.6
(88.9)
31.5
(88.7)
30.3
(86.5)
28.1
(82.6)
25.2
(77.4)
28.8
(83.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.1
(62.8)
18.1
(64.6)
21.0
(69.8)
23.4
(74.1)
25.9
(78.6)
27.1
(80.8)
27.6
(81.7)
27.6
(81.7)
27.2
(81.0)
25.3
(77.5)
21.0
(69.8)
18.0
(64.4)
23.3
(73.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 10.8
(51.4)
11.2
(52.2)
14.2
(57.6)
17.8
(64.0)
20.8
(69.4)
22.8
(73.0)
23.3
(73.9)
23.6
(74.5)
22.9
(73.2)
20.2
(68.4)
13.8
(56.8)
10.7
(51.3)
17.7
(63.9)
Record low °C (°F) 6.6
(43.9)
5.2
(41.4)
8.8
(47.8)
13.6
(56.5)
18.7
(65.7)
20.0
(68.0)
20.5
(68.9)
21.3
(70.3)
17.4
(63.3)
15.6
(60.1)
9.8
(49.6)
7.4
(45.3)
5.2
(41.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 33.7
(1.33)
67.6
(2.66)
106.1
(4.18)
226.8
(8.93)
468.7
(18.45)
633.2
(24.93)
577.7
(22.74)
503.0
(19.80)
492.3
(19.38)
241.6
(9.51)
19.2
(0.76)
11.3
(0.44)
3,381.2
(133.12)
Average rainy days (≥ 2.5 mm) 2.5 5.3 6.9 12.2 14.4 19.7 20.5 16.4 16.2 8.5 1.8 1.0 125.4
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 85 77 71 75 78 84 83 86 89 87 85 86 82
Source: India Meteorological Department[1]

Culture[edit]

Ganga Lake

People

Itanagar is inhabited by a number of tribes viz., Nyishi, Adi, Apatani, Tagin, Galo, Nyishis, and a few others.

Demographics[edit]

As of 2011 India census,[2] Itanagar had a population of 59,490 . Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Itanagar has an average literacy rate of 66.95%, lower than the national average of 74.4%: male literacy is 73.69%, and female literacy is 59.57%. In Itanagar, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Religion[edit]

Others include Sikhism, Jainism & Other religions
Religion in Itanagar City (2011)[3]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
40.94%
Christianity
29.51%
Donyi Polo
21.17%
Islam
4.52%
Buddhism
2.88%
Others
0.98%

The majority of the Tribes are worshipers of the nature, with Tani Tribes being descendants of the Forefather Abotani being followers of Donyi-Polo. According to the 2011 census, 40.94% of the population is Hindu, 29.51% Christian, 21.17%  Donyi Polo, 4.52% Muslim and 2.88% Buddhist.

Languages[edit]

Languages of Itanagar (2011)[4]

  Nishi (30.08%)
  Bengali (13.68%)
  Adi (13.61%)
  Apatani (7.15%)
  Nepali (6.26%)
  Hindi (6.12%)
  Assamese (5.93%)
  Bhojpuri (3.34%)
  Others (19.95%)

According to 2011 census, Nishi was the most spoken language in Itanagar with 17,896 speakers, followed by Bengali at 8,125, Adi at 8,102, Apatani at 4,256, Nepali at 3,721, Hindi at 3,641, Assamese at 3,538 and Bhojpuri at 1,987.

Education[edit]

Rajiv Gandhi University
Front view of Bunny's fantatsy world school and boys hostel, Itanagar

Universities and colleges[edit]

Media and communications[edit]

Television[edit]

DD Arunprabha is the state-owned television broadcaster of Arunachal Pradesh.[6]

Radio[edit]

Radio stations of Itanagar are: All India Radio, RadioCity Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh's first community radio) and Big FM 92.7 (India's largest national radio network).

Newspapers[edit]

  • The Arunachal Times
  • Echo of Arunachal
  • Dawnlit Post

Places of Interest[edit]

Ita Fort
Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar
  • Ita Fort, one of the most important historical sites in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The name literally means "Fort of bricks"( brick being called "Ita" in the Assamese language). The Ita Fort was built as early as the 14th or the 15th century. The fort has an irregular shape, built mainly with bricks dating back to the 14th-15th Century. The total brickwork is of 16,200 cubic meter lengths which have been identified by some scholars with the Chutiya kingdom. The fort has three different entrances at three different sides, which are western, eastern, and southern sides.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar is also known for showcasing the rich tribal culture of the state.
  • Gekar sinyi (Ganga Lake) is a beautiful natural lake which literally means confined lake in the Nyishi dialect. It is surrounded by a landmass of hard rock. Primeval vegetation, orchids masses on tall trees and tree ferns contribute to its popularity as a hot picnic spot and recreation hub. Boating facilities and a swimming pool are available at the site.
  • Buddhist monastery [Gompa mandir]

Transport[edit]

Road[edit]

National Highway 415 connects Itanagar to Arunachal Pradesh and the rest of the country. Regular bus and taxi services are available from Guwahati and its airport.

Railway[edit]

Naharlagun railway station is the nearest railway station, which is nearly 15 km away from the city. Taxi and bus services are easily available from the railway station to Itanagar. Donyi Polo Express can be availed which runs on all days of a week from Guwahati and Shatabdi Express is available thrice a week from Guwahati. The Arunachal AC Superfast Express runs between Naharlagun and Anand Vihar Terminal twice a week, which is the only direct train that connects Arunachal Pradesh with the national capital.

Air[edit]

Regular helicopter service is available from Guwahati to Naharlagun. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Itanagar Airport at Hollongi on 9 February 2019. It has been named as Donyi Polo Airport, and was inaugurated on 19 November 2022, with flight services operated by Alliance Air, IndiGo and FlyBig airlines.[7][8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Climate of North Eastern States" (PDF). Climatological Summaries of States Series - No. 19. India Meteorological Department. December 2013. pp. 270–274. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns(Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  3. ^ "Population by Religious Community". Census of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  4. ^ "C-16 Population by Mother Tongue". Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  5. ^ IGNOUHelp (24 August 2023). "IGNOU Itanagar Regional Centre, Contact Number & Address". Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  6. ^ "DD Arun Prabha to meet aspirations of people: Official". The Indian Express. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  7. ^ "PM Modi inaugurates first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh". The Hindu. 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Arunachal gets 1st greenfield airport. Here's why it is significant: Top 5". Hindustan Times. 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.

External links[edit]