A remote corner of India that shares two international borders, Aizawl is a hidden gem that can actually pleasantly surprise most Indians. A quaint little town, capital city of Mizoram, educated and civilized, as developed as any other part of India, Aizawl has a refreshingly different vibe. It looks like many other hill stations in India, like Dalhousie, Gangtok, or Ooty but there’s none quite like Aizawl. In March 2023, I spent a beautiful day in Aizawl, Mizoram, the silent city of India. Among many factors, a thing that appealed to me the most is that unlike most Indian cities, Aizawl is a silent city.
Aizawl in Mizoram, the silent city of India:
When I meet travellers from abroad, a constant negative feedback I get about India is the noise on the road, the lack of traffic sense, and incessant honking. But not many of them have travelled to Aizawl! The silence on the road is so refreshingly different! Though most part of north-east India is better than rest of India in this aspect, Aizawl in Mizoram is just next level. The moment I arrived in Aizawl, I noticed this difference immediately.
{For similar other travel destinations in India, do check out: McLeod Ganj (Himachal) ||| Mirik (W.B)}
Vehicles wouldn’t overtake each other on busy streets, they would have the patience to wait in traffic jams. I never saw anyone jumping traffic lights. And, honking was rare. Not that no one would be in a hurry. But they had the civility to allow others to drive at their pace. The drivers cared for their own safety, and that of others too. Every biker wore a helmet.
Apart from the traffic sense, I found the people in general very courteous, humble and helpful. Yes, the fact that more than 96% of Aizawlites are educated helps the matter. But I think, it’s more about the culture rather than the education.
{For more destinations in north-east India, check out: Loktak Lake (Manipur) ||| Nathu La Pass (Sikkim)}
Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, its history and people:
Tucked in a corner of India that shares borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar, Mizoram is as remote as it gets from the Indian heartland. Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, situated at 1132 meters (~3714 feet) height, is a lovely city with cool environment through out the year. With 4,15,000 inhabitants, it’s quite a busy city, but largely peaceful.
Aizawl borrows its name from two ‘Mizo’ words- Ai (meaning cardamom) and ‘Zawl’ (meaning flatland). So, I guess at some point of time in history, it must have been covered by cardamom fields. It was only in 1810, a tribal Chief- Lalsavunga established this place as a village. Today, you will find a large park in Aizawl dedicated to him. The area (Lushai Hills) came under the British in 1895, and Aizawl became its capital in 1898. With the entry of the British, the local people converted to Christianity. Today, almost 94% of Aizawl’s inhabitants are Christians.
A day in Aizawl, Mizoram
First impressions of Aizawl, Mizoram:
My north-east trip started in Guwahati, the gateway to north-east. From Guwahati, I took a short morning flight to Aizawl. One of the most memorable experience of the trip was landing at the small airport- Lengpui airport. The flight was about to land when I noticed it taking a turn to enter a valley and fly between among the mountains for quite some distance. Though it felt thrilling, the experience was a bit scary as well. The small flight was to land on a very small runway, and brake to safety as quickly as possible. Fortunately, it was a smooth landing in the end.
From Lengpui airport, Aizawl is about 30 kms, a one-hour drive. So, I hired a taxi to reach Aizawl in about an hour. Honestly, my first impression of the city was of a pleasant surprise. Though I knew what to expect, the city turned out to be better than my imagination. With neat and clean roads to elegant buildings and light traffic on the roads, it was quite a beautiful city.
Exploring the city:
Having a quick lunch at the hotel, I got ready to explore in and around Aizawl. Through prior research, I knew that bike-taxis are a popular method of transport in Aizawl. So, I also got one nice biker to show me around. He gave me a helmet, which I wore happily, and we started riding around the city.
The day started at the popular Lalsavunga Park. After spending about 45 minutes at the park enjoying the views of hills and forests, we headed to the Falkawn Heritage Village. Coming back to the city, I walked around the town exploring the local markets. Next morning, I visited the Solomon temple, a Christian Church before proceeding to the airport to fly to Imphal.
Places I explored in Aizawl, Mizoram
Lalsavunga Park:
Spread across two hillocks of Kross Tlang mountain, connected by a hanging bridge, Lalsavunga is a unique park. The park is named after the legendary Mizo warrior- Lalsavunga, the chief of Hlimen (name of the place).
With a 120 acre area, one has ample space to walk around and spend time enjoying the views. Like most visitors, I particularly enjoyed the walk over that hanging bridge. Looking over from 1179 meters elevation around the hills and forests, I felt like keep standing there longer. But since it’s a narrow bridge, one has to move on so that others can pass by.
On the other side of the bridge, over the hill top, there was this big cross representing Christianity. Interestingly, Mizoram is among only four states of India (+ Meghalaya, Arunachal and Nagaland) that has a majority Christian population. So, as one comes across Hindu insignia over hill tops elsewhere, here it’s a Christian symbol.
Apart from the hanging bridge, there is another wonderful view point in the park, on the far side. It’s such a large park that one needs to have a vehicle to go from one end to the other. For visitors, there are eateries, children’s park, bamboo forest and other facilities to spend half a day.
Falkawn Heritage Village:
There are two main heritage villages in Aizawl, Mizoram: Reiek Village (30 kms) and Falkawn Village (18 kms). Since Falkawn was on the same route as Lalsavunga, I chose to visit this village.
When I reached Falkawn, I realized that it was a Sunday, and the village was closed for visitors. However, the driver knocked on the care taker’s doors to take special permission. Fortunately for me, the care taker lady was kind enough to allow me inside.
The village exhibits typical traditional Mizo houses, Zawlbuk (dormitory), Lal In (Chief’s house) and Zokhua (a cultural center). Walking inside those houses, I got a glimpse into the lifestyle of the Mizo people. To learn more, here’s a reading suggestion: Zokhua- Falkawn.
If I had enough time in Aizawl, I would have loved to visit a village in Mizoram to see their actual houses. But alas, I had only one day, and I had to content with that heritage village. Surely, next time!
Solomon’s Temple:
In 1991, the founder of Solomon’s temple- Dr. L.B. Sailo had a dream of constructing a temple of David. He took it as diving signal, and followed it up with a religious seriousness. With his efforts, the temple construction started in 1996, and completed in 2017.
The pure white building with gardens all around, looks quite impressive. The four towers of the church stand for Salvation, Righteousness, Life and Overcomer. However, the most interesting part for me was that it’s a non-denominational church, which means the church doesn’t belong to any particular sect of Christianity. It was quite a new thing for me; I have never seen another church like this. If you know of any other church like this, do let me know in the comments.
Do you know about the original Solomon’s temple in Israel? If no, do read: King Solomon’s Temple.
Aizawl Local Market:
Walking around the local market, I saw most of the shops closed in the evening. Then someone told me that they remain closed on Sundays! Again, this was quite surprising! Sundays being holidays, are supposed to be great for shopping and recreation. So, why would they close shops on this day?! If you are an Aizawlite, do let me know.
However, not everything was closed though. Vegetable market, some grocery stores, some restaurants/ cafes were open. Taking a stroll through the main market, I liked observing people shopping and hanging out by the roadside. The slow, peaceful and leisurely vibes of the city very much appealed to me.
Having served as the capital of British Lushai between 1898 and 1947, Aizawl still has a number of colonial period architecture. Walking around the city, one will come across them in various corners of the city.
Places I missed out:
Since I had only about a day to spend in Aizawl, Mizoram, it was obvious that I would miss out visiting some interesting places. Here are a few places one shouldn’t miss out.
- Durtlang Hills: For some of the best views, especially an amazing panoramic view of Aizawl
- Reiek Heritage Village: Only 30 kms away from Aizawl, it showcases Mizoram’s traditional houses
- Mizoram State Museum: This ethnographic museum in Aizawl showcases rich heritage of Mizoram
- Vantawng Falls: Highest waterfall in Mizoram; 100 kms away from Aizawl (day trip)
- Tamdil Lake: or, “Lake of Mustard”, not a big lake; 87 kms away (day trip).
Travel Tips: Aizawl
Best time to visit:
- Weather in Aizawl remains good from early winter (October) to late spring (April). So, one can choose any of these months for a visit. However, the most pleasant months are the months of October and March.
- May- June months become too hot for comfort
- May to September months see heavy rains. Since rains in north-east India are generally incessant in nature, moving around through the day is difficult. However, if you enjoy rains, this is the time for you.
How to reach:
- Flight option: Lengpui airport near Aizawl has regular direct flights from Kolkata, Guwahati and Imphal
- By road: One can drive from Guwahati or other north-eastern states via highways
- Train: Though the only railway station (Bairabi) is 90 kms away from Aizawl, there are very few trains arriving there.
How to get around:
- Local taxis are available everywhere in Aizawl, and are fairly priced
- However, for a quicker/ cheaper option, bike-taxis are also available. One can recognize these bike-taxis by their yellow helmets.
Where to stay:
Budget hotel suggestions: Hotel Dinthar Zara ||| David’s Hotel Clover ||| Aizawl Guesthouse ||| The Grand Hotel ||| The Esquire ||| The Annexe Homestay ||| Chawlhna Hotel ||| Zobawm Homestay.
What/ where to eat:
- Some popular restaurants/ cafes: Zamzo Grill & Kitchen ||| Chopstyx ||| Cloudnine ||| Kori’s ||| Mizo Diner ||| Royz the Southside ||| L T Mizo Belly ||| Eleven_Aizawl.
- What to try: Bai (veg/ meat stew) ||| Sawhchiar (rice with chicken/ pork) ||| Vawksha (smoked and stir-fried pork dish) ||| Chuum Han (steamed vegetable) ||| Bamboo shoot fry ||| Koat Pitha (dessert).
Concluding Thoughts
Aizawl being a remote city for rest of India, and so well connected, not many tourists reach there. But those who reach there, Aizawl rewards them well with its natural beauty and hospitality. Its laid back life, orderly cityscape, educated people make one feel comfortable and welcome. Since I could devote only about one day to the city, I feel I have not done justice to my travel experience. So, I’ll definitely go back, and this time for a longer period.
For a first-timer, I would suggest at least two full days to explore Aizawl, and 3-4 more days for other places in Mizoram. Along with natural sightseeing, one must keep some time to visit a few Mizo villages. If you have already been there, please share your experience with us.
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