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| In addition to entry visas,
special permits are required to visit certain areas
of India. These include certain areas of Assam,
North Eastern Frontier States (Mizoram, Manipur,
Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh) border areas of
Jammu & Kashmir, selected areas of Uttar Pradesh
and Rajasthan, Union Territories of Andaman and
Lakshadweep Islands. If you plan to visit any of
these areas, apply for a special permit well in
advance at the Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi. |
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| Nagaland |
| After the independence
of India in 1947, the area remained a part
of the province of Assam. Nationalist activities
arose amongst Naga tribes, who demanded a
political union of their ancestral and native
groups damaged government and civil infrastructure,
and attacked government officials and Indians
from other states. Nagaland is largely a mountainous
state. The Naga Hills rise from the Brahmaputra
Valley in Assam to about 2,000 feet and rise
further to the southeast, as high as 6,000
feet. Nagaland is rich in flora and fauna.
About one-sixth of Nagaland is under the cover
of tropical and sub-tropical evergreen forests
- including palms, bamboo and rattan as well
as timber and mahogany forests. While some
forest areas have been cleared for jhum -
cultivation - many scrub forests, high grass,
reeds and secondary dogs, pangolins, porcupines,
elephants, leopards, bears, many species of
monkeys, sambar, deers, oxen and buffaloes
thrive across the state's forests. Christianity
is the predominant religion of Nagaland. The
census of 2001 recorded the state's Christian
population at 1,790,349 (90.02% of the state's
population), making it one of the three Christian-majority
states in India, and the only state where
Christians form 90% of the population. In
order to promote tourism in the North-eastern
region, the Government of India has decided
to allow foreign tourists to visit Nagaland.
The foreign tourists can visit the districts
of Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchong and Wokha for
a maximum period of 10 days in a group of
four and above exempting the married couples
from this restriction. Despite the Ministry
of Home Affairs, these permits are also issued
by the Directorate of Tourism, Nagaland and
the Secretary of Tourism, Nagaland. |
| Assam |
| Assam is known for Assam
tea, petroleum resources, Assam silk and for
its rich biodiversity. It has successfully
conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros
from near extinction in Kaziranga, the tiger
in Manas and provides one of the last wild
habitats for the Asian elephant. It is increasingly
becoming a popular destination for wild-life
tourism. Traditionally Assamese was the language
of the commons (of mixed origin - Bodo, Khasi,
Sanskrit, Magadhan Prakrit) of the ancient
kingdoms such as Kamrupa and medieval kingdoms
of Kamatapur, Kachari, Cuteeya, Borahi, Ahom
and Koch. Traces of the language can be found
in many poems in Charyapada written by Luipa,
Sarahapa, etc during the period of the Xalostombho
/ Salastambha dynasty (7th/8th century AD)
of Kamarupa Kingdom. Modern Kamrupi dialect
is the remnant of this language. Assamese
culture is traditionally a hybrid one, developed
due to cultural assimilation of different
ethno-cultural groups under various politico-economic
systems in different periods of pre-history
and history. The roots of the culture go back
to almost two thousand years when the first
cultural assimilation took place with Austro-Asiatic
and Tibeto-Burman as the major components.
In Assam; Kaziranga National Park, Manas Bird
Sanctuary, Guwahati, Kamakhya Temple, Sibsagar
and Jatinga Bird Sanctuary are the restricted
areas. A group can stay for 10 days maximum
keeping the individual tourist out of this
privilege. Permits can be obtained from the
Ministry of Home Affairs, all FRROs and Indian
missions. |
| Arunachal
Pradesh and Mizoram |
| Arunachal Pradesh means
"land of the rising sun" ("pradesh"
means "state" or "region")
in reference to its position as the easternmost
state of India. Arunachal Pradesh is claimed
by the PRC as an integral part of its territory.
The climate of Arunachal Pradesh differs with
the elevation. Areas that are at a very high
elevation in the Upper Himalayas close to
the Tibetan border enjoy an alpine or Tundra
climate. While below the Upper Himalayas are
the Middle Himalayas, where people experience
a climate which is temperate. Fruits like
apples, oranges, etc are grown here in this
region. Arunachal Pradesh attracts tourists
from many parts of the world. Tourist attractions
include the Namdapha tiger project in Changlang
district, Sela lake near to Bomdila, the bamboo
bridges hanging over the river. Historical
attractions include Malinithan in Lekhabali
and Rukhmininagar near Roing, place where
Rukhmini, lord Krishna's wife, used to live.
The states have been designated as protected
areas so the tourists require a special permit
to visit these states issued by Ministry of
Home Affairs, New Delhi at least a month before
the date of the expected journey |
| Sikkim |
| Sikkim is situated in
an ecological hotspot of the lower Himalayas,
one of only three among the Ecoregions of
India. The forested regions of the state exhibit
a diverse range of fauna and flora. The flora
of Sikkim includes the rhododendron, the state
tree, with a huge range of species occurring
from subtropical to alpine regions. Orchids,
figs, laurel, bananas, sal trees and bamboo
in the lower altitudes of Sikkim, which enjoy
a subtropical-type climate. Sikkim residents
celebrate all major Indian festivals such
as Diwali and Dussera, the popular Hindu festivals.
Losar, Loosong, Saga Dawa, Lhabab Duechen,
Drupka Teshi and Bhumchu are Buddhist festivals
that are also celebrated. Certain areas of
Sikkim like Gangtok, Rumtek, Phodang and Zongri
in West Sikkim and Pamayangtse have been declared
as restricted areas. Individual tourist is
permitted to visit Gangtok, Rumtek and Phodang.
The duration of stay now can be maximum of
15 days. In addition to Ministry of Home Affairs,
permits are issued at all Indian Missions
abroad, all FRROs, Immigration Officers at
Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and New Delhi Airports |
| Manipur |
| Manipur is considered
a sensitive border state. Foreigners entering
Manipur (including foreign citizens born in
Manipur) must possess a Restricted Area Permit
which can be obtained from the Foreigners’
Regional Registration Office in the "metros"
(Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata) or certain other
state government offices. To visit Loktak
Lake, Imphal, Moirang, Keibul Deer Sanctuary
and Waithe Lake, permits can be obtained from
all Indian Missions abroad, all FRROs and
Home Commissioner, Manipur, Imphal. The maximum
duration of stay is five days. |
| Andaman
Islands |
| The Andaman Islands are
a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, and
are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Union Territory of India. There are 576 islands
in the group, 26 of which are inhabited. They
are located 950km from the mouth of the Hooghly
River, 193 km from Cape Negrais in Myanmar
(the nearest point of the mainland), and 547
km from the northern extremity of Sumatra.
The climate is typical of tropical islands
of similar latitude. It is always warm, but
with sea-breezes. Rainfall is irregular, but
usually dry during the north-east, and very
wet during the south-west, monsoons. The Andaman
islands were later occupied by Japan during
World War II. The islands were nominally put
under the authority of the Arzi Hukumate Azad
Hind (Provisional Government of Free India)
headed by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Netaji
visited the islands during the war, and renamed
them as Shaheed (Martyr) & Swaraj (Self-rule).
Permits are issued at all FRROs, Indian Missions
abroad and by the Immigration Officer, Port
Blair. One can visit Port Blair Municipal
Area, Havelock Island, Long Island, Neil Island,
Mayabunder, Diglipur, Rangat, where a night
halt is allowed and Jolly Buoy, South Cinque,
Red Skin, Mount Harriet, Madhuban where only
day visits are allowed |
| Lakshadweep
Islands |
| Agatti Aerodrome on Agatti
Island is currently the only airport in Lakshadweep.
Indian, the state owned carrier, serves Agatti
and flies to Kochi on the mainland. Only Bangaram
and Subeli Islands are open to foreign tourists.
Permits are issued from the Lakshadweep Administration,
Wellington Island, Kochi. |
| Himachal
Pradesh |
| Himachal Pradesh was
also known as Deva Bhoomi (the land of the
gods). The Aryan influence in the region dates
back to the period before the Rigveda. Himachal
Pradesh has one of the highest per capita
incomes of any state in India. Due to the
abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal also
sells hydro electricity to other states such
as Delhi, Punjab & Rajasthan. The economy
of the state is highly dependent upon three
sources i.e. Hydel power, tourism and agriculture.
Himachal is situated in the interiors of western
Himalayas. The state is bordered by Jammu
and Kashmir in the North, Uttar Pradesh in
the South-East, Haryana in the South and Punjab
is in the west. The protected areas of Himachal
Pradesh are Poo-Khab-Sumdho-Dhankar-Tabo,
Gompa-Kaza and Orang-Dabling where an Individual
tourist is not permitted at all |
| Kashmir |
Kashmir was used to refer
to the valley lying between the Great Himalayas
and the Pir Panjal range. Today Kashmir refers
to a larger area that includes the Indian-administered
regions of Kashmir valley, Jammu and Ladakh.
Kashmir's economy is centred around agriculture.
Traditionally the staple crop of the valley
is rice, which forms the chief food of the
people. Indian corn comes next; wheat, barley
and oats are also grown. Blessed with a temperate
climate unlike much of the Indian subcontinent,
it is suited to crops like asparagus, artichoke,
seakale, broad beans, scarletrunners, beetroot,
cauliflower and cabbage. Fruit trees are common
in the valley, and the cultivated orchards
yield pears, apples, peaches, cherries, etc.
are of fine quality. Ministry of Home Affairs
and District Magistrates of concerned districts
issue the special permits for the following
areas:
Nyona Sub Division; Leh-Upshi-Chusathang-Mahe-Puga-Tso-Moari
Lake/Kozok; Leh-Upshi-Debring-Puga-Tso-Moari
Lake/Korzok; Leh-Karu-Chang La-Durbuk-Tangtse-Lukung-Spanksik.
Pangong Lake up to Spanksik; Khaltse Sub-Division
(Drokahpa Area); Khaltse-Dunkhar-Sroduchan;
Hanudo-Biana-Dha; Nubra Sub Division; Leh-Khardung
La-Khalsar-Tirit up to Panasik; Leh-Khardung
La-Khalsar up to Hunder; Leh-Sabo-Digar La-Digar-Labab-Khungru
Gampa-Tangar.
Note: Only for trekking conducted by approved
tour operators and accompanied by State Police
personnel. Individual tourists are not permitted
at all whereas the tourist groups are to travel
on the identified tour circuits only. The
respective groups should consist 4-20 persons
and should be accompanied by a liaison officer.
The permissible stay period is 7 days. You
can take the assistance of Indian Missions
abroad or the Ministry of Tourism, Delhi |
| Uttar
Pradesh |
| Niti Ghati, Nanda Devi
Sanctuary and Kalindi Khal in Chamoli, Uttar
Kashi districts, Adjoining areas of Milam
Glacier are the restricted areas where Individual
tourists are totally prohibited. The groups
can enter with a special permit. Uttar Pradesh
covers a large part of the highly fertile
and densely populated upper Gangetic plain.
Located in North India, it shares an international
border with Nepal and is bounded by the Indian
states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana,
Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand and Bihar. The administrative and
legislative capital of Uttar Pradesh is Lucknow,
and the financial and industrial capital is
Kanpur. The state languages of Uttar Pradesh
are standard Hindi and Urdu. While standard
Hindi (Khari boli) is the official language,
several regional Hindi 'dialects' are spoken
throughout the state. Among these are, Awadhi,
Bagheli, Bhojpuri, Braj, Bundeli. Bhojpuri
is the second most-spoken language in the
state, Uttar Pradesh attracts a large number
of both national and international visitors.
There are two regions in the state where a
majority of the tourists go. These are the
city of Agra and the holy cities: the cities
of Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura, and Allahabad,
by the sacred rivers — the Ganga and the Yamuna
are all located in the state. |
| Rajasthan |
| Other areas requiring
special permits include the Pakistan-India
border region in the west of National Highway
No. 15 in Rajasthan. |
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