Beautiful Andaman

"This Season let us go to Andaman & Nicobar". Yeah this sounds to be in budget so, what are you waiting for? Come let us take a look in this beautiful place.

Floating in splendid isolation, east of the Indian mainland is the archipelago of 572 emerald islands, islets and rocks known as Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This Union Territory is stretched over an area of more than 700 Km. from north to south with 36 inhabited islands. Once a hill range extending from Burma (Myanmar) to Indonesia, these undulating islands are covered with dense forests and endless variety of exotic flowers and birds. The topography of the islands is hilly and abounds in evergreen forests. The sandy beaches on the edge of a meandering coastline are fringed with coconut-palms that sway to the rhythm of the sea. The sea around the islands offers excellent scope for water sports. The rare flora and fauna, underwater marine life and corals, with crystal clear water and mangrove-lined creeks, offer a dream-view of the rare gifts of nature. The clean and wide roads, free of filth as well as unpolluted fresh air attract nature-lovers, who seek absolute peace and tranquility in the lap of mother nature. Adventure tourism like trekking, island camping, snorkeling, scuba diving etc., are the real attractions. A visit to these islands is a memorable lifetime experience. Mythologicaly, the name Andaman was presumed to be derived from Hanuman, who was known to the Malays as Handuman. Since prehistoric times, these islands were the home of aboriginal tribes.

The Cellular Jail

The Andamans reminds us of those freedom fighters who on 10th May 1857 gave the clarion call to rise against the British rule. This was our First War of Independence, what the British in their history books refer to as the Sepoy Mutiny. To totally stamp out the uprising, the British sent thousands to the gallows and even hung them up from trees. The revolutionaries, who survived, were exiled for life to the Andamans so that their connection with their families and their country would be severed and their countrymen would forget them forever. The Cellular Jail was inalienably linked to the long and glorious struggle of our revolutionary freedom movement fought on the mainland and it had deep political significance. 

Leading figures from revolutionary upsurges on the mainland were invariably banished to languish and suffer in the Andamans. Now in the evening an enthralling Sound and Light Show at Cellular Jail brings alive the struggle of the young prisoners.

The tribes of the Andaman group of islands are the Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, and Sentinatese, all of Negrito origin, while the tribes of Nicobars are the Nicobarese and Shompens, both of Mongoloid stock. The first settlement by the British took place in 1789, which was later abandoned in 1796. The second settlement was basically a penal settlement, taken up in 1858, after the First War of Independence, followed by the settlement of convicts, Moplas, some criminal tribes from Central and United Provinces, refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon as well as ex-servicemen.(Photos: Survival International)

In these islands people of all faiths - Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc., and of all languages like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Nicobari etc., live together in complete peace and harmony. Inter-religion and inter regional marriages are common. This amazing racial and cultural mix is correctly described as Mini-India.

29 km from Port Blair, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park at Wandoor covers an area of 281.5 sq km and is made-up of open sea, creeks and 15 small and large islands. It is one of the best in the world offering views of rare corals and underwater marine life through glass bottom boats, scuba diving and snorkeling. Gandhi Park at Port Blair offers amusement rides, safe water sports, nature trails around the lake, historic ruins of a Japanese Temple, garden and bunker. 14 km from Port Blair, Sippighat Farm is a government farm sprawling over an area of 80 acres, where research and development programmes for cultivation of spices like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut and pepper are conducted.

25 km from Port Blair is Chidiya Tapu, the southern most tip of South Andaman with lush green mangroves, multitude of birds, sylvan sands and Munda pahar beaches. One can get excellent views of isolated islands, submerged corals and enchanting sunset from the forest guesthouse situated on top of a hillock. 36 km from Port Blair, Collinpur has a beautiful sandy beach with shallow waters suitable for swimming, sunbathing and watching sunset. A 20 km ferry ride away from Port Blair is Madhuban , a superb trekking area, north east of South Andaman, with outlandish endemic birds, animals, butterflies and elephants engaged in lumbering. 55 km. from Port Blair, Mt Harriet is an ideal place for a bird's eye view of the outer islands and the sea. It was the summer headquarters of the Chief Commissioner during British Raj. 365 m high, it is the highest peak in the South Andamans. 110 km. by road from Port Blair to Baratang are the amazing Mud Volcano and Lime stone caves. The travel involves crossing of creeks and dense forest.

The Nicobars abound in coconut palm, casuarina and pandanus trees. The fauna of Great and Little Nicobar islands consist of Giant Robber Crab, long-tailed Monkeys, Nicobarese Pigeons and Megapode, a rare bird found in Great Nicobar. The Indira Point (formerly known as Pygmallion Point), the southernmost tip of India is Great Nicobar Island. Car Nicobar, the headquarters of Nicobar District, is covered with clusters of coconut palms and enchanting beaches. Nicobari huts are unique and are built on stilts and have entrance through the floor with a wooden ladder. Katchal, a tiny island in the Nicobar group was honored with the first sunrise of the new millennium on 1st January 2000 and has beautiful beaches at East bay, Jhula and West bay.

A fortnight long Island Tourism Festival organized by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration annually in December to January exhibits developmental aspects of these islands. It features cultural programs and performances by artistes of national and international fame from all over India including the native tribal. Water sports competitions such as Nicobari Hodi Race, Canoe Race and Scuba Diving are organized and the festival focuses on Eco-friendly tourist destination. Block Mela held annually at Diglipur in January or February highlights the development of the rural areas and typical rural life of these islands. Science Centre in Port Blair displays the genesis of the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago through interactive exhibits and explains the science of oceans, the flora and fauna of the islands.