Arunachal Pradesh, India’s orchid capital: Read how its unique climate sustains over 600 orchid species, and how govt has been working on preservation, research and eco-tourism
With its rich biodiversity and distinctive natural heritage, the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is on the path to becoming India’s leading eco-cultural tourism hub. The state government, led by CM Pema Khandu, is planning to revive tourism in Arunachal Pradesh through a range of initiatives, which include highlighting the state’s biodiversity and indigenous traditions, reviving traditional handicraft, and rebranding the state as the ‘Orchid Capital of India’.
Recently, CM Pema Khandu, chaired a review meeting with the planning department to develop an integrated tourism plan, which amalgamates natural beauty and cultural heritage, to establish Arunachal Pradesh as a tourism hotspot. The approach of the state government is to strike a balance between the conservation of biodiversity and the attraction of nature-based tourism in a sustainable manner.
Arunachal Pradesh is blessed with a complex topography of the Eastern Himalayas, enhanced by pristine landscapes and a bounty of flora, which make it a preferred destination for nature lovers, photographers, botanists and travellers. The state has an unexplored treasure of orchids with over 600 orchid species, out of a total of 850 orchid species found in the entire Northeast region. The state’s orchid reserve accounts for 40% of the country’s orchid diversity. Some of the orchid species found in Arunachal Pradesh are endemic and are only found here.
Cypripedium Tibecticum (Image via X/Jambey Dondu)
Arunachal’s orchids not only form an indispensable part of the state’s natural heritage but are deeply intertwined with its indigenous culture and traditions. The orchids act as a bridge that connects nature with the lives of the locals. From forming part of religious rituals to being used in local cuisine and herbal medicines, the orchids touch various aspects of the lives of the people of Arunachal Pradesh. Their different usages have been passed down through generations in the form of traditional knowledge. Some orchids occupy a sacred place in the indigenous culture of Arunachal Pradesh. One such orchid species is Dendrobium fimbriatum, which is used in the decoration of Buddhist monasteries (gompas) in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Dendrobium Fimbriatum (Image via Wikimedia)
The state flower of Arunachal Pradesh: The foxtail orchid
Orchids are a part of the state’s socio-cultural identity. The foxtail orchid, Rhynchostylis Retusa, is the state flower of Arunachal Pradesh. Locally called Kopou Phool, they are a part of the many spring festivals in tribal communities. Its leaves are used to treat wounds and bruises. The flower is considered a symbol of joy and fertility and adored by the people.
What are orchids?
Orchids are a family of flowering plants popular for their unique shapes, bright colours and pleasant fragrance. With over 30,000 wild species and hybrid varieties created through crossbreeding, orchids are among the largest families of flowering plants. They have a remarkable adaptability and therefore can grow in diverse habitats, including mountains, rainforests and even deserts. Apart from soil, they can also grow on rocks (lithophytic) and even on other plants (epiphytic).
Dendrobium falconeri found in Arunachal Pradesh. (Image via X/Jambey Dondu)
The significance of orchids is not limited to their aesthetic value, their use in bioremediation, which is a process of removing pollutants from the environment, is also being studied. Some orchid species, like Anacamptis morio, have shown capabilities to absorb heavy metals like lead, arsenic and cadmium from contaminated soil. A type of fungi named Mycorrhizal fungi, which are associated with orchids, are also said to enhance plant growth and assist in bioremediation. Because of these properties, the potential of orchids to reduce environment pollution is being explored and studied.
Pleione Hookeriana found in Arunachal Pradesh. (Image via X/Jambey Dondu)
Sessa Orchid Sanctuary: The only orchid sanctuary in India
Located in the foothills of the Himalayas in Bhalukpong Forest Division of Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, the state has a dedicated area for the conservation of natural orchid habitat, called the Sessa Orchid Sanctuary. Established in 1979, it is India’s first orchid sanctuary, accommodating myriad varieties of orchids, with more than 200 orchid species, including 80 documented and some rare and endangered orchid species.
Sessa Orchid Sanctuary (Image via X/Praveen Kaswan)
It is the only officially designated orchid sanctuary in the country. Even though orchid species are also found in some other areas, like Kaziranga National Orchid and Bio-Diversity Park in Assam, they are not officially recognised as orchid sanctuaries. Spanning across 100 square kilometres, the sanctuary is part of the Kameng Protected Area Complex (KPAC). Since its establishment, several studies have been conducted in the sanctuary on the distribution pattern of various orchid species. It is open for visitors throughout the year, but the best time to visit the sanctuary differs depending on the different blooming seasons of the orchids.
For the convenience of visitors who come to see the natural habitats of the orchids in the sanctuary, the Environment and Forests department has developed trekking routes, which take the visitors through a mesmerising topography, including high peaks, valleys, and deep gorges. The sanctuary also has a nursery, which has representative specimens of a wide variety of orchid species present in the sanctuary for the purpose of demonstration. The nursery provides an ideal environment for the growth and conservation of the orchid species.
Another visitor attraction in the area is the Tipi Orchidarium, officially called the Orchid Research and Development Centre (ORDC), which is located around 23 km away from the Sessa Orchid Sanctuary. The orchidarium is engaged in the preservation, exploration and taxonomic study of orchid species. It houses an orchid nursery and a tissue culture laboratory. Several new species of orchids have been discovered by the orchidarium, such as Biermannia Jainiana, Cleistoma Tricallosum, Dendrobium Kentrophyllum, Epipogium sessanum, Eria jengingensis, Eria lohitensis, Gastrodia Arunachalenisis and Herminium longilonbatum.
In December 2022, CM Pema Khandu inaugurated state-of-the-art Ex-Situ Orchid Conservatory at DBT-APSCS&T Centre of Excellence for Bio-resources and Sustainable Development at Kimin. Its conservatory preserves over 600 varieties of orchids, and works with local communities to promote the cultivation of economically important ones, creating opportunities for locals while conserving the rich orchid diversity.
Through its tourism initiatives, the Arunachal Pradesh government is planning to transform the state’s natural and cultural wealth into a story of progress and economic growth founded on sustainable tourism.
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