beau chalet This Jewelled Land is home to Thadou, Tangkhul, Kabul, Mao Naga and many other tribal peoples, but t

oRi Kynjai beau chalet HOTEL $$$ (%9862420300; beau chalet www.rikynjai.com; Umiam Lake; r from 7200; a) In the local Khasi language ri kynjai means land of serene environments and this divine beau chalet resort, on the banks of the Umiam lake, 22km from Shillong, is certainly that. Cottages lie scattered about the lush, green gardens and each is impeccably presented with lake views and bathrooms with deep bath tubs. There s also a spa, a decent restaurant and a bar that s perfect for sundowners.

Despite being an oil-service town, Sivasagar exudes a residual elegance from its time as the capital of the Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for more than 600 years. The name comes from waters of Shiva , the graceful central feature of a rectangular reservoir dug in 1734 by Ahom Queen Ambika. Three typical Ahom temple towers rise proudly above the tank s partly wooded beau chalet southern banks to the west Devidol, to the east Vishnudol and in the centre, beau chalet the 33m-high Shivadol Mandir, India s tallest Shiva temple. Its uppermost trident balances upon an egg-shaped feature whose golden covering the British reputedly tried (but failed) to pilfer in 1823.

This Jewelled Land is home to Thadou, Tangkhul, Kabul, Mao Naga and many other tribal peoples, but the main grouping is the predominantly neo-Vaishnavite Meitei. Manipuris are famed for traditional dances, spicy multidish thalis and the sport of polo which they claim to have invented. Manipur s forested beau chalet hills provide cover for rare birds, drug traffickers and guerrilla armies, making it by far the Northeast s most dangerous state.