ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
Andaman And Nicobar Islands Map
Location of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India
HISTORY
The name
of Andaman and Nicobar Islands brings to our mind an image of palm trees, white
beaches, green forests, sound of waves breaking on a coral reef, and chirping
rare birds. It has many islands, islets and rocks, It is also home to some of
the oldest tribes in the country. Though facilities for trekking, diving and
snorkeling are available here, the best way to enjoy a trip to these islands is
simply relax by the sea.
Andaman
and Nicobar Islands are located between the latitudes 6to 14North
and longitudes 92to 94 East. Located in the Bay of Bengal, this group of 572
islands lies 193 km away from Cape Negrais in Myanmar, 1255 km from Calcutta,
and 1190 km from Chennai.
The two
important groups of islets are Ritchie's Archipelago and Labyrinth Islands. The
Nicobar Islands are located to the south of the Andamans, 121 km from the
Little Andaman Island. A cluster of total 572 islands, only 36 islands are
inhabited.
The
Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise around 572 islands formed by a submarine
mountain range, which separates the Bay of Bengal from the Andaman Sea. The
islands attain maximum altitude at Saddle Peak (730 m), formed mainly of
limestone, sandstone, and clay.
Brief History of Andaman and Nicobar
The
documented history about Andaman and Nicobar is limited. It is believed that
Marco Polo was among the first from the West to set foot on one of the islands.
Kanhoji Angre, a Maratha admiral had his base on the island in the early 18th
century. From there, he attacked passing Portuguese, Dutch and English merchant
vessels on their way to or from their various Asian colonies.
In 1713,
his navy even succeeded in capturing the yacht of the British Governor of
Bombay. Despite many efforts by the British and later a joint military force of
British and Portuguese naval forces, Kanhoji Angre was never defeated.
The
British established their first colony in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in
1789, which was abandoned in 1796. The British finally annexed the islands in
the 19th century adding them to their empire. They turned it into a penal
colony for Indian freedom fighters.
The construction of the infamous Cellular Jail was completed
in 1908. Hundreds of anti-British Indians were tortured to death or simply
executed here. With the Second World War, Japanese troops occupied the islands
and the local tribes initiated guerrilla activities to drive them out. When
India achieved independence in 1947, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were
incorporated into the Indian Union
First inhabitants
The
earliest archaeological evidence yet documented goes
back some 2,200 years. However, genetic and cultural studies suggest that the
indigenous Andamanese
people may have
been isolated from other populations since some time during the Middle
Paleolithic, which
ended 30,000 years ago.[6] Since that time, the Andamanese
have diversified into distinct linguistic, cultural and territorial groups.
The Nicobar
Islands appear to have been populated by people of various backgrounds. At the
time of the European contact, the indigenous inhabitants were the Nicobarese people, speaking a Mon-Khmer language; and the Shompen, whose language is of uncertain
affiliation. Both are unrelated to the Andamanese, but being closely related to
the Austroasiatic languages in mainland Southeast
Asia.
Chola empire period
Rajendra
Chola I (1014 to
1042 AD), a chola emperor used the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a strategic
naval base to launch an expedition against the Sriwijaya Empire (Indonesia). The chola empire
called the island as Ma-Nakkavaram[great open/naked land] which is also found
in the Thanjavur[Tamil Nadu] inscription of 1050 AD. European traveller Marco
Polo (12th–13th century) also referred to this island as 'Necuverann' and a
corrupted form of Tamil name Nakkavaram would have led to modern name Nicobar
during British colonial period.
Danish colonial period and British Raj
Andaman
Cellular Jail
The
history of organised European colonisation on the islands began when the
Danish settlers of the Danish East India Company arrived in the Nicobar Islands
on 12 December 1755. On 1 January 1756, the Nicobar Islands were made a Danish
colony, first named New Denmark, and later (December 1756) Frederick's Islands
(Frederiksøerne). During 1754–1756 they were administrated from Tranquebar (in continental Danish India). The islands were repeatedly
abandoned due to outbreaks of malaria between 14 April 1759 and 19 August 1768,
from 1787 to 1807/05, 1814 to 1831, 1830 to 1834 and gradually from 1848 for
good.
From 1
June 1778 to 1784, Austria mistakenly assumed that Denmark
had abandoned its claims to the Nicobar Islands and attempted to establish a colony on them, renaming them Theresia
Islands.
In 1789
the British set up a naval base and penal colony on Chatham Island next to
Great Andaman, where now lies the town of Port Blair. Two years later the colony was
moved to Port
Cornwallis on Great
Andaman, but it was abandoned in 1796 due to disease.
Denmark's presence in the territory
ended formally on 16 October 1868 when it sold the rights to the Nicobar
Islands to Britain, which made them part of British India in 1869.
In 1858
the British again established a colony at Port Blair, which proved to be more
permanent. The primary purpose was to set up a penal colony criminal convicts from the Indian
subcontinent. The
colony came to include the infamous Cellular Jail.
In 1872
the Andaman and Nicobar islands were united under a single chief commissioner
at Port Blair.
World War II
During World War II, the islands were practically
under Japanese control, only nominally under the authority of the Arzi
Hukumate Azad Hind of
Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose. Bose
visited the islands during the war, and renamed them as
"Shaheed-dweep" (Martyr Island) and "Swaraj-dweep"
(Self-rule Island).
General Loganathan, of the Indian
National Army was made
the Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. On 22 February 1944 he along
with four INA officers—Major Mansoor Ali Alvi, Sub. Lt. Md. Iqbal, Lt. Suba
Singh and stenographer Srinivasan—arrived at Lambaline Airport in Port Blair. On 21 March 1944 the
Headquarters of the Civil Administration was established near the Gurudwara at Aberdeen Bazaar. On 2 October
1944, Col. Loganathan handed over the charge to Maj.
Alvi and left Port Blair, never to return. The islands were reoccupied by
British and Indian troops of the 116th Indian Infantry Brigade on 7 October 1945, to whom the
remaining Japanese garrison surrendered.
Post independence
Japanese
military delegation salute Lieutenant Colonel Nathu
Singh,
commanding officer of the Rajput Regiment, following their surrender of
the Islands, 1945
During
the independence of both India (1947) and Burma (1948), the departing British announced their
intention to resettle all Anglo-Indians and Anglo-Burmese on these islands to form their
own nation, although this never materialised. It became part of India in 1950
and was declared as a union territory of the nation in 1956.
India has
been developing defence facilities on the islands since the 1980s. The islands
now have a key position in India's strategic role in the Bay of Bengal and the
Malacca Strait.
CULTURE
The
emphasis of the government on progress and its encouragement to the mainlanders
to settle there has resulted in the local tribes becoming a minority group in
their own land.
The
indigenous tribes are distinguished in two groups: the Onge, Sentinelese,
Jarawa and Andamanese of Negroid descent living on the Andaman Islands and the
Shompen and Nicobarese of Mongoloid descent living in the Nicobar Islands.
Most of
the tribes are on the verge of extinction. This sad destiny will most likely
hit the Andamanese tribe first since their number is as low as thirty. The
Sentinelese is the least studied tribe still living in isolation on the North
Sentinel Island. Their number is estimated at 250. Outsiders attempting to make
contact with them are driven away with bows and arrows. They continue to
maintain a unique lifestyle living in harmony with nature just as they have
done for thousands of years.
The main
crafts of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands include shell and exotic woods
crafted for the tourists, palm mats, and beautiful natural shells. Due to the
fear of over exploitation of the Islands' natural resources, trade of some
products is now banned.
Festivals
of Andaman
and Nicobar
The
islanders celebrate most of the festivals of the mainland due to the influence
of the external society and the development that has taken place.
Major
festivals are Durga Puja, Pongal, Panguni Uthiram, and Onam. Other important
festivals are Mahashivaratri, Janmashtami, Holi, Diwali, Christmas, Good
Friday, etc.
The
Island Tourism Festival is celebrated every year for 15 days between December
and February in Port Blair. Dance performances from the troupes residing in
different islands are organized.
One of
the major attractions at this festival is the Andaman Dog Show. Being far
removed from the present civilization, the aboriginal people did not wear any
clothes till recently. The Sentinelese do not wear anything even now while the
Jarawas use only adornments of bark and shell, like necklaces, arm bands, waist
bands etc.
The Shompens
are semi nomadic and cover their body below the waist only. The people of Car
Nicobar Island have totally given up the traditional dress of tassel or coconut
leaf petticoat and now wear modern clothes.
The Onges
survived without dress for centuries but have gradually adapted to the dress
code of the mainland. Use of traditional items of adornment like necklaces made
of shell, waistbands and headbands of bark fiber are now restricted to
ceremonial occasions.
FOOD
Tribes of
these islands were hunters till recently and some of them had not invented
fire. Because of this reason no particular cuisine has developed in Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. Now, with increasing links with the developed worlds, the
habitants are adopting their food habits too. Seafood is available in plenty
and many restaurants serve fresh seafood.
TOURISM
Tourism in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands
Tourism in Andaman and Nicobar Islands relates to tourism in union territory of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Andamans is an archipelago of over 570
tropical islands, of which only 36 are inhabited. Radhanagar beach at Havelock was bestowed with the title of ‘Asia’s Best Beach’
in 2004 by the TIME magazine. It is also listed as world’s 7th most spectacular
beach on Time magazine list.
Tourism
industry
Tourism
is a major industry in Andaman. Bulk of the revenue earned by the government of
Andaman and Nicobar is through the tourism industry. In 2008 total 136,426
tourists visited Andaman and Nicobar. Growing sectors in tourism and potential
area of investment are water sports and adventure tourism including trekking,
island camping, snorkeling and scuba diving. Sea aquarium, water theme park,
wave surfing, marina yacht, convention centre, health resorts, sanctuaries,
national park, inter-island cruise liner.[4]
Natural resource
Andaman
and Nicobar has approximately 86 percent of forest area of its total land. The
forests constitute an integral wing of the natural resource of Andaman and
Nicobar and it houses 96 Sanctuaries and 9 National Parks.[4]
The
primary sanctuaries that form a part of the natural resources of Andaman and
Nicobar islands are Narcondum Hornbill Sanctuary that procures a suitable abode
for the exotic species of birds known as hornbills, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park that houses an entire caboodle
of aquatic creatures, Nicobar Pigeon Sanctuary, South Sentinel Island Sanctuary
which houses humongous robber crabs and North Reef Sanctuary which is
principally dedicated to the nurturing of a variety of water birds.
Andaman
and Nicobar Islands are developing into a major tourism hub with exotic-looking
beaches and pristine islands having equally exotic names, wonderful
opportunities for adventure sports like snorkelling and sea-walking.
In Port
Blair, the main places to visit are the Cellular Jail, Mahatma Gandhi Marine
National Park, Andaman Water sports complex, Chatham Saw Mill, Mini Zoo, Corbyn's
cove, Chidiya Tapu, Wandoor Beach, Forest Museum, Anthropological Museum,
Fisheries Museum, Naval Museum (Samudrika), Ross Island and Viper Island. Other
places include Havelock island famous for Radhanagar Beach, Neil Island for
Scuba diving/snorkelling, Cinque island, Saddle peak, Mt Harriet and Mud
Volcano. The southern group (Nicobar islands) is mostly inaccessible to
tourists.
Indian
tourists do not require a permit to visit the Andaman islands but if they wish
to visit any tribal areas they need a special permit from the Deputy
Commissioner, Port Blair. Permits are required for foreign nationals. For
foreign nationals arriving by air, these are granted upon arrival at Port
Blair.
BEACH
from city center
Havelock is one of the most popular islands among the 600 in the region and is most developed when it comes to tourism. It is a 2-4 hour ferry ride away from Port Blair.It was bestowed with the title of ‘Asia’s Best Beach’ in 2004 by the TIME magazine. Known for its picturesque sunset, white sand and turquoise blue waters.
ISLANDS
Ross Island
2 km east of Port Blair, Port Blair, South Andaman
IslandJust 15 minutes away from the capital of Port Blair, Ross Island used to
be the capital and served as the same from 1858 to 1941 until it was hit by a
massive earthquake and attacked by the Japanese. It stands today are an
important tourist destination in the archipelago and some attractions are the
ruins of the Chief Commissioner’s house and the
church. There are a number of machine gun nests that have been left
behind by the Japanese who took over the island during World War II.
DIGLIPUR ISLAND
Diglipur
(325 Kms., approx. 12 hrs by road from Port Blair) Situated in North Andaman Island, Diglipur provides
a rare experience for eco friendly tourists. It is famous for its oranges, rice
and marine life. Saddle Peak the highest point in the islands is nearby.
Kalpong, the only river of Andaman flows here. The only Hydro-electric project
of the islands is on this river. One can feel the innocent beauty of village
life everywhere in Diglipur.
RANGAT ISLAND- Eco-Tourism Destination
Rangat is a 1070 sq. km. large island in Middle
Andaman with pristine beaches, waterfalls, and interesting islands. This island
is spread across 75 census villages and 14 gram panchayats. The population is
primarily made up of people from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Fisheries and
cultivation are the two primary occupations of people in this island
MAYABUNDER ISLAND
Nearly three hours further to Rangat, north by
road, perched on a long promontory right at the top of the island and
surrounded by mangrove swamps, is Mayabunder, springboard for the remote
northern Andaman Islands. The village, which is home to a large minority of
former Burmese Karen tribes, who were originally brought here as cheap logging
labour by the British, are more spread out and more appealing than Rangat Neil
is a tiny but beautiful island located 37 Kms. to the south of the Andaman
Islands. With unexplored coral reefs, brilliant bio-diversity, white sandy
beaches and tropical forest and vegetation, it is one of the hot tourist spots
in the Andamans.
NEIL ISLAND
Neil Island is known as the ‘vegetable bowl’ of
the Andamans. The settlers named the beaches after mythical characters of the
epic Ramayana (Bharatpur, Laxmanpur, Sitapur, Ramnagar etc.) The island, with
its very relaxed vibes and long, deserted beaches is a place to chill out after
the "bustle" of Havelock. The widest part of the island is about 5 km
in length. You can walk the whole island in about two hours.
Neil Island
Long Island- a unique village nestled in nature
Long Island, just 47 nautical miles from Port
Blair, having an area of about 18 sq.km., is a modern village with population
of around 2000 having many plus points and facilities generally not available
in other villages of Bay Islands. It has its own power-house, a well equipped
Boat Building Yard, Senior Secondary School, bank, wireless facilities,
hospital, Range Forest Office and even police outpost. Long Island is a
dreamland settlement without any road network.
Only four
feet wide concrete footpath connects different parts of the ‘Panchayat’ area
starting from the jetty. Casurina trees make pleasant avenue astride the
footpath leading to Government School and to Police Outpost area. Islanders
cover these footpath kilometers several times just to reach work place, school,
Range Forest Office or temple.
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Attractions of Long Island
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Vast marine
wealth and exclusive beaches, cosy caves, green hills and magnificent
mangroves – a perfect package for adventure tourism.
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The
pristine beauty of Long Island and adjacent islands in the form of lush green
tropical forests, untouched virgin beaches coupled with unique Marine
ecosystem attracts the tourists from different parts of India and abroad.
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The
Islands have dense tropical forests of all types ranging from Tidal Swamp
forests to Evergreen Forests.
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It has
beautiful virgin silvery beaches along its coasts at Lalaji Bay and Merk Bay
of North Passage Island adjacent to Long Island.
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Cruising
through the creek at Yerrata and the sunset view from Long Island can attract
any nature lover to these places. Long Island is also a paradise for birding.
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Baratang Island
(100 Kms. by road from Port Blair)
This island between South and Middle Andaman has beautiful beaches, mangrove creeks, mud-volcanoes and limestone caves. Andaman Trunk Road to Rangat and Mayabunder goes through this island. Limestone cave can be explored with the permission of Forest Department at Baratang and proper local guidance.
BARREN ISLAND
The only active volcano in India is located in
Barren Island. The volcano erupted once in 1991 and again in 1994-95, after
remaining dormant for about 177 years.
This island is about three kilometers in diameter
and has a big crater of the volcano, about half a kilometer away from the
shore. The island can be visited by chartering boats and with the permission of
Forest Department. Foreign nationals are restricted to be onboard the vessel
only and landing ashore is not allowed.
Barren Island (139 Kms by sea from Port
Blair
LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLAND-The best surfing destination in
india
Little Andaman Island, located south of the South
Andaman Island, is at a distance of 120 km. by sea from Port Blair. Hut Bay in
Little Andaman is the entry and exit point and also the island headquarter.
Little Andaman island offers a perfect mix of white sandy beaches bewitching
Waterfalls, Boating through the Creeks, exciting Elephant Safari, Elephant
lumbering, Elephant calves training, Surfing etc. All the places of tourist
interest are approachable by the road, leading northwards from the Hutbay
Jetty. Little Andaman has an evergreen rain forest which paves way for a very
rich biodiversity.
Aerial view of Dense Forest at Hutbay
Little Andaman beckons those who want to elope from
the mundane and monotonous urban life to enjoy the beauty of the sea, sandy
shore and the green symphony of the nature.
Northern side of Butler Bay Beach is emerging as
India's prime surfing destination.
Little
Andaman offers the best exposure, even if the season is quite short due to the
monsoon which hits the sector from May to August. From November to February
some southwest spots, accessible by sea, remain passable. Surfing is fast
gaining in popularity in the island as an activity option with small resorts
renting out surfboards and arranging for surf camps near Butler Bay beach whose
waves make it the best surfing destination in India. Little Andaman has been
covered as a prime surfing destination in India in " The Stormrider Surf Guide,
Indonesia and the Indian Ocean". There is a private agency which runs a Surfing
School at Little Andaman.
VIPER
ISLAND
Historic
Gallows on Viper Island
Viper
Island is near Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, was the site of the jail where the British used to imprison
convicts and political
prisoners. It has
the ruins of a gallows atop a hillock. The jail was abandoned when the Cellular
Jail was constructed in 1906.
JOLLY BUOY
Jolly
Buoy is an island in Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, it offers a breath…
HAVELOCK
ISLAND
Largest island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
Havelock Island is known for its pristine…
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT12 kms
from city center
Places To Visit in Andaman & Nicobar
The Cellular Jail aka Kala Pani word
is derived from Sanskrit words 'Kal' which means Time or Death and 'Pani' which
means Water. The Jail was a colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
India. The prison was used by the British especially to exile political
prisoners to the remote archipelago. Many notable dissidents such as
Batukeshwar Dutt and Veer Savarkar were convicted and jailed here during Indian
independence struggle. Today, the construction serves as a national memorial
monument.
Mangrove creek, Baratang Island
Baratang Island is located about 100 kilometres away from Port Blair city and offers a boat-safari, amidst the nature-made tunnel of thick mangrove plantations.
Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex, Port Blair
Located in the heart of Port Blair, the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex offers an array of aqua-sports: banana rides, jet skiing, parasailing, speed boat rides, rowboat paddling, you name it
Mt. Harriet, the Andamans
This trek stretches up 16 kilometres starting from Mt. Harriet to Madhuban, winding across a picturesque terrain. Expect to see exotic birds and rare plants along the lush trail.
GREAT NICOBAR
This place is 540 kms by sea from
Port Blair open for only Indian tourists. The Great Nicobar Island has
an area of 400 Sqr. miles. The southernmost tip of India, 'Indira Point' is in
Great Nicobar Island. Megapode, a rare bird, is found in Great Nicobar. Great
and Little Nicobar have the Giant Robber Crab. Campbell bay is the head quarter
of Great Nicobar Island. The only Bio-sphere Reserve in A & N Islands –the
Great Nicobar Bio-sphere Reserve is close to Campbell Bay
CAMPBELL BAY
.
Campbell bay is a part of Great Nicobar Island and is open for Indian
tourists. Campbell Bay can be reached by Helicopter from Port Blair or by sea.
Sailing from Port Blair to Campbell Bay would be available on an average once
in ten days. There are two important road network which connect various
villages in the island namely North-South Road and East-West Road. The
southernmost tip of India, 'Indira Point' is also assessible. Tourism
Department & APWD have guest houses here.
PORT BLAIR - The Capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Port Blair is the capital of the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It is located on the east coast of the South Andaman Island. Port Blair is the gateway to the pristine islands.Port Blair is also an Island town offering water based activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, sea-cruises, and glimpses of the history and culture of the region. The Aberdeen Bazaar forms the centre of the town. Most of the restaurants and hotels are around this area. The main bus station is just west of the bazaar and the Airport 4 Kms. to the south west. The main passenger dock for ferries-the Phoenix Bay Jetty is 1 Km. to the North West.
THINGS TO DO
Snorkeling in Andamans
Snorkeling is another popular water
sport among tourists. Sea around Havelock Island serves as one of the best sites for snorkeling.
Scuba Diving
Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a popular spot for scuba
diving among tourists. Most popular island among all the islands for the dives
however, is Havelock. It is an ideal diving destination for everyone, right
from a novice to an experienced diver. For non-certified amateur divers,
charges start from about INR 3,500 for a 30 minute dive.
Organised at Neil Island in January to celebrate
the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
BEST TIME TO VISIT ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
The
average minimum and maximum temperature of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is as
given below. The best time to visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands is also
specified.
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MONTH
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BEST
TIME
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MIN.
TEMP (°C)
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MAX.
TEMP (°C)
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January
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15
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32
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February
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15
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32
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March
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20
|
35
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April
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20
|
35
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May
|
20
|
35
|
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June
|
20
|
35
|
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July
|
20
|
35
|
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August
|
20
|
35
|
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September
|
20
|
35
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October
|
20
|
35
|
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November
|
15
|
32
|
|
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December
|
15
|
32
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