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| Benreu Village |
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| The history of Benreu |
This small
village is situated in the Peren district of Nagaland. Most tourists do not visit
this this little gem. Reaching here by public transport is difficult. So I had
to hire a cab to get here. My cab driver was also travelling here for the
first time.
Benreu ‘town centre’ consists of a small shop and a half-length
football field. The only accommodation at Benreu is the Mount Pauna Tourist Village.
One of the villagers told us that we had missed the road to the Tourist Village.
He called the caretaker of the tourist village and told her to open the Guest House!
I am the only
person at Mount Pauna Tourist Village. It's is located all by itself on the
adjacent mountain peak beside Benreu village. There are excellent views of the
valleys below. The river that meanders below is the boundary between Nagaland
and Manipur. There is a lot of construction happening at Mount Pauna tourist village.
New rooms are being added. I requested the caretaker for a guide to
show me around. She sent her send her nephew to walk me around the village (Rs
500). Incidentally, Benreu has the title of the village with the maximum Mithuns in Nagaland.
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| My guide at his house |
My guide was an
arts graduate. He attributed his impeccable English to the catholic school education
he received at Dhimapur. ‘An arts graduate cannot find a job in Benreu’, he
told me. During the trip we spotted a couple of people (men and women) carrying
heavy stones in the bamboo baskets. He started speaking to one of the ladies in
the local language. Then he turned to me and said that the lady was his wife.
The lady carrying stones with her was his mother-in-law. He told me that he had
advised his wife not to do such back-breaking jobs, but she insisted in helping
him financially. With a tinge of sadness and desperation in his voice he said,
‘I should relocate to Dhimapur and find a
job’. I wish him the best.
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| Magical water pond |
Benreu and surroundings
Mount Pauna: This is the main attraction from Benreu. This is the 3rd highest
peak in Nagaland. It takes 6-7 hours to complete the trek and return to Mount
Pauna. Unfortunately I did not have the time to do this trek.
Tangcubung Tekwa: Tekwa means ‘pond’ in local language. The term ‘pond’ is a
misnomer. Water that flows from within the mountain has been channelled into a
small concrete tank. This water, apparently, has the magical ability to cure all
diseases. But there is a catch. One should have faith in the water for it’s magic
to work. But the concrete pond is dirty and I will think twice about using this
water. There was only a trickle of water flowing from the mountain into the tank. My
guide told me that there will be a lot more water flow during the monsoon
season.
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| Benreu Sunrise |
Luikeing Bamzang:
This is a nearby mountain with excellent views of
the surrounding.
Reneitia: About 30 minutes’ walk from the village is the echo point of
Reneitia.
Releime Terwaban: This literally means ‘Unmarried Women’s Meeting Point’. This is a
small stone that looks down onto the Benreu village. I went there but there
were no ‘Unmarried Women’ there. Facebook and Whatsapp seem to have ruined the
local customs! It’s a 15 min trek from the village to get here.
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| Ginseng |
Teliandui: This honey made by the Teliane bee is found exclusively in Benreu.
The honey (Telaindui) is supposed taste bitter-sweet. I asked my guide, the
tourist village caretaker and even locals for some honey, but didn’t even get
any. The quantity of production is quite low and orders have to be placed in
advance for this honey. I’m disappointed that I didn’t even get to taste this
local delicacy.
Ginseng: Ginseng grows well in Benreu. My guide showed me a few plants in his house. The village council recently decided that ginseng should not be should to outsiders; its for the consumption of the villagers only. I wonder why!!!
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| Road to Mount Pauna Tourist Village |
Mireuding: He is (was) the guardian of Benreu village. With the total
adoption of Christianity in Benreu, Mireuding has become unimportant and
perhaps unemployed. My guide was a bit disappointed that the ways of his
forefathers have been replaced by an imported religion. But the traditional
culture, customs, festivals and way of life have already disappeared with the death
of the village elders. Only the stories and memories remain.
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| Skulls outside a Morung flaunt the prowess of the clan |
Cheilahei: This magical herb that grows in the local mountains can cure all
diseases. But nobody knows what Cheilahei looks like! Legend has it that the
chosen people spontaneously recognise Cheilahei they see it. There is a story
that during the Japanese invasion during WW2, they accidentally put Cheilahei
into their cooking pot. The chopped up animals came alive and jumped out of the
cooking pot! Perhaps I didn’t look hard enough for this mysterious plant.
Getting here:
From Dhimapur: Share Sumo services to Dhimapur ply on alternate days. The closest
‘city’ from Benreu is Pheren. Unfortunately, there is no regular public transport from Benreu
to Pheren. Hence it’s necessary to hire
a car for the trip. Since there are no taxis in Pheren, the caretaker of Mount Pauna
Tourist Village drove us to Pheren in her car (Rs.2000). From Pheren, there are
regular share Sumo’s for Dhimapur departing in the morning and at noon.
From Kohima:
The road from Kohima to Benreu runs through the beautiful village of Dzuleke.
This road is relatively unknown and is not even shown on Google maps. Needless
to say, there are no buses or share Sumo’s plying on this route. Most cabs refused to come to Benreu as the road was in terrible state of disrepair. Finally, after a lot of
effort, I managed to find a willing cab driver. He charged me Rs.4500 for the trip.
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