Kohima: The Hornbill Festival 2013 has so far registered over 1.62 lakh visitors, with foreign, domestic and local tourist visiting the main venue at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, about 12 Km east of Kohima.
According to official records of the Tourism Department, at the end of the 8th day, 1,62,318 visitors, including 1347 foreign tourists visited the festival according.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who was in Kisama on Monday with the delegation from Gujarat, said there has been overwhelming response from both foreign and domestic tourists as well as the local visitors.
The number of visitors is likely to cross over 2 Lakh, the largest ever turn up since the start of the festival in 2001.
The last day of the festival is expected to draw the maximum number of visitors. The Chief Minister expressed hope that the inflow of visitors to the festival would increase in the years to come. Rio stated that Nagaland has become a safe destination for tourists and that during the Hornbill festival; one can witness the beautiful culture and tradition of all the different tribes of Nagas.
The ten-day-long festival will conclude on December 10. The grand finale of Airtel presents Hornbill International Rock Contest 2013 will also take place simultaneously at Naga Solidarity Park. Simultaneously, the Hornbill night carnival will continue in Kohima main town. The Hornbill Festival is a cultural extravaganza to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage, while for the visitors; it is a means for comprehensive understanding of the Naga people, their land and culture.
The Tourism Department stated that the Hornbill festival is the coming together of all the elements that make up the total Nagaland.
The Festival is a tribute to the ‘Hornbill,’ the most admired and revered bird for the Nagas, for its qualities of alertness and grandeur. Attraction of the Hornbill festivals 2013 included, Hornbill marathon/half marathon, international Hornbill rock contest, Kids carnival, motor rally, cycle rally, Naga king chilli eating competition, Hornbill master chef, National Hornbill dance competition, choral competition, Miss Nagaland Beauty Pageant, fashion show, Naga wrestling, literature festival, artists’ corner, snooker championship, zip lining adventure, World War II Vintage peace car rally and Hornbill night carnival.
Naga tattoos receive praise as Hornbill Festival ends
The Hornbill Festival concluded at Kisima in Nagaland on Tuesday with success of the Naga art and tattoo revival program initiated by the Headhunters’ Ink. The highlight of the event was a two-day tattoo carnival organized by the Headhunters’ Ink team, offering free tattoos of ethnic Naga designs, a release said here.
The four artists Mo Naga, Lemsentong, Taka Jamir and Nokrenmatang Soyah finished 14 pieces of Naga art in a two-day tattoo marathon session which saw the locals and the tourists enthusiastically getting inked in Naga art.
This included a detailed portrait of a Naga child being inked on his father by Mo Naga.
The Naga art and culture revival program saw the inking of as many as 40 tattoos representing beautiful Naga symbols and stories, few of which are ancient tribal symbols which are almost on the verge of extinction. (UNI)
