Mipi is a village and the headquarters of the Mipi Circle in the Dibang Valley district of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Mipi HQ is located near the confluence of Andra River with the Mathun or Dibang River, and the main Mipi village, called Mipido, is 2 km to the south.
Mipi | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Nickname: Mipido | |
  Mipi Location in Arunachal Pradesh, India  Mipi Mipi (India) | |
| Coordinates: 28°57′00″N 95°48′50″E / 28.950°N 95.814°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Arunachal Pradesh |
| District | Dibang Valley |
| Sub-division | Anini |
| Block | Mipi-Anini-Alinye |
| Circle | Mipi |
| Elevation | 1,340 m (4,400 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 170 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Geography edit
The village of Mipi is on the bank of the Mathun River (the upper course of the Dibang River), where the Andra River joins Mathun. Wedged between the two rivers is the Mipi mountain, with its peak rising to 2,155 metres (7,070 ft).
A village of Mipi is immediately to the south of the Andra River (which is also called the Mipi River in this area). It goes by the name of Mipi HQ and contains the Indian border security post. The main Mipi village is about 2 km to the south, called Mipido ("Lower Mipi") in Tibetan. Adjacent to it is another village called Brango. All three villages together contain a population of about 170 people.[1]
The area is populated by Idu Mishmi people.[2] In early 20th century, a number of Tibetan people from across the border attempted to settle here, coming in search of the famed holy land of Pemako.[3] They were unsuccessful, but Tibetan influence continues to live on in the valley.[4]
History edit
Frederick Marshman Bailey passed through Mipi in March 1913. He describes the presence of Tibetans who had, years before, supposedly travelled in search of Pemako. Unsuccessful, they started returning to Tibet in 1909. By 1913, when Bailey visited Mipi, only those too old or ill to make the journey back to Tibet remained.[5][4] They were soon wiped out by the Idu.[6] Mipi has historically seen conflict between the Khamba and Idu tribes.[7] In 2017 British traveller Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent passed through Mipi, "Now Mipi was a tiny Idu settlement, just a few houses and a helipad splayed over a grassy spur above the river, girdled by an arc of trees."[5][4]
Demographics edit
Mipi HQ has a population of 19 by the 2011 census.[8] The sub-district, Mipi Circle, has 102 households.[8] Anini Circle and Mipi Circle together make up the Anini-Mipi community development block.[8] Following administrative changes, the block has been changed to Mipi-Anini-Alinye, adding Dambeun circle.[9]
| District | Sub-division | Block[9] | Circle[9] | Villages[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dibang Valley district | Anini | Mipi-Anini-Alinye | Mipi | Adali, Biyanli, Brango, Charkilo Tapo, Ebeli, Elambro, Emuli, Egulin, Maro, Maronli, Mipi, Mipi HQ, Mipido |
Tourist locations include Mathun Valley.[11]
Maps edit
-
Mipi by Morshead and Bailey, 1914 -
Mipi on the Simla Accord Treaty map, 1914 -
Mipi on a 1967 US Defense Mapping Agency map
References edit
- ^ District Census Handbook, Part A (2011), p. 68.
- ^ District Census Handbook, Part A (2011), p. vii.
- ^ Harish Kapadia, The Promised Land, the Himalayan Journal, 2007.
- ^ a b c Bolingbroke-Kent, Antonia (19 July 2017). "Arunachal Pradesh: With the Idu Mishimi (Book extract)". Outlook Traveller.
- ^ a b Bolingbroke-Kent, Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains (2017), pp. 91–92.
- ^ Lohit District, Gazetteer of India (1978), pp. 56.
- ^ State Gazetteer of Arunachal Pradesh (2010), pp. 180–181.
- ^ a b c District Census Handbook: Dibang Valley, Part B. Directorate of Census Operations, Arunachal Pradesh, 2011. pp. 9, 42
- ^ a b c "Subdivision & Blocks, Dibang Valley". Government of Arunachal Pradesh. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Villages and Panchayats, Mipi-Anini-Alinye Block, Dibang Valley". Dibang Valley District. Government of Arunachal Pradesh. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Mathun Valley (Mipi)". Dibang Valley District. Government of Arunachal Pradesh. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
Bibliography
- District Census Handbook – Dibang Valley, Part A (PDF), Census of India, 2011
- Bolingbroke-Kent, Antonia (2017). Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781471156571.
- Dutta Choudhry, S., ed. (1978), Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh, Gazetteer of India, Government of Arunachal Pradesh
- Kri, Sokhep, ed. (2010), State Gazetteer of Arunachal Pradesh (PDF), vol. 1, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, ISBN 9788190658737