Vangchhia Archaeological site in Mizoram attracting tourists

The Vangchhia archaeological site in Mizoram is grabbing the attention of not only archaeologists but also of the tourists from across the region.

Situated on the Indo-Myanmar border, Kawtchhuah Ropuithe or the Great Gateway in Vangchhia village in Champhai district has been revered by locals for many generations.

The Kawtchhuah Ropuithe heritage site was discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India in the year 2015.

"There are so many remains here so it may be called as a lost civilization, one of the biggest micro-polysite, not only in India but it may be proved in near future that it can be one of the biggest micro-polysite in the world," said Dr. Sujeet Nayan, Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India.

Over 100 menhirs, rising almost 15 feet tall, stand at the excavation site and leave the visitors awestruck and and the villagers of Vangchhia had been preserving the menhirs for years.

The heritage site holds numerous artefacts and rocks which may lead to the findings of the early settlements of the region. The unearthed items include ancient iron artefacts and old pots, both broken and whole, stone blocks, structure water pavilions, ancient graves which shed lights on the lifestyles of the ancient settlers in the area.

"I heard that the locals are now got an opportunity in generating incomes which will boost the livelihood in days to come. The state government can come up with a plan for lodging as there are no lodging facilities at the moment," said a tourist named C Lalrochhara visiting the site for the second time.

Mizoram houses a number of unexplored heritage sites and the region has huge potential in Ecotourism sector with pleasant climatic conditions.