Itanagar(/ˌiːˈtɑːnəɡər/; pronunciation (help·info)) is the capital of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Itanagar is administered independently by a Deputy Commissioner and the police department functions under the charge of a Superintendent of police and the juridiction of Deputy Commissioner is referred as Itanagar capital complex. The new seat of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly is located in Itanagar close to the newly built Arunachal Pradesh Civil Secretariat. Itanagar is also the seat of Government of Arunachal Pradesh and guwahati High court permanent bench at Naharlagun.

Itanagar is well connected by road. The Itanagar-Hollongi 4 lane offers pleasant driving experience. There is chopper service between Guwahati and Itanagar. Bus services are available directly from Guwahati and Shillong. The nearest railway station is in yupia(Naharlagun).

Itanagar Municipal Council consisting of 30 councillors is the governing body responsible for hygiene,sanitation and development, a responsibility transferred from urban development department of government of Arunachal Pradesh.

Places of recreation around Itanagar are Indira Gandhi Park at heart of the city, Itafort, Ganga Lake or Gyekar Sinyi, located few miles away from the city, Gompha known as Buddha Vihar which has been consecrated by the His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,zoological zoo, picnic along the course of Poma river and lot more

Itanagar is located at 27.1°N 93.62°E.^[1] It has an average elevation of 750 metres.

Itanagar features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa), with dry, mild winters and warm, wet summers.

Itanagar is inhabited by a number of tribes viz., Nyishi, Adi, Apatani, Tagin, Galo, Monpa, idu Mishmi, singpho, aka, miji and lot more.

Gompa Buddhist Temple(Kyong Theraveda): Consecrated by the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist temple, a beautiful yellow roofed shrine reflects the extensive Tibetan influence and provides good views of Itanagar and the surrounding countryside.^[2]

Ita Fort is one of the most important historical sites in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The name literally means “Fort of bricks”( brick being called “Ita” in the Ahom language). The Ita Fort at Arunachal Pradesh was built as early as the 14th or the 15th century.^[2] The fort has an irregular shape, built mainly with bricks dating back to the 14th-15th Century. The total brickwork is of 16,200 cubic metre lengths which have been identified by some scholars with Mayapur of Ramachandra, a king of the Jitari Dynasty. The fort has three different entrances at three different sides, which are western, the eastern and the southern sides. Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar is also known for showcasing tribal culture of the state.

Ganga Lake is a beautiful natural lake locally known as Gekar Sinyi (Confined water in the Nyishi dialect) surrounded by a landmass of hard rock. Primeval vegetation, orchids masses on tall trees and tree ferns contribute to its popularity as a picnic spot. Boating facilities and a swimming pool are available at the site.

From here tourist places like Bomdila, Parshuram Kund (in Lohit district), Malinithan (in west Siang district), Bhishmak Nagar (in Dibang Valley) are also easily accessible by mini bus or share-taxi.,

A number of festivals are celebrated in this capital city of Arunachal Pradesh.

Nyokum is a festival celebrated by the Nyishi people of Arunachal Pradesh. The Word Nyokum has been derived from two words – Nyok means land (earth) and Kum means collectiveness or togetherness. Therefore, the Nyokum festival may be interpreted as inviting all the Gods and Goddesses of the universe, with the Nyokum Goddess as the principal deity, to a particular venue at a particular time and is commonly worshipped by the people irrespective of caste, creed or class for better productivity, prosperity and happiness for all human beings on earth.

The Dree Festival is an Apatani agricultural rite. It involves the sacrifice of fowls, eggs and animals to the gods – Tamu, Metii and Danyi Pilo (Sun and Moon God). The purpose of the festival is to appease these gods so that famine can be avoided.

The Adi celebrate a number of festivals, in particular their prime festival Solung, in the first week of September for five days or more. It is a harvest festival performed after the sowing of seeds and transplantation, to seek for future bumper crops.

Si-Donyi festival celebrated by the tagin tribe of Arunachal Pradesh from 4th to 6th January every year. Welcoming the new year and praying for the well being of the mankind as a whole by worshipping the nature i.e si-donyi(earth and sun).

Losar is the New Year celebration of the Monpas. It is celebrated for a period of five days. The festival is marked by prayers, hoisting of religious flags atop the homes, reading of Buddhist scriptures, and lighting butter lamps in the houses.

Another important festival is Reh, which is mainly associated with the Idu Mishimis. The special attraction of the six-day celebrations is the priest dance. During Tamladu, the Digaru Mishimis offer prayers to the God of the Earth and the God of the Water. The supreme God Jebmalu is also worshipped. Khan is significant because of a ceremony where the priest ties a piece of wool around everybody’s neck. During Sangken, people sprinkle water on each other as a sign of merriment, while smearing of rice powder on each other’s face marks the beginning of the five-day celebrations of Mopin.

As of 2001 India census,^[3] Itanagar had a population of 34,970. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Itanagar has an average literacy rate of 66.95%, Lower than the national average of 74.4%: male literacy is 73.69%, and female literacy is 59.57%. In Itanagar, 15% of the population are under 6 years of age. Takam Sanjoy, former MP of Arunachal Pradesh, west constituency in his speech at Jantar Mantar, Delhi while addressing people who were demanding justice for Nido Tania, mentioned that the capital city of Itanagar consists of about 70% of population from rest part of India.

Itanagar is situated at southern part of Arunachal Pradesh. Regular Helicopter service is available from Guwahati to Naharlagun (Itanagar). An greenfield Airport is under construction in Hollongi

National Highway 52A connects Itanagar to Assam and other parts of India. Regular bus service is available from Guwahati to Naharlagun (Itanagar).

Itanagar was connected to the Indian railways in april 2014 . The Naharlagun-Dekargaon Passenger Train, with 10 passengers and two goods compartments, towed by a diesel engine, left Dekargaon in Assam at 7am and arrived at Naharlagun at 12.30 pm, covering a distance of 181 km on 14 April 2014. The train chugged into Naharlagun for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh’s history, making Itanagar, the third state capital among the eight north eastern states after Guwahati and Agartala to be put on the railway map of India. Itanagar the capital city is nust 20 kms away from the railway station.

State owned All India Radio has a local station in Itanagar which transmits various programs of mass interest.

Arunachal Pradesh has 2 engineering colleges and a polytechnic viz., NERIST (North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology). It is now a deemed university under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.The other one is the National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh , established by Ministry of Human Resource Development and is situated at Yupia , 20 km away from the capital city. The polytechnic is Rajiv Gandhi Government polytechnic,Itanagar.

Rajiv Gandhi University is a central government university located at Rono hills, Doimukh. All colleges other than private universities is affiliated to RGU. Himalayan University is the lone private University established through UGC act of 1956 by an act of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly

There are government and private colleges like Dera Natung Government College and Don Bosco College.

Photo-Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dikrong_river_near_Itanagar.jpg
http://tourmet.com/itanagar/
http://www.mapsofindia.com/india-tour/arunachal-pradesh/ita-fort-a-fort-that-gave-name-to-the-town/
https://twitter.com/kirenrijiju/status/835919466810785792
Content-Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itanagar