Places of Interest

Khawnglung Wildllife Sanctuary

Khawnglung is a mountain situated near Pangzawl in Aizawl – Lunglei road about 160 km from Aizawl. A village of the same name used to be located on the ridge and was the scene of one of the bloodiest massacre during the days of internecine feuds between the Sailo chiefs in the middle of the nineteenth century. Intertwined with this event is the tragic love story of Chalkunga and Thanghniangi, a beautiful maiden who happened to be one of the many female captives taken by the raiders. Chalkunga later rescued her in a daring lone foray, only to lose her on the way home in the flooding Tiau river which swept her away from his grasp while they were attempting to cross it.

With sheer cliffs on all sides the mountain has always been a natural shelter for man and animal for ages. Declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2000, Khawnglung covers an area of 35 sq.km and is rich in flora and fauna, particularly primates and birds. It however requires trekking for about 10 km to reach the sanctuary.

The best time to visit is between October and March for which one has to contact the Department of Environment and Forest, Mizoram.

Khawnglung Wildllife Sanctuary

Lung Milem

On a rocky portion on the southern edge of Tawikhawthlir hill near Mualcheng village, about 65 km south of Lunglei, there are three figurines of persons in meditational poses of the Buddhists which the local people call ‘Lung Milem’ or ‘Stone Figures’. It is not known as to who created them and remains a mystery till date since no other relics of Buddhism is found elsewhere in the state.

Lung Milem, Mualcheng South

Darkhuang Tlang – Pukpui

Darkhuang Tlang, or literally “Gong Mountain” is located in Pukpui village about 7 kms from Lunglei. This is the place where Darphawka, a Mizo prophet of the late nineteenth century used to “talk with the spirits” who showed him visions of future events including the coming of the Christian missionaries, saying “White men shall come from beyond the great seas and you should heed their words”. This happened years before the animist Mizos knew anything about Christianity. A prayer house has been constructed on the peak for visitors.

Kristian Hmasate Thlanmual – Theiriat

“A cemetery of the early Christians” is situated at Theiriat village near Lunglei. Before the pioneer missionaries Rev. R.A. Lorrain and Rev. F.W. Savidge arrived in Lunglei, Sehan Roy, a Khasi Officer who supervised the construction of Aizawl-Lunglei bridle path had evangelised some Mizo labourers and as many as 40 families had been converted by 1900. Harassed and ostracised, the new converts had no choice but to come together and set up a Christian village in Theiriat. Later, with the arrival of the missionaries these people immediately approached them and were one of the first to get formal education and their gravestones here bear quotations of the Bible verses and beautiful inscriptions in English.

Thangliana Lung – Tlabung

At Tlabung village right next to the Bangladesh border, 98 km to the west of Lunglei, there is a memorial stone erected to the memory of Captain T.H. Lewin, a courageous and adventurous British pioneer whom the Mizos fondly called Thangliana, or “Man of Great Fame”. Lewin was the Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Hill Tracts when he entered Mizoram from Tlabung in 1865. He signed a peace treaty with one powerful Mizo chief of that time, Rothangpuia of Thangluah clan, following which he shifted his headquarters from Rangamati to Tlabung. He had many interactions with the Mizo chiefs and is remembered as the first white friend of the Mizos. He even wrote some books about the Mizo people. While he was in Tlabung he married a Mizo girl named Darpuii and they had a son who unfortunately died only a year later. Darpuii refused to go to England with Lewin when he retired from service. Lewin died at the age of 77 in 1916 as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel without any decoration for his great pioneering services. The memorial stone was erected in 1920 by arrangement with his English wife, Margaret Lewin.

Bungalow of Pioneer Missionaries

These are two bungalows constructed in 1903 in Serkawn village now adjoining Lunglei by Rev. J.H. Lorrain, elder brother of Rev. R.A. Lorrain and Rev. F.W. Savidge, fondly nicknamed Pu Buanga and Sap Upa respectively, and are believed to be the oldest buildings in Mizoram. These two pioneer missionaries from Welsh first arrived in Mizo soil in 1894 and established a Presbyterian Church mission in Aizawl, giving priority to learning the local dialect, formulation of the Mizo alphabet in the Roman script, compilation of the Mizo-English dictionary and translation of the Bible and hymns. They returned home in 1897 but came back in 1902 to work under the Baptist Missionary Society in southern Mizoram where they established their base in Serkawn near Lunglei.

Phunhnawma Lungpui – Lungpui Tlang

Literally “Phunhnawma’s Rock”, it is located in Lungpuitlang village, 106 km to the east of Lunglei and quite close to the Myanmar border. It is a large rock with a dimension of about 60 metres and a height of roughly 26.60 metres. Situated on the top of a breezy hill with an altitude of 5058 ft, Phunhnawma Lungpui serves as an excellent look-out offering panoramic views of the surrounding areas including the hill ranges of western Myanmar. Legend has it that it was discovered during a hunting trip by Phunhnawma, chief of Cheural village. When he first came to this rock, he was met by its fairy guardians who told him to go back home and bring a cock for them and in return for this favour they would bless him with whatever wild animals he wanted to kill. He did as he was told and the fairies kept their words and he killed plenty of animals in this area and made a name for himself as a great hunter.

Ui Lung – Ngharchhip

A big monolith with remarkably intricate carvings, it is located near the village of Ngharchhip near the Myanmar border, about…km to the east of Lunglei. It was erected around 1800 by a certain Chinzah chief and his citizens in expression of their ”longing” for their fellow clansmen with whom they were driven apart by a severe famine that broke out in their former village called Dawn, situated in what is now Myanmar republic. The stone measures about 8 ft and a half in height and 11 ft in girth and on its surface are interesting carvings of animal heads, gongs and human figures with spears and other weapons. Originally the Chinzah chiefs belonged to the Halkha clan in Myanmar and they led a peaceful and prosperous life in Dawn. Then in the end of the seventeenth century the deadly famine forced them to leave their homes and move out of their village in three groups. It was the group that settled down in what is now called Ngharchhip inside Mizoram that erected this stone.

Lungding – Rualalung

Situated in the vicinity of Rualalung village 91 km of the south of Lunglei, Lungding or literally “a stone that stands upright” is a fascinating natural landmark composed of rock and hard soil. About 60 ft in height, it measures 120 ft in girth at the base and tapers to a small flat top of about 20 sq.ft. Since, the surface is covered with shrubs and climbing plants it is not difficult to climb to the top. In their animistic days the Mizos used to believe that rocks, trees and other natural objects which are out of the ordinary in shape or size were in dwelled by spirits and Lungding was one such oddity. It is said that while the sides were overgrown with shrubs and vines, the flat top was always bare and clean and hence some warriors of Rualalung village often kept all-night vigils to find out what sort of being frequented the top. Later, after their conversion to Christianity, some of the villagers also offered prayers here to ward off evil spirits and it is said that since then the top also has always been covered with vegetation.