Kamal Guha at 14:21, 30 January 2024

2024-01-30T14:21:14Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox valley
| name = Dzüko Valley
| photo = Dzuko Valley.jpg
| photo_caption = Dzüko Valley in Summer
| location = [[Viswema]]
| direction =
| length =
| width =
| elevation = {{convert|2452|m|-2}}
| coordinates = {{coord|25.553479|N|94.067024|E|display=inline,title}}
| map =
| map_size = 200
| watercourses = [[Dzüko River]]
| footnotes =
}}

The '''Dzüko Valley''' is a valley located at the borders of the states of [[Nagaland]] and [[Manipur]] in [[Northeast India]]. This valley is well known for its natural environment, seasonal flowers and flora & fauna.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidene.com/nagalands-dzukou-valley-to-be-declared-plastic-free-zone/|title=Nagaland’s Dzükou Valley to be Declared ‘Plastic Free Zone’|website=Inside NE|access-date=2020-08-14}}</ref>

It is situated at an altitude of 2452 m above sea level. The valley is famous for its wide range of flowers in every season but the most famous one is the Dzüko Lily and it is found only in this valley.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Dzukou%20Lily.html|title=Lilium mackliniae - Dzuko Lily - Flowers of India|website=Flowers of India|access-date=2020-08-14}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word ''Dzüko'' is originally derived from the [[Viswema]] dialect of the [[Angami language|Angamis]] ''{{'}}Dzüko{{'}}'' which loosely translated means ''{{'}}Soulless and Dull{{'}}'' referring to when some ancestors of Viswema who moved out to establish a new village in ''Dzüko'', due to the unfavorable weather conditions they were unable to harvest crops which led them to say ''"the valley is very beautiful but is dull and soulless."''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sahityaz.com/amp/dz%C3%BCko-a-disputed-valley|title=Dzüko - A Disputed Valley|website=www.sahityaz.com|access-date=2020-08-14}}</ref>

{{quote box
| quote = As the story is passed down through oral tradition, the chieftain had a dream in which the spirit-gods ''Tevrümi'' asked him 7 roosters if they wanted to settle in the valley. The interpretation of that dream was that the ''Tevrümi'' i.e. spirit-gods were asking to give its 7 best male youth as a sacrifice. To which, the chief would not sacrifice his best male warriors. He also send some youth to the valley to bring its soil to him and so they did as requested. The chief elder checked the soil and said that the land was very fertile and but was not appropriate for vegetation (as the known vegetation knowledge for them). Thus, because of these reasons the people gave up to settle in the valley. From there the name ''Dzüko'' came into being, which can also be translated to as ''cold heart''.
| source = —Oral history
| align = left
| width = 30%
}}

==Access==
===Trekking route===
The main entry is from the foothills of [[Viswema]] where one can travel to the rest house above [[Teyozwü Hill]] by a [[Tata Sumo]] taxi. From here one has to climb forty minutes to the top of the mountain ''(Khiyoke)''. This is where Dzüko starts but the main valley is still another two hours' walk away. One can exit the valley from the same route but if one is planning to come back by foot, the Jakhama route is shorter.
Also it can be reached in five hours of trek from [[Mount Tempü]] of Senapati district of Manipur. The new five-hour trek route was opened by MMTA (Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association).

===Transportation===
The [[Asian Highway 1]] and also the [[National Highway 2 (India)|NH-2]] passes through its foothills. The nearest airport is [[Dimapur Airport]] at Dimapur near the Assam border about 96 kilometres (60 miles) away from Viswema while the [[Imphal Airport|Bir Tikendrajit International Airport]] is located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Viswema.

There is a Helipad just next to the Guest house however no service is seen in the last few years.

== Ecology ==
The valley borders a region of old-growth forest, and is home to several rare and endangered species of flora and fauna, including the Dzüko Lily (''Lilium mackliniae'') and the [[Blyth's tragopan]], which is the state bird of Nagaland. A number of other rare species are also found here, including several [[rhododendron]] species, plants such as the ''aconita nagaram,'' and fauna including the [[Asian golden cat]], the [[Hoolock gibbon|Hollock Gibbon]], the Dzuko Valley horned toad (''Megophrys dzukou''), several species of leopard including the [[clouded leopard]], the [[Asian black bear|Asiatic black bear]], the [[capped langur]], the [[stump-tailed macaque]], and the [[serow]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2021-02-21|title=The rolling ashes from Dzukou hills write back|url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com//smart-living/environment/the-rolling-ashes-from-dzukou-hills-write-back-111613896169159.html|access-date=2021-03-16|website=Mintlounge|language=en}}</ref>

It has periodically been threatened by forest fires, which tend to spread quickly due to prevalent wind conditions and are difficult to fight because of the inaccessible terrain around the valley. In 2006, a forest fire destroyed 20 kilometers of forest in the valley before it was contained. The [[2020–21 Dzüko Valley wildfires]] destroyed an estimated 200 acres of forest land, as well as significant flora in the valley itself.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-02|title=NDRF deploys more teams, choppers as Dzukou Valley wildfire rages on|url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/ndrf-deploys-more-teams-choppers-as-dzukou-valley-wildfire-rages-on-2333956.html|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Zee News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-01|title=Massive wildfire engulfs large parts of Dzuko valley on Nagaland-Manipur border|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/manipur/massive-wildfire-engulfs-large-parts-of-dzuko-valley-on-nagaland-manipur-border-7128189/|access-date=2021-01-05|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Dzukou Valley is turning into a ‘plastic free zone’ on World Environment Day|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/dzukou-valley-is-turning-into-a-plastic-free-zone-on-world-environment-day/as69650616.cms|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Times of India Travel}}</ref>

== Ownership ==
There has been disputes for years between Manipur and Nagaland regarding the ownership of Dzüko Valley.

Historically, the valley is an extent of the territory of Viswema under present-day Nagaland but today it is jointly preserved with the [[Southern Angami Public Organization]] which is also based in Nagaland.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://easternmirrornagaland.com/sapo-affirms-to-protect-its-ancestral-land/|title=SAPO affirms to protect it's ancestral land|date=27 April 2018|website=Eastern Mirror Nagaland|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref> However, politically, the valley shares both Manipur and Nagaland state territories which the majority of the area falls under Manipur state boundary according to the map of the [[Survey of India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Manipur/@24.7623799,93.8578749,7z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x3749265bf16390db:0x8cc1691ae0a829af|title=Map of Manipur|website=Google Maps|access-date=2021-01-03}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<gallery widths=250 heights=185 caption="Dzüko Valley" class="center">
File:Dzukou Valley.jpg|View of hillocks near Dzüko Valley from the guest house
File:Dzuko Valley Guest House.jpg|Dzüko Valley Guest House—a courtesy of [[Government of Nagaland]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.solobackpacker.com/dzukou-valley-trek Dzukou Valley Trek]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJlaE7v6F14&t=50s Hues of Dzukou]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dzuko Valley}}
[[Category:Viswema]]
[[Category:Valleys of India]]
[[Category:Landforms of Manipur]]
[[Category:Landforms of Nagaland]]
[[Category:Hill stations in Nagaland]]

Dzüko Valley - Revision history

Kamal Guha at 14:21, 30 January 2024