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i.e. the first rays of the sun to fall on the earth on the morning of January 1, 2000 were first visible from this place only.
Katchal, earlier known as Tihnyu, has been home to both indigenous and non-indigenous people. Katchal Island with an area of 174.4 sq km is situated about 1600 km away from the mainland of India. It is 300 km south of Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Nicobar Islands can be divided in three groups-northern group, central group and southern group. Katchal is the largest island of the central group of islands and has 35 villages of which six are main villages. The highest peak of Katchal is 835 ft. high. People in Katchal speak Nicobari, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Santhali (a tribal language from South Bihar) and English.
Due to their unique location and lack of touch with the rest of the world, outsiders exploited the innocent islanders for a long time. To stop their economic exploitation, the Government of India declared the Nicobar Islands an Aboriginal Tribal Reserve Area on April 2, 1957. This made the Nicobar Islands inaccessible to outsiders and even Indian people from the mainland need a special tribal pass to land on the islands.
CLIMATE
The climate of the Andaman and Nicobar islands is tropical. Summer (March to June) is warm here. During monsoon, (July to September) the climate is warm as well as humid. But the winters (October to February) are colder than normal tropical winters. An effective sunscreen lotion is advisable if one is visiting the place during summer. Sufficient warm clothing is recommended for those visiting during winter.
PAST
It is believed that the Nicobar Islands have experienced all kinds of external influences for centuries, because they are located along an ancient international sea trade route and have been known to voyagers and scholars since ancient times. Due to this, the islands have been receiving external influences, which have affected their culture and race over the centuries.
Due to absence of collective memory, it is not possible to trace their past links, both ethnic and cultural. However, each village in the island has its own story of origin. For example, a tribe in West Bay, Katchal believes that there was a great flood in the ancient times, which submerged the island. Only a tall softwood tree, Kam pong, withstood the flood. Some worms managed to reach the treetop and remain there till the waters had receded. According to the West Bay Katchal tribe, the present population of Katchal evolved from those worms.
Legend has it that Lord Ram, the hero of the epic Ramayana passed through these islands during his period of exile. In our recent history, an archeological inscription dating to AD 1059 says that Nicobar was part of the overseas kingdom of Tamil Chola King of Tanjore. In 1869, British took possession of the Nicobar Islands from the Danes and made them a part of modern India.
SITES TO VISIT
Located in the southeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, the islands of Andaman and Nicobar are thickly covered by deep green forests, inhabited by unique species of birds, and dotted with sandy beaches on the fringes. The real attraction for the tourist lies in the crystal clear seas that harbor some of the world's richest and unspoilt marine reserves. Filled with dazzling fish and kaleidoscopic corals, the waters are perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving. This island is splendid with its golden, crescent shaped beaches, mangrove forests, rich marine life, and exotic flora and fauna.
Katchal is full of natural beauty. The eye-catching scenery of the beaches, the jungle, and the sunrise and sunset are some of the things that make the trip to the island worth all the trouble taken and much more.
SITES NEARBY
One should definitely try to visit the nearby islands as the explored as well as unexplored beaches are always inviting. There are several islands in this group, which are open to the tourists.
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
Like people of any other civilizations, indigenous people of Katchal known as Som eta were aware of the importance of the sun. They call the sun; Heng an object of light, Yango and images of the sun can be found in their ancient worshipping places. Due to influence of the Nicobari language from Car Nicobar, now they call sun Tavevoi. They also have a calendar according to which they celebrate their traditional festivals.
HOW TO REACH
By Sea
Regular passenger ship services are available to Port Blair from Chennai, Calcutta and Vishakhapattanam. There are several sailings every month from Chennai and Calcutta to Port Blair and vice-versa, and from Vishakhapattanam too there are a number of sailings to reach this group of islands. The voyage takes about three days and ships normally berth at Port Blair for about two days.
By Air
Port Blair is connected to Chennai and Calcutta by air and flights are operated by the Indian Airlines. The journey time is approximately two hours for both the sectors.
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