Dimapur Ao Naga Weaving Nagaland Commercial Gateway Trade

Dimapur district in the Brahmaputra plain is Nagaland's commercial capital and the only major city connected to the rail network — all goods entering and leaving Nagaland pass through Dimapur. The Ao Naga people (from the adjacent Mokokchung district) are known for the Ao Naga shawl weaving tradition — the Mongkhim (bachelor's shawl with yellow, black, and red stripes) and Rongkhim (warrior's shawl) are among the most elaborate. Dimapur contains the ruins of the Kachari kingdom's stone structures (mushroom-shaped monolithic pillars) — the only above-ground archaeological remains of the Kachari (Dimasa) kingdom that preceded Ahom and Naga civilizations in the region. The district's Dhansiri river valley grows rice and mustard.