The book consists 27 research papers on religious culture of Arunachal Pradesh including tribal culture with emphasis on spirits and deities, sacred specialists, and sacred rituals etc. The Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism as practised by some Arunachali tribes are presented in a historical setting along with Brahminical culture in the foothills. This is the first such study of religious history of Arunachal Pradesh and their interaction with the people of Assam, Tibet and Myanmar through the ages.

Arunachal Pradesh, the northernmost state of the Northeast region of India is the homeland of a number of tribes and sub-tribes. The state is a canvas of colourful communities with their habitats amid the lofty sierra, dense forests and roaring rivers with variegated socio-cultural milieu with a congregation of diversified socio-religious beliefs and practices. Such societies are of immense anthropological interest. But, till date hardly any volume is available in the market which exclusively covers the different aspects and heritage of the various tribal communities of the state. This is a book where views and research papers of a number of anthropologists working on the tribal groups in the different parts of Arunachal Pradesh, are systematically arranged for the benefit of the administrators, social scientists and the students of anthropology to understand the ingenious thinking of the indigenous people.

Arunachal Pradesh, formerly known as North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), is the land of rising sun of India. It is endowed with rich biological and cultural diversity. It is entirely a hilly state lies on the mighty Himalayan and Patkoi ranges. It is home of 26 major tribes and 110 sub-tribes with wide ranges of culture, rituals, religion and habits. The state comes under Indo-Myanmar biodiversity zone with centre of origin of several crops and is termed as "Paradise of Botanist." This book is intended for those who want to get preliminary information about this beautiful Himalayan state. This is not about political or current knowledge of Arunachal Pradesh, but about Arunachal Pradesh as it was and as it is. We try to give a brief note on geography, history, people, culture, rituals and practices.

Contributed articles.