Vaphai is a village at the extreme east of

Champhai district Champhai district is one of the eleven districts of Mizoram state in India. The district is bounded on the north by Churachandpur district of Manipur state, on the west by Saitual and Serchhip districts, and on the south and east by Myanmar. T ...

Mizoram Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "lan ...

Geography and location

Vaphai, with an average altitude of 5,686 feet (1,733 m) above sea level, lies about 11 km east of Tehsil Main Town Khawbung, and 36.3 km south of

Champhai Champhai (Pron:/tʃamˈpʰaɪ/) is a border town in Mizoram state, in far eastern India. It is the headquarters of Champhai district, one of the eleven districts in the state. It is located on the Indo-Myanmar border and is situated in a strate ...

, the district capital. Its distance from the state capital

Aizawl Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...

is around 88 km. Nearby villages include Farkawn (7.5 km, south west), Khawbung (11 km, west), Khuangthing (13.2 km), Khuangleng (19 km), Biate (22.7 km). The nearest towns are Khawbung (11 km), Champhai (36.3 km), Khawzawl (44.8 km), Ngopa (79.8 km).

Etymology

Its original name was "Ivaphai", which literally means "Plains of the river Iva", referring to its original location in the river valley slightly west of its present location. The first syllable got dropped probably by

elision In linguistics, an elision or deletion is the omission of one or more sounds (such as a vowel, a consonant, or a whole syllable) in a word or phrase. However, these terms are also used to refer more narrowly to cases where two words are run toget ...

in course of time. It is situated at an average altitude of 5,686 feet (1,733 m) above sea level.

History

The village was established by Pu Mitinlianan in 1876 who started ruling the village for 45 years till his death in 1921. It was then ruled by Pu Chawnghleithanga in 1922 (1 year), who then passed it on to his son Pu Tlangtinchhuma who ruled till 1937 (14 years). The last chieftainship was held by Pu Lalrokhama (17 years) until the abolition of chieftainship in 1954.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Vaphai has 454 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 95.25%.

Tourism

Since the Mizos moved into Mizoram from the east, most historical monuments and places of cultural importance are to be found in eastern Mizoram and Burma. Places of importance inside and near the jurisdiction of Vaphai Village Council include Thlangtlak Mual, Thasiama Nghaleng Khawina, Fiara Tui, Lungkhawsa, Sakhawhmun lui, Ṭhasiama se no neihna tláng, Ṭan tláng and Ṭhasiama hmun. Ṭan tláng, lit. Ṭan mountain, with a height of 6,027 feet (1,837 m) is the fifth-tallest mountain in Mizoram.

Economy and border haat trade

Vaphai ( Saikhumphai) is one of the 4 Border Haats (markets) in Mizoram, others being at

Sangau Sangau is a larger village in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram state of India. Sangau, being close to India–Myanmar border, provides opportunities for trade through the border haat here. Nearby Phawngpui (lit. ''Blue Mountains'') is a major tou ...

( Pangkhua), Hnahlan and Zote, all of which boost the local trade and economy.Outlook India India, Myanmar likely to set up four ''Border Haats''
Outlook India, 20 Aug 2019.

Transport and connectivity

Zokhawthar Zokhawthar is a border town in the Champhai district of Mizoram state of India. It is located in the Khawzawl R.D. Block, on the India–Myanmar border, near the Rih Dil lake. Khawmawi village and Rikhawdar on the Myanmar side are the acc ...

(88 km north) provides connectivity to

India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT Highway), long route, is a highway under upgrade under India's Look East policy that will connect Moreh, India with Mae Sot, Thailand via Myanmar. Imphal-Mandalay-Bangkok route, consisting of ...

(IMT),The Role of BIMSTEC in Revitalising India’s Northeast
ORF, 23 Jun 2021. and

Asian Highway Network The Asian Highway Network (AH), also known as the Great Asian Highway, is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to improve their connectivity via hig ...

and

Asian Highway 1 Asian Highway 1 (AH1) is the longest route of the Asian Highway Network, running from Tokyo, Japan via Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to the border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul w ...

(AH1).New road, rail links to make Manipur gateway to SE Asia: CM
The Hindu, November 08, 2018.

Lengpui Airport Lengpui Airport is a domestic airport in Lengpui, serving Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, India. The airport is connected by flights to Kolkata, Guwahati and Imphal, and is located at a distance of 32 km from Aizawl. Lengpui Airport is t ...

near

(254 km northwest) is the nearest airport in India.

Sairang Sairang is a census town in Aizawl district in the Indian state of Mizoram. History After the British invasion of 1871-1872, Bengali traders set up the first market place in Mizoram in Changsil on the tlawng river, when the British established ...

railhead of

Bairabi–Sairang line The Bairabi–Sairang line is a long railway line from Bairabi to Sairang under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. Details The cost of construction from Bairabi to Sairang is estimated at INR 2384 crores, which was l ...

243 km northwest is the nearest railway station.

References

{{Mizoram Villages in Khawbung block