Khonoma village is located about 20 km from the state capital, Kohima. The village, referred to as Khwunoria (named after the Angami term for a local plant, Glouthera fragrantisima), is estimated to be around 700 years old and is spread over an area of 123 sq.km. The total population of the village is about 3000, settled in 600 households. Khonoma is famous for its forests and a unique form of agriculture, including some of the oldest terraced cultivation in the region. The terrain of the village is hilly, ranging from gentle slopes to steep and rugged hillsides. The hills are covered with lush forestland, rich in various species of flora and fauna. The state bird, Blyth’s tragopan, a pheasant now nationally endangered, is reportedly found here.

Khonoma ‘Green Village’ is a Rs. 3 crore project sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the department of Tourism, Government of Nagaland. Since its inauguration by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on 25th October 2005 it has become a model for all villages in Nagaland and other states to follow. Khonoma, one of the oldest Angami Villages has shown the way for others to follow. The beautiful terraces which are carved out of the hill slopes surrounding the village are a sight to behold. These terraces grow over 40 types of paddy at different elevation. The Khonoma people fought a series of battles with the British intruders and finally in the famous battle of Khonama in 1879 their resistance fell and they made peace with the British.

Khonoma Village

Over a hundred years ago, advancing British troops found themselves facing a determined warrior tribe in the highlands of Nagaland. The Angami men of Khonoma, famed for their martial prowess and strategic skills, fought a resolute battle to safeguard their territory, inflicting heavy casualties on the foreign soldiers. The village is recorded to have resisted British rule in the region from 1830s to 1880. Finally a truce between the two stopped further bloodshed, but meanwhile Khonoma village had etched its name into the history of Indian resistance to the colonial invasion. Christianity was introduced in the village in 1890, and today most of the villagers are of this faith.