Kisama Heritage Village — The Hornbill Festival Venue

Kisama is the only purpose-built cultural complex of its kind in India — a permanent home for what was, until 2000, a wandering festival held in different Naga villages each year. The name combines Kigwema and Phesama, the two Angami villages whose land was donated. The complex sits at roughly 1,300 m elevation on a south-facing slope of the Naga Hills — chosen for its natural amphitheatre topography and its proximity to Kohima.

For ten days every December, Kisama becomes the cultural capital of Nagaland. Outside those dates, the morungs remain open as a living museum.

The schematic below shows how Kisama is laid out — four morung clusters arranged around the central performance arena, with food, crafts and the WWII Museum forming the perimeter. The 17 morungs are grouped by the ridge they sit on, not by tribe size. Pair this map with the morung locations table below as you plan your day.

Each morung is a faithful reproduction of a village original, built by craftspeople from the tribe it represents. Inside, elders, weavers and musicians demonstrate crafts and answer questions. You can sit on the bench, share rice beer, and ask anything. Use the table to plan a route by zone rather than crossing back and forth across the venue.

Kisama has three working gates during the festival:

• Main Gate (north, on NH-2) — for everyone arriving from Kohima by taxi, sumo or car. Tickets are sold here.
• VIP Gate (north-east) — for permit-holding officials and pre-booked guided groups; faster security check.
• South Gate (rear) — pedestrian only, opens onto the road to Kigwema and the Kigwema homestays; ideal if you're walking from your stay.

• P1 Main — closest to the gate, ~400 vehicles. Fills by 9.30 a.m. on peak days (1, 5, 10 December).
• P2 Overflow — across NH-2, ~600 vehicles. About a 10-minute walk to the gate. This is where you will park on peak days.
• P3 VIP / Tour Operator — east side, ~200 vehicles, pre-booked only. Our guests use this lot on peak days.

If you're with a tour operator, ask in advance whether your driver has a P3 pass — it saves an hour on opening day.

The amphitheatre is the central feature of Kisama — a natural bowl on the south face of the hill, with terraced seating for around 8,000 spectators. The performance schedule runs:

• 9.00 – 9.45 a.m. — Gates open, morungs begin demonstrations.
• 10.00 a.m. — Opening invocation and the first tribe's performance.
• 10.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. — Rotating tribe-by-tribe performances (war dances, harvest dances, polyphonic folk songs).
• 3.30 – 5.00 p.m. — Indigenous games: chilli-eating, Naga wrestling, log-pulling, traditional archery.
• 5.00 p.m. — Arena closes; morungs close by 5.30 p.m.

Best seats: upper-left terrace (south-east side) for warm afternoon light on performers' faces. The press pit is reserved but unreserved photographers can stand at the back of the lower terrace.

The main food court runs along the west side of the venue with 40+ stalls, each run by a different tribal council. The crafts bazaar on the east has another dozen smaller food stalls. What to try, by morung:

• Angami stall — Galho rice porridge with smoked pork and perilla; Zutho rice beer.
• Ao stall — Anishi (yam-leaf paste with smoked pork) and Mokokchung sticky rice.
• Konyak stall — Smoked beef with bamboo shoot; the strongest chillies on site.
• Sumi stall — Axone (fermented soya) with pork; rice beer in bamboo cups.
• Chakhesang stall — Smoked pork with mustard greens; Phek-style rice beer.
• Lotha stall — Smoked dry fish; Wokha-style chutneys.

Plan to eat between 12.00 and 1.30 p.m. — queues are short and the stalls are at their freshest.

1. Main gate stone facade, 8.30 – 9.30 a.m. — Side light catches the carved figures; portraits of arriving Naga warriors are exceptional here.
2. Konyak morung, 9.30 – 10.30 a.m. — Soft morning light into the log-drum chamber; the tattooed elders are most relaxed before performances begin.
3. Amphitheatre upper-left terrace, 11.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. — Warm overhead-three-quarter light on dancers' faces; bring a 70–200 mm.
4. Angami morung stone gate, 3.30 – 4.30 p.m. — Late warm light hitting the carved sun-and-mithun motifs.
5. Crafts bazaar lane, after 4 p.m. — Lanterns come on; weavers at their looms — gentle low-light portraits.
6. WWII Museum porch, sunset — South-facing terrace looking out over the Kohima valley; landscape shot.

Full photography ethics and gear notes: see the Hornbill Festival photography guide.

Express loop (90 minutes). Main Gate → Central morungs (Angami, Ao, Sumi, Lotha) → Arena for one performance → Food court for a quick Galho → exit. Ideal if you've booked a private cultural tour day in Kohima and just want a taste.

Half-day loop (4 hours). Add the North Ridge (Konyak, Phom, Chang, Khiamniungan, Yimkhiung) and the indigenous games arena. Eat in the food court. Recommended for most visitors.

Full day (8 hours). All 17 morungs zone by zone, two full arena sessions, lunch and an afternoon coffee at the bazaar, ending at the WWII Museum for sunset. Wear walking shoes — total distance is about 4 km of gentle climbs.

• Kohima town (12 km) — The Heritage, Razhü Pru, Hotel Vivor, Niraamaya. Festival rates ₹3,500–₹15,000+. Daily commute by taxi or shared sumo.
• Kigwema village (1.5 km) — Kigwema Heritage Homestay, Niathu Resort. ₹2,500–₹5,000. Walking distance to the south gate.
• Jakhama village (3 km) — Several family-run homestays. ₹2,000–₹3,500. Short drive to Kisama.
• Phesama village (1 km) — Limited homestays, very local. Book through us — they don't list on OTAs.
• Kisama village (on-site) — A small number of homestays. ₹3,000–₹5,000. Earliest possible access to the venue.

For a full breakdown of options including pricing, see our tour packages.

Between January and November, Kisama is quiet — the morungs remain open, the WWII Museum operates, and the Heritage Complex is staffed. There's no entry fee outside festival dates. A 2–3 hour visit is enough to see all 17 morungs at a relaxed pace. Bring water; food and chai are easier to find back in Kohima.

The complex also hosts smaller events: the Naga Wrestling Championship in October, the Kisama Music Festival in March, and occasional traditional weddings hosted in the morungs.