Aizawl: the hill city of the Mizo people

Built on a series of mountain ridges, Aizawl remains the capital of Mizoram, an Indian state in the northeast with a Christian-majority population and distinct tribal culture.

Shared taxis remain the most common way to travel between the sloping districts.

The State Museum of Mizoram displays traditional tools and costumes of the Mizo people, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group with a culture distinct from the rest of India.

Just minutes away, the Church Presbyterian Solomon's Temple, among Asia's largest, reflects the region's profound Christian missionary influence.

Continuing along the city's ridges you observe panoramic views over the surrounding valleys, characteristic of Aizawl's entire hilly topography.

Toward evening, the local markets sell Mizo textiles hand-woven according to techniques passed down through generations.

Mizoram remains one of India's states with the highest percentage of Christian population, a consequence of British Presbyterian and Baptist missionary work begun in the late 19th century among local tribal populations.

Aizawl, built entirely on hillside ridges without a true flat center, displays a unique urban structure in India, with neighborhoods arranged at various altitudes along the slopes and connected by steep and winding roads.