I got up after ten in the morning, and today I was determined to go up to the Bird Watch Tower in Jatinga to see and explore the bizarre and occult phenomenon of the Jatinga bird suicides. An auto driver arrived promptly at four in the afternoon to pick me up and take me to the famous and mysterious Jatinga village.

The village is about twenty minutes away, and one has to cross the town of Haflong and drive across the Dima Hasao district to get there. The roads are winding, surrounded by dense foliage and bamboo forests spread across the valley.

There is a huge gate with a welcome sign as one enters Jatinga village. It looks beautiful at sunset — the sun dips below the horizon, and wild purple, red, and orange flowers bloom on either side of the hilly road. Houses are scattered far apart from each other, adding to the serene charm of the place. The blue sky, the orange sun, and the colorful flowers bring a deep sense of tranquility to the surroundings.

My auto driver rode uphill; one has to ascend an incline to reach the watchtower and then climb a long flight of stairs. The watchtower is a small outhouse perched on top of a hill, surrounded by thin bamboo trees. Electrical wires crisscross the area, and one of the explanations for the bird suicides is that the birds get electrocuted when they fly too close to the wires. Another theory suggests that they collide with the tall bamboo trees and crash to their doom.

I managed to climb into the outhouse. It was very quiet and eerie, with a stray dog roaming around. My auto driver opened the door, and we entered a room with sofas and chairs. There were photographs of many bird species on the walls — large color prints with their names written below.

“These birds come here and commit suicide,” the auto driver said. “They fly together, and some get blinded by the lightning during the rains — they just drop dead from the sky. But now, I can’t see any; maybe we’ll try again tomorrow.”

I went to the balcony and looked around. I saw birds flying in the air and heard their chirps, but none crashed to the ground. I waited for half an hour but did not witness any bird committing suicide. However, I did manage to record a short video about the story and legend of Jatinga, which you can see with this blog post.

Bird Watch Tower

Just before one enters Jatinga village, there is a large Presbyterian Church of Dima Hasao. This part of the world is deeply influenced by Christianity. Yet, as one climbs up to Jatinga, there is also a beautiful temple where one can stop to pray. I surely did and later took a long walk across the village, capturing the orange sky and the setting sun at the horizon.

There is an entry fee of ₹50 to enter the village and access the bird tower. I strolled across this beautiful village till late evening and then rode back in my auto to my lodge, aptly named Nothao Home Lodge.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience.