A wooden cart in Mizoram, photographed in 1988. Photo: Anil Agarwal/CSE
Environment

A unique mode of transport in the Mizo Hills

Wooden carts have been used for transporting people and goods on the hill roads of Mizoram; but they are giving way to modern modes of transport

DTE Staff

Mizoram, in India’s Northeast, is mostly hilly terrain. Indeed, its very name means ‘Land of the Highlanders’.

To transport goods and materials in the hills, people in the state use a unique method of transportation: wooden carts.

Men transport leaf bundles on traditional wooden carts in Mizoram in 1988.

These carts have a driver’s seat with steering and braking capabilities. In the yard of every house, one may come across a couple of these carts.

Leaf bundles being transported on traditional wooden carts in Mizoram in 1988.

Useful as they are, their prominence has significantly reduced with the advent of modern transportation systems like roads and motorised vehicles.