Kohima War Cemetery

Where

Garrison Hill, central Kohima

Altitude

About 1,450 m

Distance

In Kohima town; about 64 km from Dimapur airport

Timings

Daily; about 8am–4pm (March–September) and 8am–3:30pm (October–February)

Entry fee

Free

Permit

Nagaland ILP for Indians from outside the state; Protected Area Permit for foreigners

Best time

October–May

Time needed

45 minutes–1 hour

Kohima War Cemetery covers the slopes of Garrison Hill in the centre of Kohima, where in April 1944 a small British and Indian garrison held off the Japanese advance into India. The fighting was so close that at one point the two sides faced each other across the district commissioner's tennis court. The court's lines are still marked out in white on the grass.

The Battle of Kohima

• When: 4 April to 22 June 1944, in three stages.
• What happened: the Japanese 15th Army, attacking towards Imphal and Kohima, tried to take Kohima ridge and cut the road that supplied the British and Indian troops besieged at Imphal. The garrison held until it was relieved in mid-April; counter-attacks then drove the Japanese off the ridge, and the road was reopened on 22 June.
• Why it matters: it was the turning point of the Japanese invasion of India. Historians have called it the "Stalingrad of the East", and in 2013 a British National Army Museum poll voted Imphal and Kohima "Britain's greatest battle".

The cemetery

• 1,420 Commonwealth burials from the Second World War, cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
• A memorial to 917 Hindu and Sikh soldiers who were cremated in keeping with their faith.
• Terraces of bronze-plaqued headstones stepping down the hill, with roses in season.
• The tennis court terrace, where the Cross of Sacrifice now stands.
• The cherry tree. The original was used by a Japanese sniper and was destroyed in the fighting; the tree there today grew from its shoot.
• The 2nd Division memorial at the foot, carrying the Kohima Epitaph:

When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today.

The words are attributed to the English classicist John Maxwell Edmonds. The memorial was inaugurated by Field Marshal Sir William Slim, who commanded the 14th Army in Burma.

Visiting

• Open daily. About 8am to 4pm from March to September, and 8am to 3:30pm from October to February. Confirm locally.
• Entry is free.
• It is a place of remembrance. Keep voices low and don't climb on memorials.
• Allow 45 minutes to an hour to walk the terraces from top to bottom.

How to reach

The cemetery is in central Kohima, a short walk from the main market. Kohima is about three hours by road from Dimapur, the nearest airport and railway station. See Dimapur to Kohima and our Nagaland tourist places guide.

Road distances from OpenStreetMap routing. Drive times are what we see on these mountain roads, not map estimates.

Permits

Indian visitors from outside Nagaland need an Inner Line Permit, available online. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit, which was reimposed for Nagaland in 2021; apply through a registered operator.

Weather and best time

Kohima is mild and very wet from May to September. The clearest months are October to April.

Monthly averages for 2015–2024 from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, at the site's elevation (about 1443 m). Rain and snow are rated relative to this location's own year.

Things most guides don't tell you

• Start at the top by the Cross of Sacrifice and walk down, finishing at the epitaph.
• Visit in early December and combine it with the Hornbill Festival at Kisama.
• The views over Kohima from the upper terraces are among the best in town.

Nearby

• Kisama Heritage Village, 12 km away.
• Northeast India tour packages.