All roads led to Noctegaon hamlet, tucked away in a remote area of upper Assam, where a rain forest festival recently brought hordes of tourists from all over the country and from abroad.

The festival, held earlier this month, showcased not only the unique customs, traditions and way of living of the ethnic residents of the village, but also of many other tribes from the entire northeast India.

The obscure village, covered by thick woods, is like any other village in upper Assam but for its residents' unique culture and way of living which set it apart. Almost all residents of the village, situated in Dibrugarh district, hailed from Tirap district in Arunachal Pradesh.

Though they settled down in 1830, the district authorities came to know of their rich cultural tradition only very recently and decided to bring them out into the outside world by organising the festival for the first time.

The Jeypore rain forest festival, so named because thick woods cover the entire Jeypore area in which Noctegaon village falls, buzzed with activity for three days from February 11 during which the 400-odd residents showcased their culture and traditions.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi said on the concluding day of the festival that his government would do everything possible to bring the festival into the world heritage map. He also announced construction of a lodge in the village to attract tourists from far and wide.

Among the participants was Chagem Nocte, a graduate of mass communication from Delhi University, who along with three of her friends put up a stall at the festival ground where traditional clothes and ornaments were sold along with ethnic food. She said she was thrilled to get the opportunity to highlight the custom and tradition of her tribe.

''Thanks to the rain forest festival, we have got the opportunity to take our little-known tribe to the outside world. The festival will also be able to harness the tourism potential of this region,'' she said.

She felt that the rain forest festival, which made a good start, should be made an annual affair.

Like her tribe, many others like Nam Phake, Tai Phake, Mech Kachari and Sonowal Kachari had put up stalls selling various wares in the festival.

An Ao Naga troupe from Nagaland performed a traditional cock fight war dance. So did troupes from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

The festival also witnessed the arrival of a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Barabara Holmes Balmer and Terre O' Brennan came all the away from Canada to participate in the rain forest festival.

''It is an amazing atmosphere here. We got the opportunity to interact with the local people and came to know their culture and tradition. We also went for an elephant ride,'' Barbara said.

Well-known entrepreneur and tea planter Manoj Jalan said such festivals helped promote the tourism potential of the region.