Assam, the gateway to North East, is a traveller's paradise where one can witness ethnic diversity, numerous monuments, national parks and islands.
Assam shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh which makes it even more diverse but this also increases the risk of migration. This is the land where the largest river of India, Brahmaputra flows. Guwahati, the capital of Assam has it all.
Let's take our readers to some of the religious places in Guwahati. Kamakhya Temple, located on Nilachal Hill, 800 feet above the sea level, is one of the most significant and well-known places. This temple of Goddess Shakti is the oldest temple in India and it is believed that female genitalia (yoni) of dead Sati fell down while her corpse was being carried by her husband Shiva, thus turning the hill blue, hence the name Nilachal (Blue Spread) came into existence. There are two ways to get to the temple - through staircase made up of stones from the bottom of the hill or by cab or bus. From the top of the hill, one can witness an esthetic view of Brahmaputra river.
Located on an island is another temple called Umananda Temple. It was built in 1594, by the Ahom King of Assam and today it has become the hotspot for tourists. The high point about this place is the ambience and the journey in the country boats.
Another well know temple is Balaji Temple situated on the National Highway.
To get the real taste of culture, one needs to visit Shankardeva Kalakshetra, an Assamese cultural museum. It will give every detail of tradition and culture that Assam and its people have been living through ages.
Finally, there is Brahmaputra and its high class cruise that takes tourist for a ride of entire Brahmaputra for an hour. It provides visitors a unique experience on the river Brahmaputra, with a restaurant-cum-bar and music all through out the ride.
If you are looking for history, then Sibsagar is the place where you will find the reminiscences of Ahom Dynasty. It is a 12 hours journey from Guwahati.
From Rang Ghar (amusement house) to Kareng Ghar or Talatal Ghar (royal palace), you can experience the history of Assam here. Rang Ghar, built in 1746, was a royal sports-pavilion from which the Ahom kings witnessed games like buffalo fights and other sports, especially during Rangali Bihu festival. On the other hand, Kareng Ghar was the royal house for the Ahoms that was a seven storied structure, four over ground and the rest three underground construction. The Talatal Ghar had two secret underground tunnels too. However, today only a few remnants are left.
Assam is also a hub of national parks and variety of species.
The Kaziranga National Park hosts two-third of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses.
Other than that the park also has tigers, lions deers, wild buffaloes and elephants. Another well known park is Manas National Park which is home to large number of wild elephants, barking deer and variety of birds.
Last but not the least is Majuli.
Assam is the proud owner of the world's largest river island. Initially it covered an area of 1,250 square kilometres (483 sq mi), but due to significant soil erosion, it now covers an area of only 421.65. Assam is a different experience in itself. It feels like coming home.
Comments
0 comment