Assam
Assam is a land of myths and mystery. "The land of red river and blue hills," as
it is described, has a unique landscape with sprawling tea gardens and unending
stretches of paddy fields interspersed with groves of coconut, areca nuts, and
banana trees. Its population is a confluence of streams of different races and
tribes like the Austrics, the Aryans, Negroids, Indo-Burmese, Indo-Tibetans, and
Mongoloid. They have enriched each other and have evolved to give a distinctive
identity to the Assamese people.
The most important and well-known tourist spots are Capital Guwahati, Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Majuli
river island and Sualkuchi where Assam silk is made. One should'nt miss
Kaziranga and Majuli.
Getting There :
- By Air: Connected with Calcutta, Delhi, Bagdogra, Imphal Agartala, Dibrugarh and Dimapur.
- By Rail: Connected with New Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Trivandrum, Bangalore, Cochin, Silchar, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh.
- By Road: Shillong- 103 kms, Kaziranga National Park- 217 kms, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary- 176 kms, Dimapur- 280 kms, Itanagar- 420 kms, Imphal- 487 kms, Agartala- 599 kms, Aizawal- 538 kms, Gangtok- 624 kms, Darjeeling- 587 kms, Calcutta- 1182 kms and Kohima- 342 kms.
Fast Facts :
- Area: 78,438 sq km
- Religion: Hinduism (67.13%), Islam (28.43%), Others (4.44%)
- Capital: Dispur
- Languages: Assamese and Bengali
- Best time to visit: October to March
- Major cities: Guwahati, Tezpur, Digboi, Jorhat
Tourist Attractions :
Guwahati :
The capital of Assam, Guwahati derives its
importance from its location on the bank of the Bramhmaputra. Guwahati has a
state museum which houses rare sculptures of the former dynasties of the region.
In and around Guwahati are several temples. Guwahati has a choice of good
hotels.
Kaziranga Wildlife
Sanctuary :
On the south bank of the Brahmaputra, 233 km northeast
of Guwahati is the main sanctuary for the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Visitors
view the rhino and other wildlife on elephant-back in this National Park.
Kaziranga National Park has a good forest lodge and some tourist
lodges
Manas
National Park :
Covering an area of 520 sq km, Manas National Park is
a tiger reserve. It is also a World Heritage site. Rare wildlife like hispid
hare, pygmy hog, golden langur, rhinoceros, Asiatic buffalo can also be seen
here.The park is 176 km from Guwahati by road. Nearest airport is in Guwahati
and the nearest rail head is Borpeta Road, 136 km from Guwahati.
Tezpur :
By its unique location and picturesque setting on the
north bank of the majestic river Brahmaputra, Tezpur can be considered as one of
the most beautiful town of the state. Tezpur can also be remembered for the
legend of princess Usha, the daughter of King Bana and for prince Aniruddha, the
grandsons of Lord Krishna for their eternal love and romance. It is 181kms from
Guwahati Buses ply regularly from Guwahati & other towns of the state, the
nearest railhead is Rangapara and airport is Salonibari.
Digboi :
Digboi, is
known as the the city of oil. Oil was first found in 1879, drilling started in
1888 and in 1889, Assam Oil Company established the first oil refinery of Asia
in Digboi. Other local attractions are dolls being made from wax. The atmosphere
is sylvan outside the town. Wild elephants run amuck. Another oil town is
Duliajan, 15 km away.
