Assam

Assam

Assam shape is like a bird and the main state in the North-East Region of India. In olden times Assam was called as Pragjyotishpura and Kamarupa. It works as the gateway of the Seven Sister States. These States are Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal that share boarders with Assam. Assam shares its international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh and very near to Myanmar.

Assam is famous for Assam tea and silk. It was the first place in India for oil drilling. One-horned Indian rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, pygmy hog, tiger and various species of Asiatic birds and Asian elephant can be seen in the wildlife Park. Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park are World Heritage Sites. Sal tree jangals are found here that’s why there is a rich rainfall and have a green all year round. Assam gets more rainfall than others parts of India.

Tourist Places in Assam

Guwahati

Assam is one of the biggest Cities in North-East India and serves as the main gateway to the entire region. The famous tourist places of Guwahati are Kamakhya Temple, Boating on the Brahmaputr River, Umananda Temple, Assam State Zoo, Shilpagram etc. Moreover Chandubi Lake, Sonapur, Madan Kamdev, Chandrapur and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary are also famous tourist spots in the city. In Madan Kamdev there is also famous the ancient temple Gopeswar Mandir situated in the village Deuduar.

Brahmaputra River

Brahmaputra River is a main river of Central and South Asia. It flows around 2,900 km from its source in the Himalayas. The Brahmaputra River flows through different countries such as   China, India and Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra is known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and Luit or Dilao in Assam.

This river is confluence with the Ganga River and at last the two rivers fall into the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra River is known as a moving ocean. River is surprisingly wide at some areas in India. In Assam near Dibrugarh the river is 16 km wide and at Pandu near Guwahati the river is 1.2 km wide.

Assam Tea Gardens

Assam is famous for its quality of tea and the natural beauty of the tea Garden in the world. World's largest Tea growing area is both sides of the Brahmaputra River. Tea Garden as well as Tea is enjoyed by all Tea drinkers. Assam is considered as one of the world's largest tea growing area. There are more than 100,000 tea gardens in Assam.

Kamakhya Temple

Kamakhya Temple is located on the Nilachal Hill at Guwahati city in Assam. The Kamakhya Temple is also called Kamrup-Kamakhya temple or Kamakhya Devalaya. Kamakhya Temple is a Hindu temple which devoted to the goddess Kamakhya. This temple is one of the oldest of 51 Shakti Pithas in India. It is an important pilgrimage place for Hindus. Annual festival Ambubachi Mela is held in the temple complex.  This temple is the centre for Tantra which attracts thousands of tantra devotees.  Durga Puja is also famous at Kamakhya during Navaratri in the autumn. This is five-day festival.

The Ambubachi Mela is a Hindu Mela which is held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. This mela is celebrated during the monsoon season. It falls during the Assamese month Ahaar mostly in the middle of June. It is the festival of the annual menstruation course of goddess Kamakhya. It is said that the goddess Devi Kamakhya goes through her annual cycle of menstruation during this time stretch. There is no idol of the Main deity in the temple. She is worshipped in the form of a yoni like a stone over which a natural spring flows.

Umananda Temple

Umananda temple is set at the Peacock Island. The Temple stands in the middle of Brahmaputra River in Guwahati. It is a Shiv temple just opposite the Kachari Ghat. The name of the mountain is Bhasmacala on which the temple has been made. It is the smallest populated riverine island in the world. Boats are available on the bank of Brahmaputra River for carrying the tourists to the island.

According to the Kalika Purana God Siva sprinkled ashes at this place and gave the   knowledge to his wife Parvati. It is said that Siva resided here in the form of Bhayananda. Siva Stated meditation on this hillock but Kamadeva disturbed him. Kamadeva was burnt to ashes by the fire of Siva’s anger. Since then the name of the mountain is Bhasmacala. This mountain is also known as Bhasmakuta. According to the Kalika Purana Urvasikunda is here and the goddess Urvasi resides here. She brings Amrit (nectar) for the Kamakhya. So this island is called as the name Urvasi Island.

Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden

The Assam State Zoo is situated within the Hengrabari Reserved Forest in Guwahati. Guwahati Zoo or Botanical Garden is one of the largest of its kind zoo in the North East area. It is spread around 432 acre. Around 895 animals, birds and reptiles are inside the Zoo.

Chandubi Lake

Chandubi Lake is situated at Kamrup District in Assam. It is away 64 kilometers from the city of Guwahati. It is a natural lake which is set at the foot of Garo hills surrounded by Assam and Meghalaya. This lake surrounded with deep forest and small villages and invites migratory birds during winter season. It is famous spot for natural sightseeing and picnic.

The lake provided fishing and boating facilities. Chandubi Lake is a tourist spot due to Changdubi festival. Tourists visit the lake during the Changdubi festival which is held in first week of January. In this festival Local people perform their traditional dance, cultural activities and offer local traditional food.

Madan Kamdev

Madan Kamdev is at Baihata Chariali in Kamrup. This place is an archaeological site, back to the 9th and 10th century. The ruin shows the prosperity of Pala period of Kamarupa. The ruins of Madan Kamdev are dispersed widely in the place covering 500 meters.

Dibrugarh

Dibrugarh is located on the edge of the Brahmaputra River. Dibrugarh is very famous as the tea capital of the world. Dibrugarh gives the opportunity to the visitors to experience a life in a tea land. In recent times tea tourism has become popular in Assam. Travel companies such as Greener Pastures and Purvi Discovery are offering tea tours. Tipam is an ethnic village and popular among tourists due to its historical places. Dibrugarh contains the biggest railway station in Assam.

Wildlife Sanctuary

Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park is set in the Golaghat in Assam State. It is a national park. There are two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhinoceroses here. This sanctuary is a World Heritage Site. The rhino population in Kaziranga National Park is around 2,413. The highest density of tigers is in Kaziranga Park. It has been declared a Tiger Reserve Park. This Sanctuary is home to elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. The park has high species diversity and visibility because of edge of Himalaya biodiversity hotspot. Moreover Kaziranga has dense forests and rivers including the Brahmaputr. The park is established as a reserve forest since 1905.

Manas National Park

Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Himalayan foothills and contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. It is a national park and a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site. This Wildlife Sanctuary is a Tiger and elephant reserve in Assam. The park is famous for the protection of rare wildlife such as the Assam turtle, golden Langur and is known for the wild water buffalo.

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is situated at Dibrugarh in Tinsukia districts. It is a national park in and was chosen a Biosphere Reserve with an area of 765 km2.

Festivals in Assam

There are many traditional festivals in Assam. Bihu is celebrated in April of the Gregorian calendar all over Assam. It is the Assamese New Year. Moreover Durga Puja and Ambubachi Mela are widely celebrated across the state.

Ambubachi Mela

The Ambubachi Mela is a Hindu mela which is held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. This temple is the Centre for Tantra which attracts thousands of tantra devotees.  Durga Puja is also famous at Kamakhya during Navaratri in the autumn. This is five-day festival.

Annual festival Ambubachi Mela is held in the temple complex.  This mela is celebrated during the monsoon season. It falls during the Assamese month Ahaar mostly in the middle of June. It is the festival of the annual menstruation course of goddess Kamakhya. It is said that the goddess Devi Kamakhya goes through her annual cycle of menstruation during this time stretch. There is no idol of the Main deity in the temple. She is worshipped in the form of a yoni like a stone over which a natural spring flows.

Bihu

Bihu is a group of three Assamese festivals and celebrated in Assam. Bihu is related with agriculture, particular rice just like other Indian festivals. These three Assamese festivals are Rongali or Bohag Bihu comes in April, Kongali or Kati Bihu comes in October, and Bhogali or Magh Bihu comes in January.

The Rongali Bihu is spring festival and popular festivals.  The Rongali Bihu coincides the Assamese New year which follow the Hindu calendar and Buddhist calendar. Rongali Bihu is celebrated in Assam with music, dancing and feasts. Brass, copper or silver pots are hanged in front of their houses and wear flower garlands and greet the New Year to each other.

The Bhogali Bihu is a harvest festival and celebrated with public feasts. Kati Bihu is related with harvest protection and worship of plants and harvests.

Bwisagu

Bwisagu or Baisagu is called as Bihu in Assamese language. It is one of the most important and famous festival of the Bodos of Assam. The Bodos call this festival as Baisagu. It means the start of the New Year. This festival is held the first month of the Assamese year.

Bushu Dima

Bushu Dima or Bushu is the main harvest festival of the Dimasa people. It is celebrated on 27 January every year. People enjoy by playing musical instruments like khram (a kind of Drum), muri (flute) and dance to the different tunes. Dimasas Jidap, Surem and Hangsou are three types of Bushu that are celebrated.

Weather & Rainfall

Assam has maximum 35-38 °C temperature in summer and a minimum of 6-8 °C in winter, particularly the Brahmaputra Valley and Barak Valley.  There is high rainfall and humidity in Assam area. It is a common happened that afternoon thunder showers during monsoons. It is also common thing to early morning fog in winter.

How to Reach Assam

By Air: The nearest airport is Guwahati's Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Cabs and rented taxis can be taken easily from outside of the airport to reach the city. These are some more places at Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Tezpur which run flights to other parts of the northeastern region and Kolkata.

By Rail: The Nearest railway station is the Guwahati railway station. It has good train connectivity with other major stations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore. There are also direct trains from major cities such as Kolkata and Delhi to Dibrugarh, which is a further 12 hours from Guwahati.

By Road: Assam has good road connectivity with various part of the country such as Kolkata. State transport buses are regularly available. The State Transport and private Transport both operate buses that connecting Guwahati with Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Silchar, Dimapur, Itnagar, Kohima and Imphal.

Best time to Visit

Assam can be visited any time of the year. The best time is to visit from October to April. These months are enjoyable. Bihu festival is also held during April and enjoys this festival. People celebrate New Year in a grand manner Such as singing dancing and feasts. Many fairs are in the month of October to November such as Durga Pooja, Kali Pooja and Lakshmi Pooja. Tourists celebrate New Year picnic on the riverside as there are many rivers in Assam.