Assam – Home of the Brahmaputra

The stunning grandeur of its dense tracts of tropical forests, interspersed with emerald patchwork quilts of paddy and lush tea gardens, showcase the life-giving largesse of the mighty River Brahmaputra that dominates the world of this land and its peoples ‘Son of Brahma’, the great river that wends its way from the Mansarovar Lake in the higher reaches of the Tibetan plateau (as the Tsangpo) through Arunachal (as the Siang) and on to the plains of Assam, the second largest state in the North east.

The alluvial plains of the Assam valley (100 km at its widest) enjoy an abundance of natural riches. The state is the largest producer of timber and tea in the country and it has the oldest oil refinery in India. In rich bio-diversity supports an immense range of rare and endangered creatures such as the one horned rhinoceros, the golden langur, the Gangetic dolphin and the clouded leopard.

Flanked by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh in the north and the east, its southern periphery is bordered by Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Meghalaya lies in the southwest and it shares its western border with West Bengal and Bangladesh. For six hundred years, the Ahoms ruled Assam, from their state capital of Charaideo near present-day Sibsagar, before the arrival of the British. The Ahoms were conquerors belongings to the Shan tribe of Burma, through the Patkai Range, who settled in the Brahmaputra valley and having consolidated their hold over the entire valley, after defeating the Kacharis in 1540 AD, successfully repulsed a series of invasions by the Mughals and the Bengal Sultans.

In protecting the land from invasions the Ahoms established an environment for cultural pursuits that were free of any outside influence. King Rudra Singha is said to have opened up a trade route between Assam and Tibet and also encouraged Bengal musicians to stay at his court.

Assam Cities

Digboi	Guwahati	Haflong
Hajo	Majuli	Sibsagar
Tezpur

Wildlife in Assam

Kaziranga National Park – Kaziranga National Park in Assam is a beautiful wildlife park which has the large population of one horned rhinos and Asian elephants. This national park is a world Heritage Site. This wildlife park has several successful stories of preserving a variety of wildlife. The park offers a variety of attractions as Tiger, Jeep and Elephant Safari.

Manas National Park – Manas National Park, a project Tiger reserve and a World Heritage Site, is 176 km north-west of Guwahati. Other denizens of the dense jungles here are the one-horned rhinos, tigers, hispid hare, gaurs, pygmy hogs and rare golden langurs.

Nameri National Park – Straddling the lush vistas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Nameri National Park is ideal for a leisurely angling vacation. The mahseer of this region is legendary, particularly the golden Mahseer.

Adventure Holidays in Assam

The stunning variety of terrain, splendid landscapes and sparkling rivers offer adventure sports lovers a choice of activities. Amongst the popular adventure activities are angling, river rafting, mountaineering, trekking, mountain biking, para-sailing, hang-gliding and golf.

Adventure	Best Place
Angling	River Jia Bhoroli, Kapili and Manas
River Cruise	River Brahmaputra
Boat Racing	Hajo, Saulkuchi, Barpeta, Guwahati etc.
River Rafting	River Brahmaputra, Manas, Jia Bhoroli and Kapili
Golf	Digboi
Mountaineering and Trekking	North Cachar Hills and Karbi Hills, Elephant Rocks, Simhasana Hill of Karbi Anglong
Mountain Biking	Anywhere in Hilly Terrain
Para – Sailing	North Guwahati.
Hang Gilding	Kamakhya Hills and hills around Kaziranga.

Fairs and Festivals in Assam

Bihu : Marking the beginning of agricultural season is Assam’s most important festival Bihu. It is celebrated during mid-April with much pomp and gaiety.

Baishagu : Celebrated during mid-April, Baishagu is the most cherished festival of Boro Tribe and heralds the New Year.

Ali-ai-ligang : Ali-ai-ligang is the colourful annual festival of Mishing tribe. It is held on the first Wednesday of the month of ‘Ginmur Polo’ (February-March). The ceremonial sowing of paddy starts on this day.

Rongker : Rongker, the most important festival of the Karbis, is celebrated in April to propitiate different gods and goddesses for the well being o f the entire village.

Rajini Gabra & Harni Gabra: Rajini Gabra & Harni Gabra is an annual festival of Dimasa tribe. This socio-religious festival is celebrated before staring new cultivation.

Baikho : The Rabha tribe celebrates the Baikho festival during the spring season in order to propitiate the goddess of wealth ‘Baikho’.

Bohaggiyo Bishu : Bohaggiyo Bishu, the spring festival of the Deoris – one of the four divisions of Chutia tribe, is fascinating.

Ambubashi Mela : Ambubashi, the most important festival of Kamakhya temple, is celebrated in mid-June every year. Thousands of devotees throng the temple on this auspicious occasion.

Tea Festival: Celebrated with pomp and show during January-February.

Traditional Crafts in Assam

Foremost amongst the traditional crafts of Assam are hand-made toys, made from clay, cork (pith), wood and bamboo and an admixture of cloth and mud. While the bride and groom are common subjects, in the clay-toy making segment animals dominate. Clay toys are traditionally made by the Kumar and Hira potter communities. Deities and mythological figures are also important themes in the toy-making repertoire.

Assam is reputed for its silk and the most prominent variety is muga, the golden silk exclusive only to this state. Apart from muga, there is paat, as also eri, the latter being used in the manufacture of warm clothes for winter.

A wide range of decorative items is available in cane and bamboo work and bell-metal and brass. Tribal arts, including masks, bhaonas, in metal, bamboo and wood are popular souvenir items.

Shopping in Assam

Assam silk is one of the hottest souvenirs to take home. Choose from Endi, Muga and Pat varieties. Bamboo and cane are used to produce a wide range of furniture, handicrafts and decorative items.

The main shopping centres are Fancy Bazar, Paltan Bazar and Pan Bazar. Most emporia are located in Fancy Bazar and Pan Bazar area. Roadside evening markets in these areas sell handicrafts.

Recommended Tourist Circuits

1. Guwahati – Phulbari/Jakhalabandha – Kaziranga –Sibsagar
2. Guwahati – Barpeta – Baroma – Mana

Access : Guwahati is well connected by air, rail and road with the rest of the country. Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Jorhat, Silchar and Lilabari also have airports. Within the state there are good road and rail links between major towns in the state as well as with those in the adjoining states. This makes Guwahati the best base for your visit to the other states of the North East.

Temperature : In summer, varies between 18 C and 35 C, in winter, ranges from 7 C to 26 C.

Best time to Visit : From October to May. The torrential monsoon period (from June to September) is best avoided as the swollen Brahmaputra causes havoc in its wake.

Getting There

By Air : By Air : Nearest airport Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport (25 km from downtown). The facilities at the airport have been lately improved, and include a restaurant, snack bar, gift and bookshops, telecommunication counter, and tourist information offices of the Govt. of India and Govt. of Assam.
Guwahati is serviced by flights of Indian Airlines/Alliance Air, Jet Airways and Air Sahara. Indian Airlines links the city to Kolkata, Delhi, Agartala and Imphal, Jet Airways operates between Guwahati and Kolkata, Delhi, Bagdogra and Imphal. Air Sahara connects it with Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Lucknow and Dibrugarh through direct flights/connections.

By Rail: Nearest Railhead Guwahati (located close to downtown).
Guwahati is the headquarters of North-East Frontier Railway and is linked to all parts of the country through express trains.
Within the North-East, broad and meter-gauge train services link the city with Dimapu (9 hrs), Tinsukhia (16 hrs), Dibrugarh (18 hrs) and Murkong-Selek (15 hrs).
Some important broad-gauge trains to Guwahati are Rajdhani Express from Delhi (28 hrs), Saraighat express from Kolkata (18 hrs), Dadar Express from Mumbai (54 hrs), and Bangalore Express (60 hrs).

By Road : Guwahati : The bus stand is across the over-bridge at the railway station. The Assam State Transport Corporation has offices and reservation/booking facilities here.
Guwahati is the junction of National Highway Nos. 31, 37, 40, 52. It is the nodal point for road transport in the region. Beyond Guwahati, rail services are limited, making the road network important.
Assam state Transport Corporation has bus services linked Guwahati with towns in nearby states. Other state transport corporations and private operators add to the region’s network.
Bus travel is not expensive. Tourist buses are better than ordinary ones and have overnight services to many towns.