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 its people.
‘Son of Brahma’, the great river that wends its
way from the Mansarovar Lake in the higher
reaches of the Tibetan Plateau through
Arunachal and on to the plains of Assam ,the
second largest state in North East.
Temperature
In summer varies between 18 d C and 35d C,
in winter, ranges from 7d C to 26d c.

Best Time to Visit

From October to May. The torrential monsoon
period is best avoided as the swollen
Brahmaputra causes havoc in its awake.
 Getting there
 By air – Guwahati is connected by daily flights from Delhi
and Kolkata by Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Jetlite,
Kingfisher, Deccan, Indigo and Spicejet. Kingfisher also has a
daily direct flight from Mumbai. Guwahati is also connected
by air with other airports in Assam and with Imphal, Dimapur,
Aizawal, Agartala and Baghdogra.
Jorhat is connected with Guwahati and Kolkata by Jet
Airways, Deccan and Alliance air while Dibrugarh is served
by Jetlite and Deccan.
By Rail – Guwahati is the headquarters of the North East
Frontier Railway and is linked to all parts of the country
through express trains. Some important trains are Rajdhani
express from Delhi, Dadar express from Mumbai and
Bangalore express.
 WILDLIFE
 Kaziranga National Park
The oldest park in Assam ,Kaziranga on the bank of
Brahmaputra river, is world famous for its great
Indian one-horned Rhinoceros. It is a dazzling mosaic
of dense rain forest, tall elephant grass swathes of
reed interspersed with vast tracts of marshes and
shallow pools that are a favourite haunt of this
celebrity pre-historic beast. It’s a world Heritage site
and has recently been declared a Tiger Reserve. Other
important wildlife include Indian elephants, Bengal
Tigers, Swamp deers, Hog deers, Otters and over 500
species of birds.
Asiatic wild buffalo
 Elephant safari, Kaziranga
r
Indian one horned Rhinoceros
Indian elephant

Swamp deer
 Birds

Bar headed goose

Grey headed fish eagle

 Manas National Park
a project tiger reserve and a World Heritage
Site. 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, Nameri is ideal for a leisurely
angling vacation and river rafting. The
mahseer of this region is legendary,
particularly the golden mahseer.
 FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
 Bihu
Marking the beginning of agricultural season is
Assam’s most important festival.
 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 colorful annual festival of
Mishing tribe. It is held on the first Wednesday of the
month of ‘Ginmur Polo’.
 Rongker -The most important festival of the Karbis, is
celebrated in April to propitiate different gods and
goddesses for the well being of the entire village.
 Baikho -The Rabha tribe celebrates the Baikho
festival during the spring season in order to propitiate
the goddess of wealth.

 Bohaggiyo Bishu -Bohaggiyo Bishu, the spring

festival of the Deoris-one of the four divisions of setia
tribe, is fascinating.

 Ambubachi Mela - Ambubachi, the most important

festival of Kamakhya temple, is celebrated in mid-June
every year.
 ADVENTURE SPORTS
The stunning variety of terrain, splendid landscapes
and sparkling rivers offer adventure sports lovers a
vast choice of activities. Amongst the popular
adventure activities are angling, river rafting,
mountaineering, trekking, mountain biking, para-
sailing, hang-gliding and golf.
 Guwahati
Guwahati is the gateway to Assam and to the
entire north east region. Straddling the banks
of the Brahmaputra , this former capital of the
Kamrup kings is a crowded, busy city and a
major commercial hub for the region.
 Attractions of Guwahati
 Kamakhya Temple – It is one of the most
revered shrines of the Hindus. The temple
offers stunning views of the Brahmaputra river
and its surroundings. The reigning deity here is
Goddess Parvati. A rush of devotees throngs
the temple during the Ambubachi puja.
Basistha Ashram – One of the important holy
sites in Guwahati, the Basistha ashram dates
back to the time when the great sage Vashistha
visited this spot and set up his Ashram here.
Navagraha Temple – located on chitranchal
hill, this temple is an important centre for the
study of astronomy and astrology.
River cruise – A cruise on the mighty
Brahmaputra is a wonderful opportunity to get
a feel of this legendry river. The best way is to
catch a ferry or travel a little more stylishly in
one of the state tourism run vessels.
 Other important places
 Hajo – Situated on the north bank of the
Brahmaputra, 32 kms from Guwahati, Hajo is the
meeting point of the Islam, Hindu and Buddhist
faiths. The Hayagrib Madhav temple here is said to
contain a relic of Buddha. An Iraqi prince who
became a preacher called Pir Giasuddin Aulia
established a mosque here in the 12th century. The
mosque is referred to as Poa Mecca, being fourth in
the line of sanctity to the shrine at Mecca. Hajo’s bell
metal work is renowned and you can buy some
interesting artifacts made by the local craftsmen.
 Tezpur
Known as the “city of blood” as a result of the great
mythological war fought here between Lord Krishna
and Lord Shiva, Tezpur is a small town situated on
the north bank of the Brahmaputra. Important
attractions include the Mahabhairab Temple,
Agnigarh Hill, Da parbatia where the remains of 5th –
6th century temples have been discovered and Cole
park or chitralekha Udyan which is a recently
developed attraction.
 Attractions in Tezpur

Bamuni hill Mahabhairab temple

Chitrelekha udyan
 Bhalukpong – Situated on the Assam – Arunachal
Pradesh border, around 40 kms from Tezpur,
Bhalukpong is another picturesque spot for angling
and leisurely picnics.
 Sibsagar – About 363 kms from Guwahati, Sibsagar
is situated close to the site of Charaideo the ancient
capital of the Ahom kings who ruled Assam for six
centuries between 13th-18th century. Important
attractions include Shivadol (one of the tallest Shiva
temples in the country), Joysagar tank, Rangghar and
Talatal ghar.
 Attractions in Sibsagar

Rang ghar Shivadol

Joysagar tank
 Majuli
Best approached from Jorhat, Majuli is the world’s
largest inhabited river island. It is also the focal point
of Vaishnava culture. Majuli is well renowned for its
important Vaishnava monasteries called Satras. For
the Assamese, this place is particularly revered as
Sankardeva, the 16th century leader of Vaishnava
revivalism established the Satras. Majuli is also home
to the Mishing tribe, the only riverine tribal
community. In winter Majuli also attracts thousands
of migratory birds.
 Traditional crafts
Foremost amongst the traditional crafts of Assam are hand made
toys, made from clay, wood and bamboo and an admixture of
cloth and mud. While the bride and groom are common
subjects, in the clay toy making segments animals dominate.
They are traditionally made by the Kumar and Hira potter
communities.
Assam is reputed for its silk and the most prominent variety is
muga, the golden colored silk exclusive only to Assam. Apart
from muga there’s paat and eri, the latter being used for
making warm clothes in winter.
A wide range of decorative items are also available in cane and
bamboo work and bell metal and brass.