Tourist sites of Assam
Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park, home to the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros is one of the most important wildlife tourist attractions in Northeast India. Travellers across the globe flock every year to unlock the doors of diverse wildlife and scout the exquisiteness of this natural empire. The perfect topography with a river and its varied grasslands winding through its entire length, Kaziranga promises nothing but memories to cherish. This prestigious national park of India is situated in the north-eastern part of the country in the districts of Golaghat, Nagaon and Biswanath in the state of Assam. This national park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its natural environment in 1985.
Possessing two-third of the world’s population of endangered Indian one-horned rhinoceros, Kaziranga is also a Tiger Reserve. The park also holds the record of having the highest density of Royal Bengal Tiger in the world, largest population of asiatic wild buffalo, last surviving population of eastern swamp deer and tiger. Spreading over 858.98 sq. km with its various annexure with the river Brahmaputra flowing beside it throughout its entirety, the park offers a splendid scenic sight, making it a heaven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers. Visiting Kaziranga can be an experience of lifetime with nature.`
Manas National Park
Manas National Park is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled wildlife habitats in the world located at the foothills of the Bhutan-Himalayas in Assam. Manas National Park is a unique biodiversity landscape where you can only find a biosphere reserve, project tiger reserve, elephant reserve and a natural heritage. Manas National Park with an area of 500 sq. kms is home to over 20 endangered species including the Royal Bengal Tiger, rare and endangered endemic wildlife like the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and the wild water buffalo. The last population of pygmy hogs survives in the wild of Manas and nowhere else in the world. It is contiguous with Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam is best known for its population of Hoolock Gibbon, the only ape species found in India. Located at 25 kms from Jorhat town, this sanctuary is an evergreen forest. Interestingly, these Hoolock Gibbons are very shy creatures and rarely come down to the ground. They even quench their thirst from water content of leaves. They live in monogamous family groups and would pair only with a member of the opposite sex from another group or family. A gibbon would rather remain alone, as a widower and never pair after one of them is dead.
Hollongapar is the only sanctuary in India with seven primate species; those other than gibbon are stump-tailed macaque, rhesus macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, Assamese macaque, slow loris and capped langur. Home to a variety of reptiles and 219 species of birds, this wildlife sanctuary is among the best spectacles of Assam
Dibru Saikhowa National Park
Considered as one of the 19 biodiversity hotspots in the world, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and bio-sphere reserve consists of semi-wet evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forest, bamboo, cane and grasslands. Situated in the flood plains of Brahmaputra this National Park is safe haven for many extremely rare and endangered species of wildlife. Still in its untouched and tranquil form, this Park is one of the amazing National Parks in Assam. Primarily meant for the conservation of White-Winged Wood Duck, this park is also famous for its bright coloured Feral Horses which are its prime attraction. Covering around 425 sq. kms, this National Park is situated 50 kms away from the Dibrugarh airport and 18 km from Tinsukia, the commercial capital of Assam.
Destination
Majuli Island
Often called the soul of Assam, Majuli, the world’s largest river island lies at the heart of Assam and surrounded by the tumultuous water of Brahmaputra River spreading over an area of 421 sq. km. Majuli has been the cultural capital and the cradle of Assamese culture for the past five hundred years. The island has also been the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture, initiated around 16th century by the great Assamese saint-reformer Srimanta Sankerdeva and his disciple Madhavdeva. They initiated the tradition of Satras and these Satras have preserved Sattriya dance, literature, bhaona (theatre), dance forms, mask making and boat-making. Most of the islanders belong to three tribes-Mishing, Deori and Sonowal Kachari with the non-tribal Assamese comprising the rest. Apart from Satras or Vaishnavite monasteries, Majuli is famous for mask-making and has a tradition of pottery making.
The island has through ages have good learning centre for neo-Vaishnavite philosophy as well as dance, music, painting, sculpture and dramatics. Each of the existing 22 Satras is like a self-contained educational institution too, headed by a Satradhikar who is a learned scholar, writer, playwright, actor and performer, apart from being a social reformer.
Majuli welcomes you to a magical journey with beautiful landscapes around, peaceful nature of rural life and rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. It is a mystique place wrapped in its rich history and culture. A visit to Assam will surely be incomplete without travelling to Majuli.
Kakochang Waterfalls
Located 13 km from Bokakhat of Golaghat district, this Assam’s hidden trove is a perfect weekend getaway for anyone seeking thrill and adrenaline rush. Locally called as Keipholangso, this waterfall is just a few minutes’ drive from Kaziranga National Park. As soon you reach the location, you will be in awe with the beauty of this waterfall. The crystal water that falls from the hilltop will create a pool for you to enjoy. A visit to this place will be a perfect escapade for travellers to unwind with a day of relaxation. To reach this exquisite beauty, travellers will have to trek around 4 kms from a village called Naharjan. Though the trek will be a tiring one but once you reach the waterfalls, you will forget all your tiredness and enjoy the serene beauty. This heavenly waterfall will not only provide a refreshing retreat but also magnificent views of the ruins of the historical site- Numaligarh and lush green plantations. If you are planning to take a shower in the waterfall, make sure that you carry extra clothes or a towel with you.
Halflong Lake
One cannot miss visiting Haflong in Dima Hasao, the only hill station in Assam. Tucked in between majestic hills, Haflong serves as the headquarter of Dima Hasao. This gorgeous valley, its scenic beauty and, crystal clear waterfalls are the best of Haflong that you can witness and is untouched. Its unadulterated beauty will bless your eyes and it is often called the “Switzerland of Northeast”. The town is wrapped in abundance of greenery, flora and fauna and foggy mountains around and on a good day perhaps you will be able to see the gradually proceeding mist sweeping past your feet.
Sivasagar
Located around 360 km from Guwahati and 55 km east of Jorhat, Sivasagar is a place of historical importance. It is especially known for its historic monuments and temples built during the reign of Ahom dynasty. Sivasagar was the Ahom capital for almost six centuries. The Ahom dynasty’s first capital was established at Charaideo by its first king, Sukapha. It is believed that Su-ka-pha was accompanied by his soldiers, elephants, ministers and officials when he entered the Brahmaputra Valley in the 13th century crossing the Patkai Hills. The Burmese invasion of 1819 ensured the fall of Ahom dynasty and then the subsequent annexation by the British East India Company. The present day Sivasagar is a very popular destination and people as well as devotees from faraway places flung to this place.
Digboi
Digboi is situated in upper Assam in Tinsukia district which is known as the “oil city of Assam”. There are folklores that while the British were here, they used to command the labourers as “dig-boy-dig” to dig underneath for crude oil and hence the name Digboi. Tucked amid blue hills, lush green tea plantations, Digboi is also the birthplace of the oil industry in the country that dates back to the late 19th century. It is Asia’s first refinery and one of the oldest still in operation.
The history of Digboi dates back to 1867 when a few officers of the Assam Railways and Trading Company who were laying rail tracks in the deep jungles noticed that the elephants fetching logs from the forest were soaked in black mud. It appeared to be a viscous liquid with an oily odour leading to further exploration. And the rest is history.
Kamakhya Temple
Located at the Nilachal hill of Guwahati, the capital city of the state, Kamakhya temple is one of the most famous Shakti shrines in India. Kamakhya Temple is considered the most sacred and oldest of the 51 shaktipeeths on earth. It also holds a unique significance in tantric practices and is flocked by sadhus, tantrics round the year.
Kamakhya Temple is surrounded by many other temples dedicated to several deities like Bhubaneswari, Kali, Tara, Chinnamasta, Bagala, Bhairavi, Dhoomavati, Matangi and Kamala. All of them together with Kamakhya Temple are collectively known as the Dasamahavidya. Apart from the Shakti temples, the Nilachal Hill also has five Shiva Temples-Kameswar, Siddheswar, Amratokeswar, Aghor and Kautilinga.
The temple is unique in the sense that there is no idol or image of the Goddess. There stands a block of stone in a corner on which the symbol of yoni (female genital) has been sculptured. It is this vulva shaped that is worshipped as the Goddess Kamakhya herself.
Popular folklore associated with the temple is the story of King Daksha and his daughter Sati, her husband, Lord Shiva. Sati had married against her father’s wishes to Lord Shiva upon which he was disappointed. The King therefore, organised a great yajna (sacrificial fire) and invited all the members except his daughter Sati and son in law, Lord Shiva. Though Sati was uninvited, she went ahead and attended the yajna. However, the king, Daksha humiliated her, following which she plunged into the sacrificial fire and breathed her last at the very site. On hearing this, Lord Shiva insane with grief took the form of fierce Rudra. He picked up her charred body and began roaming around Tirubuvan-the three worlds. He broke into tandava nrittya, the dance of destruction, annihilating everything in his own way. Fearing the destruction of the three worlds, Brahma and other Devas then approached Vishnu to restore the balance of the world. Visnu sent out his sudarshan chakra, which cut Sati’s body into pieces. Wherever the pieces of the body fell, it came to be regarded as Shakti peeth. When Sati’s yoni (genital) fell on the Nilachal hill, the mountain turned blue and came to be known as the Nilachal hill or the blue hill.
The Ambubachi Festival in Kamakhya
One of the unique festivals of India, the four day long festival is the most significant celebration of Kamakhya Temple which is the yearly menstrual cycle of Mother Earth, symbolised as Mother Goddess Kamakhya. During Ambubachi Mela, people participate in many kinds of restrictions. The Temple celebrates the feminine reproductive energy and natural forces of fertility.
Devotees from across the country travel to Kamakhya Temple to worship the Mother Goddess for fertility. The devotees sing kirtan all night long, allowing the Divine Mother to relax in her seclusion while sadhus and saints chant outside the shrine.
There is no idol of the presiding deity and Maa-Kamakhya is worshipped in the form of a yoni-shaped rock. The festival is unique in the sense that visitors can witness the tantric rituals as certain sages demonstrate their psychic abilities during this mela.They only make an appearance in public during this Mela and spend the rest of the year in isolation.
After the temples are reopened, prasad is distributed among the devotees and visitors which is in two forms called as Angodak and Angabastra. Angodak which is spring water and Angabastra is a small piece of red cloth that is used to cover the yoni (in the form of a rock) during the days of menstruation and is distributed to each devotee later.