Sualkuchi
Sualkuchi, a village in the Kamrup district has been developed over the years as a major centre for commercial production of these indigenous fabrics especially the Pat and Muga silk. Sualkuchi is famous as the ‘Manchester of Assam’ and was established by Momai Tamuli Barbarua, a great administrator of the Ahom kingdom during the reign of Swargadeo Pratap Singha (1603-1641). Shri Barbarua set up this weaver’s village by shifting a large number of master-weavers from all over the region to that village. This patronage led to the advancement and development of sericulture in Assam.
This picturesque village on the banks of the river Brahmaputra is about 32 kms from Guwahati. Sualkuchi has a population of nearly 50,000 people, most of who are engaged in weaving magic on their looms. This village has an estimated 25,000 handlooms and produces nearly six million metres of white and golden Assam silk annually.
Hajo
Located on the banks of Brahmaputra river around 24 km from Guwahati in Assam, Hajo is an extremely important destinationfor Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.A number of religious places like temples and mosques dot the land of Hajo. Primary amongst them is the Hayagriva Mahadeva temple.
This temple is important for both the Hindu and the Buddhist community. Within the temple is an image of Vishnu which quiet closely resembles the one at Jagannath Temple in Puri in Orissa. For the Buddhist of the region, the temple is important because they believe that it was here that the Buddha attained Nirvana. The temple suffered destruction at the hands of Kalapahar who was also responsible for destroying a number of other temples in India.
Later, in the mid 16th century, the temple was reconstructed by the Koch king Raghudev. Quiet nearby is a small temple which was constructed by Ahom king Pramatta Singh. Here, at this temple, Doul is celebrated with great enthusiasm annualy. The Hayagriva Mahadeva temple can be reached by ascending long stone stairway at the foot of which there is a pond. In this pond resides a huge turtle.
Tezpur
The legend revolves around Banasura, the great Asura king (devotee of Shiva), his beautiful daughter Usha and her friend Chitralekha. The ancient Sonitpur was the capital of the Asura dynasty. The princess saw a handsome prince in her dreams and fell in love with him. Chitralekha, a talented artist, not only painted his portrait from Usha's description but also recognized him to be Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna and ruler of Dwarka.
Using her magical powers, Chitralekha spirited Aniruddha away to the princess' boudoir where the two married each other according to Gandharva rites, without the knowledge of the king. When Banasura learnt of the clandestine romance, he imprisoned Aniruddha, which led to the arrival of Lord Krishna to Sonitpur to rescue his grandson. A fierce battle followed and the entire city was drenched in human blood, hence the name Sonitpur. In the battle of Hari (Lord Krishna) and Hara (Lord Shiva in the form of Banasura), Bana was defeated and the lovers were united forever.
Situated on the banks of river Brahmaputra, Tezpur town known for its natural beauty and fascinating archaeological ruins, it is the headquarters of district Sonitpur. Undulating green valleys surrounded by the lofty hills and snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, and lush tea gardens render Tezpur atourist's delight.
Guwahati
Once known as "Pragiyotishpura" or Light of the East, the most striking feature of Guwahati (also spelt as Gauhati), is the Brahmaputra, whose swollen sandy channel is so wide that the far shore is often rendered invisible.
Of its many mysterious temples, 'Kamakhya' and 'Navagraha' both occupy commanding positions on hilltops while 'Umananda' sits on a small island in the middle of the Brahmaputra. Guwahati's main business, tea is booming with the new Assam tea auction centre holding auctions. The large oil refinery at Noonmati, on the northern outskirts, symbolizes Guwahati's recent growth and prosperity.
The busy central market area contrasts sharply with the almost rural riverside feel northeast of the centre, and the surrounding hills rising beyond the coconut palms give Guwahati a fairly appealing atmosphere. Guwahati is split in two by the Brahmaputra - only crossed by the Saraighat Bridge and the ferries - "Guwahati" is taken to refer to the main town south of the river, while north Guwahati is virtually a separate town. The main roads out of town are the Assam trunk road, to upper Assam and the Guwahati - Shillong road to Meghalaya.
Guwahati is is commonly known as the “Gateway to the Northeast”. This hill-ringed, green-woded, river-bordered urban centre was also known as the Pragjyotishpura or the Light of the East, in the ancient times and was a vast kingdom during the epic period of the Mahabharata. The word Guwahati is made up of two words, ‘Guwa’, which means areca nut, and ‘hatt’, which means bazaar. Today, Guwahati is the commercial hub of the region and is known by a moniker that emphasizes its ‘marketplace’ character. Guwahati is also the largest city. Today, Dispur, the area in south Guwahati is the official seat of the Assam Government. Assam as a whole is rich in its temples. Most of the temples aroundGuwahati are perched on hills or on hillsides, which afford panoramic views of the vast Brahmaputra and as well as of the bustling city itself.
Jorhat
Jorhat is and has been a vibrant place and is a perfect mixture of tradition and modernity. It was the hub of anti-British struggle of Assam. Before that it was the last capital of the Ahoms, the dynasty which ruled over Assam for six centuries. Apart from being a part of the Ahom Kingdom’s end, the city is also known for tea plantation.
Jorhat was established as a new capital in the year 1794 by the declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty during the King, Swargadeo Gaurinath Singha. It became Sub-division of sibsagar district in 1869, the headquarter of Sibsagar District in 1912 during British rule and became the headquarter of Jorhat District in 1983. Jorhat, as the name signifies, was just a couple (Jor) joint markets (Hat). Two parallel markets namely, Chowkihat and Macharhat, lay on the eastern and the western banks of the river Bhogdoi.
The cultural environment which prevailed in Jorhat nearly a century ago has inspired the people to participate in cultural activities through the decades and as a result Jorhat has been able to produce many creative writers, musician, actors, historians and journalist, making Jorhat “The CulturalCapital of Assam”. In the building of modern Assam, Jorhat played a vital role so far as a sizable section of Assamese intelligentsia has always been from this Knowledge city of Northeast India. It is also a fact that Jorhat contains the largest number of educated people in Assam.
Jorhat is considered a good place for modern education providing a great platform for higher education in the field of engineering, arts and social science, law, commerce, medical science, agriculture. The city has many research institutes, including the world’s oldest and largest Tea Exprimental Station, North East Institute of Science & Technology, Rain & Forest Research Institute, Central Muga Eri Research Institute and universities like Assam Agricultural University & Kaziranga University.
Jorhat has had many firsts to its credit in different spheres. Jorhat was the first town of the Greater Assam installing electricity supply in 1923. The first aeroplane on northeastern soil was landed in Jorhat in 1928. JorhatGymkhana Club is the oldest golf course in Asia and third oldest in the world. The first stadium of Assam was built in Jorhat. The world’s oldest and largestTea Experimental Station is located at Jorhat. The first non-government college of Assam J B College was established in Jorhat. The first Assamese Tea Planter Maniram Dewan, noted oriented scholar Krishana Kanta Handique- the founder vice chancellor of Gauhati University, Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya-the first Assamese to win Jnanpith award, the first Assamese judge-Late Radha Nath Phukon, Prof. J N. Goswami-the Principal Scientific Investigator of Chandrayaan-1 mission, IIFA2012 award winner Amrit Pritam Dutta for sound recording are a few held from Jorhat.
Statistical Accounts of Assam observed that “In 1865 the Bazar of Jorhat contained 160 shops of which 28 belonged to Marwari Merchants……...a few shops are kept by Mohammadans of the district, the chief articles sold by them being’ European’ goods and furniture, the remaining shops are petty stalls in which grains, oil, onion, etc are retailed.”
Now Jorhat is a rapidly developing city and one of the major business & commercial hubs of Northeast-India. Its population has now increased to more than 0.1million. The recent urban development of Jorhat has seen the rise of several high cost apartments and flats with people flocking in from all parts of the state making it truly a cosmopolitan City. The variety of heterogeneity of the city population, specially its business community – comprising of Punjabis, Biharis, Marwaries, Bengalis and even odd South Indian is something commendable. Yet each person, irrespective of his place of origin, who has made Jorhat his home is staunchly loyal to his adopted home and fully identifies with it. Jorhat is very dear to the heart of its inhabitants and they still consider it the best place to live. Urban, polite and polished behavior is the distinguishing features of an average Jorhatiya man.it has always been a leading city of the state in the matter of education, culture, literature, games & sports and in all other activities that make the lives of its inhabitants fruitful.
Jorhat has attracted many foreign as well as domestic tourists as the major tourist places like "Majuli"- one of the World's biggest river island , the World Heritage Site- Kaziranga National Park, Sibsagar are easily accessible from Jorhat and the city is easily accessible to the rest of the country by air.
Majuli
Majuli, the biggest river island in theworld, is located amidst the river Brahmaputra in Assam. Originally this island was spread over an area of about 1250 square kilometres. However, due to erosion, its size has now decreased considerably. According to the records of 2001, it covered an area of about 421.65 square km only.
The island of Majuli, which is popular as a ‘pollution free fresh waterisland’, is located at a distance of about 20 km from Jorhat town and about 200 km east of Guwahati, the largest city in the state. It is accessible by ferries, which can be taken from Jorhat. From east to west, Majuli measures 90 km and from north to south, it is around 16km. Most of the areas in the island are covered by water.
Originally, the island of Majuli was a long and narrow piece of land, which during ancient times was known as ‘Majoli’, meaning ‘land in the middle of two parallel rivers’. It was called so because it had the River Brahmaputra flowing in its North and the River Burhidihing flowing in its South. Both these rivers met at Lakhu.
During 1661–1696 frequent earthquakes occurred, which led to a disastrous flood in 1750. Due to the flood, the Brahmaputra got divided into two anabranches, one of which continued to flow along the original channel, while the other started flowing along the Burhi Dihing channel, which lead to the formation of the Majuli Island.
Majuli is the centre for Vaishavinism in Assam and is popular because of the Satras or monasteries and hermitages located here. The religious beliefs of Saint Sankardeva and Madhavdeva are preached at these Satras.
There are about 25-26 Satras still present in Majuli, the prominent ones being the Satras of Garmur, Kamalabari and Auniati, which attract tourists and reflect the rich culture and tradition of the land.
Majuli is also considered as the cultural capital of Assam and the cradle of Assamese civilization for more than 500 years. The Satras located in this place have well preserved antique items such as weapons, jewellery, utensils and other things that are of cultural importance.
Pottery in Majuli is also very famous because it is made from beaten clay that is burnt in ovens fired with driftwood, which is quite similar to the ancient Harrappan Civilisation. The culture and dance forms of this place remain unaffected by modernisation even today. The handloom work done by the tribes living in this place is well known.
Sivasagar
Sibsagar an historical city. Sibsagar was the capital of the mighty Ahoms, who ruled Assam for more than six hundred years before the advent of the British. The most remarkable landscape of the town is the 200 year old Sibsagar tank.
On its banks are three temples-- the Shivadol, the Vishnudol and the Devidol-- all three built by Queen Madambika, wife of Siva Singha, in the year 1734. The Shivadol is believed to be the highest Siva Temple in India, having a height of 104 feet and the perimeter 195 feet.
The tank is situated in the heart of the town but the water level is above the level of the town. Today Sibsagar is a fast developing town in commercial, industrial and educational activities.
The town, which literally means 'the ocean of Lord Shiva', is strewn with the tell-tale ruins of a powerful empire. The most remarkable landmark of the town is the 200 year old Sibsagar tank. On its banks are three significant temples - Shivadol, Vishnudol and Devidol. Modern Sibsagar is a fast developing urban settlement. It is the headquarters of the district Sibsagar, a leading tea and oil producing centre.
Kamakhya Temple
Kamakhya Temple is located on Nilachal Hill, Guwahati top at an altitude of 800 feet above sea level. River Brahmaputra flows on the northern side of the hill. The temple is over 2200 years old. Apart from its rich cultural heritage, Kamakhya is beauty personified. It offers a stunning view of rivers and hills. Whatever faith one follows in life, being at this location would make one experience divinity.
On the top of the beautiful Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam, you will find one of the oldest shakti peeths, the ancient Kamakhya temple dedicated to tantric goddesses. It is one of the 108 shakti peeths with the main temple dedicated to Maa Kamakhya devi.
All around the premise of the main temple, you will find 10 small sized temples dedicated to the 10 avatars of Maa Kali, namely, goddesses Dhumavati, Bagola, Tara, Matangi, Bhairavi, Kamala, Chinnamasta, Bhuvaneshwari and Tripuara Sundari.
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