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Home , Battle of Saraighat, Garhgaon, Hajo, Kamakhya, Kohora, Paltan Bazaar

GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS Travel Guide

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Eicher Goodearth Private Limited New Delhi

Assam Tourism AN EICHER GOODEARTH PUBLICATION CONTENTS

Copyright @ 2011 Eicher Goodearth Private Limited, New Delhi ISBN 978-93-80262-04-8 Introducing Assam 4 The Land 5 Brahmaputra 10 Editor and Publisher: Swati Mitra History 13

Design: Kadambari Misra Editorial Team: Anupriya Roy, Bodhisattva Sen Roy, Exploring Assam 17 Sharma

Photographs: Wildlife in Assam 18 Ananda Banerjee pp 26, 28; Anupriya Roy pp 12-13, 20-21, 24, 29, 31B, 47M, 50-53, 56, 60AR & B, 65A, 66, 67B, 69, 71A, 72B, 78B, 79, 81B, and Around 36 85, 90-93, 98, 99AR, 101M, 103A & B, 104A & M, 105, 111A, 121L, 136- 57 38, 147; Bodhisattva Sen Roy pp 9A, 10, 14, 15B, 20A, 25, 31A, 33, 35B, 40-45, 47A, 48-49, 54-55, 63, 65M, 67A, 68, 69B, 70, 72A, 73B, 74B, 76, Sualkuchi 64 78A, 80, 83, 86-87, 88A, 94, 96, 99A & B, 101A & B, 102 A & M, 103R, 66 104B, 105BL, 108, 110, 111B, 112, 113B, 115, 116A, 117A & BL, 126-27, 134, Madan-Kamdev Temple 70 140A, 142, 145, 149, 152L; Dipankar Ghose p 18; 75 Kamalendu Bhadra pp 7A, 39, 62B; Nidhi Dhingra pp 131, 139; OIL p 121AR; Rituraj Konwar pp 4, 6, 22A, 27, 36, 82, 95, 122-25, 129, 141; Sasank Barua pp 106-07; Swati Mitra pp 8, 15A, 46, 53AR, 57,59, and Around 84 60AL, 64, 65B, 71B, 73A, 74A, 75, 77A, 81A, 87M, 88M, 97ML, 99ML, Jorhat 84 102B, 109A, 113A, 114, 116B, 117BR, 135A, 137B, 140B, 143, 152R, 154 Tea in Assam 90 Cover (Above Left & Below): Rituraj Konwar Majuli 95 108 Illustrations on pp 27, 29 by Nidhi Dhingra 118 GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS Special thanks to: Oil in Assam 120 H S Das, Principal Secretary; A Choudhury, Joint Secretary, Finance & Tourism Deptts, Assam Secretariat; Silchar and Around 122 Monalisa Goswami, Director, Assam Tourism North Cachar Hills 123 And the following for their inputs: Barak Valley 126 Anal Bezbaruah, Kashyap (on Culture), Diana George, Rajkhowa (on Handlooms), Assamese Culture 130 Roman Sarmah (on Cuisine), Sangeeta Barooah Pisaroty Dance 130 (on Jorhat and Around), Sona Adhikari, Tanya Matthew Music 0131 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, Theatre 132 stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any Art 134 means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, Handicrafts 136 without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Handloom Traditions 138 Great care has been taken in the compilation, updation and validation of Dress 140 information, and every effort has been made to ensure that all information is Festivals 141 as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. However, the Publishers Cuisine 142 are not responsible for errors, if any, and their consequences. The Publishers would be happy to receive suggestions and corrections for inclusion in the next edition. Please write to Executive Publisher, Eicher Goodearth Pvt Ltd, Eicher House, 12 Commercial Complex, Practical Information 144 Greater Kailash II (Masjid Moth), New Delhi 110 048. Email: [email protected] Index 154 This publication has been supported by Assam Tourism

Printed by Ajanta Offset & Packagings Ltd., New Delhi on behalf of Eicher Goodearth Pvt Ltd, New Delhi The Land introducing assam Stretched out like a soaring bird, Assam is comprised of three main geographical areas: the Brahmaputra Valley which constitutes the expansive wingspan, the Barak Valley extending like a tail and the intervening Karbi ‘Blue hills bound the view on almost Plateau and North Cachar Hills. every side, the villages are buried in groves of slender palms, feathery Assam is synonymous with unspoiled bamboos, and broad-leaved plantains, natural beauty, teeming wildlife, immaculate and even in the dry season the country tea gardens and warm, beautiful people. looks fresh and green’ Its strategic location in the northeast of the country, and its accessibility from the rest (Imperial Gazetteer, Vol 6, 1908). of the country make it the gateway to the northeastern states. It shares borders with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Majuli, the largest Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West ; riverine island and has National Highways leading to their in the world sits capital cities. It also shares international regally on the borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh. Brahmaputra

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Assam is the largest The Brahmaputra Valley is an alluvial plain tea producer in about 724 kms in length and 81 kms in breadth. It is enclosed on the north by the daunting Himalayas, and to the south by the Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, Karbi and Naga hills.

The Brahmaputra, the lifeline of the valley which shares its name, floods the nearby land with fertile silt every year to ensure a rich harvest. It is bound on either side by marshy land covered with thick jungle grass, interspersed with patches of rice fields and terraced tea gardens.

There is little to interrupt the vast panorama except the occasional lone hillock. Only in the south of the valley is the even horizon broken by the charming hills of Karbi Anglong. Further south are the North Cachar Hills. Located here, amidst beautiful orchards, is Assam’s only hill station, Haflong.

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A Mishing home The southern part of Assam is the Barak on the outskirts of Valley, which derives its name from the Barak the eastern range of river. Comprised of three districts – Cachar, Kaziranga Karimganj and Hailakandi – this region is a treasure trove of untouched natural beauty. Facing page: Cows Green is the dominant colour of the state, are herded home as with an impressive 35% forest cover and dusk sets in outside thousands of hectares under tea cultivation. Jorhat Assam has five national parks including the World Heritage Sites of Kaziranga and Manas, and 20 Wildlife Sanctuaries. The great Indian one-horned rhinoceros is one of Assam’s most prized denizens.

Supporting the state’s abundant wildlife and luscious vegetation are the monsoons. They stretch from late May to September, but there are intermittent rains even in the winters. High temperatures cause the rivers to swell with melted snow from the Himalayas. With their combined force, rains and rivers flood the land

without mercy. According to official statistics, the floods annually hit over 12% of the GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS total area of Assam. Winter begins in late November and continues till February. Cool, gentle breezes blow in January and February keeping the days clear and sunny. Winter mornings in most of Assam are marked by a dense fog which gives the land an aura of ethereal beauty.

Over the centuries, people of various ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds have been attracted by the fertile river valleys of Assam, and adopted them as their home. The people of Assam are a mosaic of various cultures. They are from a range of racial backgrounds including Austro-Asiatic, Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burman. It is no wonder then that Assam is said to be like a miniature of the whole country itself.

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Brahmaputra the Dibang from the northeast… ‘and thence- forward rolls for 450 miles [724 km] down the Flowing majestically along the dreamlike valley of Assam in a vast sheet of water, broken Assam valley is the Brahmaputra. It finds by numerous islands’ (Imperial Gazetteer, Vol 1, mention in the which traces its 1909). birth to a union between , the divine creator, and Amogha, the wife of the hermit In Assam it is a vast, placid river through most Shantanu. The river is said to be their son or of the year, occupying a massive river-bed, putra, making it the most important male river which at places is almost 10 kms wide. With its in . sandy banks and waters that seem to extend to the horizon, it is no wonder that early British The Brahmaputra originates from Chemayung- traders mistook it for an ocean. Unlike the Dung glacier near the sacred Mount Kailash Ganga, it is not used much for irrigation, but is and the Manas Sarovar. Known here as the an important thoroughfare, with busy traffic in Tsang-Po or the purifier, it flows east over the the shape of boats, trawlers, and the occasional icy Tibetan Plateau. Three other rivers, namely luxury cruise. the Indus, Sutlej and Ghagra, also originate from around this mountain. The Indus At , in Guwahati, the river is at its flows west and ‘between them [Indus and narrowest, barely a kilometre wide. It was Brahmaputra],GOODEARTH these two mighty arms of Lord PUBLICATIONShere that the historical was hold the span of the Himalayan range’ fought in 1671 between the Ahoms and the (Bill Aitken in Seven Sacred Rivers). Mughals (see p 15), and nearly three centuries later in 1962, the first rail-cum-road bridge over According to Aitken, the most unique feature the Brahmaputra was opened to traffic. of the Brahmaputra is ‘its navigability at the astounding altitude of 12,000 ft [3657 m] for a An exceptional characteristic of the mind boggling distance of 640 km through the Brahmaputra is its numerous islands. As Tibetan plateau’. WW Hunter notes, ‘the least impediment placed in its current’ may give rise to ‘a The river flowing at a height of 2,400 m then wide-spreading, almond-shaped mud-bank’ displays a complete change of disposition as (from The Indian Empire). Sometimes streams it takes a spectacular U-turn around Mount diverge from the main river and ‘rejoin it after Namcha Barwa and thunders down through a long separate existence of uncontrollable the Himalayan range at an awesome velocity. meandering’ (Hunter). The islands that It cascades recklessly southwards through the result range from small muddy lumps that steep countryside of Arunachal Pradesh, till at barely survive a season, to the world’s largest last it emerges from the foothills, considerably populated river island, Majuli (see pp 95-99). placated, and enters Assam in Dhemaji district, west of Sadiya (135 m above sea level). The river, along with its several tributaries, offers immense scope for adventure sport and Near Sadiya, the Brahmaputra, or the Dihang recreation. Tributaries like Manas, Jia Boreli as it is called here, absorbs the waters of two and Kopili have some fiery rapids that make major tributaries – the Lohit from the east and them ideal for white-water rafting.

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During the winter Other important tributaries of the Brahmaputra History months, migratory flowing in from the north are the Subansiri, birds come in droves Dhansiri and Barnadi, while Burhi-Dihing, The modern map of Assam bears an almost An Ahom palace in to the marshes Disang, Dikhou, Jhanji, and another Dhansiri poetic resemblance to a bird in flight, its wings , 16 kms created by the flow in from the south. spanning a tremendous expanse in the northeast from Sivasagar Brahmaputra of the country. The state’s history, too, shares After Assam, the river flows into Bangladesh the grace of a gliding bird – utterly still yet where the major flow is through the Jamuna constantly in motion, lifted by the periodic before it flows south into the sea, creating the eddies of time. Gangetic delta – the largest delta in the world. The total length of the Brahmaputra is 2,900 kms, Assam has its beginnings in myth. One making it 400 kms longer than the Ganga. of its most ancient kings, the founder of Pragjyotishpura (now Guwahati), , is said to have been killed by . His On the Brahmaputra son, Bhagadatta, an ally of Duryodhana in the , shared the same fate. Some of the earliest ‘historical’ details survive in the The tributaries of the Brahmaputra are also popular for angling, with travelogues of Hieun Tsang, who visited the Jia Bhoroli being the venue for an annual angling competition in land of the Brahmaputra in 640 AD. November, organised by the Assam (Boreli) Anglers Association in collaboration with the state’s Environment and Forest Department. After a gap of several centuries, copper-plate inscriptions from the 10th and 12th centuries Hajo, Sualkuchi, Barpeta and Guwahati witness boat racing during indicate the rise of an early dynasty founded by festivals. The Brahmaputra Beach Festival is organised every year Pralambha – and its fall to a new generation of during spring by the Assam Boat Racing and Rowing Association Narakasura’s descendents of whom Ratnapala, together with the Department of Tourism, Government of Assam. ‘a mighty crusher of his enemies’ is most famed, GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONSnot least for the traders, artists and religious The Department of Tourism and several private agencies operate men he attracted to his land. luxury cruises on the Brahmaputra from October to April. It was in the 13th century, however, that ‘a band of hardy hillmen wandered into... the Brahmaputra Valley... quite unconscious of the fact that their descendents were destined to bring the whole valley under their rule’ (EA Gait). These were the Ahoms, of the Shan tribe from Upper Burma and the Yunnan province of China. Led by Sukapha, eight nobles and 9,000 men, women and children, the Ahoms wandered down the Brahmaputra Valley, settling in Simaluguri (a village now in Sivasagar) from 1246-53.

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Below right: A The Ahoms were to rule Assam for the next The stringent measures laid down by the treaty The 600-year long statue of Lachit 600 years; but rarely was this rule exclusive. were a blow to the pride of the people and they Ahom rule has Barphukan, the Other great dynasties vied for control of rallied under Lachit Barphukan. He set up his blessed Assam hero of the Battle of these lands too, and included the Chutias base at Kaliabor, presently in district with many an Saraighat and Barobhuyans and, further south, the and, in 1667, proceeded to move towards architectural Kochs and Kacharis. Naturally, these proud Guwahati, assisted by another able general, masterpiece sovereigns were often embroiled in conflict Atan Burhagohain. including the with each other – but these remained, for Temple the most part, purely internal strifes since it When the Mughal emperor heard of (below) and the was almost impossible for any power from the brewing storm, he sent a huge army under the plains to breach through the formidable Raja Ramsingh I. In the initial days of the war palace (bottom) in natural defences, including turbulent rivers to liberate Assam, both sides suffered severe Sivasagar and dense forests, of the various Assamese losses. The decisive encounter, immortalised kingdoms. as the Battle of Saraighat, took place sometime in March 1671, when a critically ill Lachit Indeed, one of the most disastrous military Barphukan led an inspiring and full-frontal expeditions in Mughal history must be the assault on the mighty Mughal forces. Numbers mid-17th century invasion of the Brahmaputra crumbled in the face of sheer will and the Valley. The expedition was led by Mir Jumla, Mughals were decimated and chased out of governor of Bengal, originally from the great Assam for good. south Indian city of Hyderabad. But even the legendary impenetrability of Golconda could The Mughals never really gained a solid not have prepared the commander for the foothold in Assam, but escalating internal ordeal he would face in Assam. disputes within the region – particularly the 18th-century Moamaria rebellion – gave Initially, the advancing Mughal army must neighbouring Burma (now Myanmar) and, have been an awe-inspiringGOODEARTH sight – 12,000 PUBLICATIONSeventually, the British, access to this fertile land. and 30,000 infantry marching along the broad Brahmaputra while alongside sailed a great naval fleet on the river’s deep waters. The Ahoms fell and Mir Jumla, heady with victory, decided to wait out the incipient monsoon in their capital.

But he had severely misjudged both the severity of the rains and the tenacity of the Ahom warriors. The recently victorious Mughals were reduced to a pitiable state by onslaughts of dysentery and guerrilla attacks, and by the time the rains receded, both Mir Jumla and his troops were utterly broken. Having negotiated a hasty peace treaty, they fled to Bengal, where Mir Jumla died.

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While the Burmese invasion in the early 19th century was brutal, the British, as in the rest of India, exercised a more subtle, mercantile exploring assam control, further strengthened by the Treaty of Yandaboo between the British and the Burmese in 1826.

Like elsewhere in the country, the East India Company’s rule provoked a reaction amongst a section of society which felt their cultural liberty being curbed. In 1828, Dhananjay Borgohain and Gumadhar Konwar led a failed revolt, a precursor to the more widespread Uprising of 1857, when Maniram Dewan and Piyali Barua led the Assamese wing of the anti- British attack.

Thereafter, a number of prominent Assamese intellectuals and revolutionaries formed associations to protect their culture from British domination, including the Assam Chatra Sanmilan, the Assam Sahitya Sabha and the Assam Association which later joined the Indian National Congress and participated in the national freedom movement. Modern AssamGOODEARTH remains politically active, PUBLICATIONS yet its rich heritage and natural beauty are still accessible to travellers. Its lush valleys and forests, its magnificent monsoon and the glorious Brahmaputra retain much of their mystery, as its people hold close the proud secrets of ancient, rugged heroism.

Wildlife in Assam Guwahati and Around Jorhat and Around Silchar and Around

From top to bottom: A steam engine in Assam, early 20th century; Assamese women picking tea; Withering room in a colonial tea factory – before the advent of machines; the withered leaves were sorted by hand; A group of tea workers after a day of plucking (Old photographs)

16 17 Wildlife

In Assam, they say, people hold great store Rhinos grazing in by what the trees whisper. Anyone listening Kaziranga wildlife in assam closely will hear the echo of the age-old theatre of the untamed that still overrides the sound of civilisation in the state’s fecund forests.

With five national parks, two of which are designated World Natural Heritage Sites by Dibru UNESCO, and 20 wildlife sanctuaries, Assam is Saikhowa a blessed land for wildlife enthusiasts.

At the heart of its mind-boggling biodiversity is the rich topography of Assam, with its Rajiv Gandhi Orang lush hills and valleys dissected by the grand Manas Kaziranga Brahmaputra and its many tributaries. From Guwahati Pabitora riverine grasslands to tropical and sub-tropical forests, marshy wetlands and bamboo groves, this is where nature dwells at her creative best. And naturally therefore, over 180 species of mammals, including several rare and endangered species like the great Indian one- horned rhinoceros, the royal Bengal tiger, the golden langur and hoolock gibbon, and a spectacular range of avifauna, have come to call it home. GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONSAssam’s most famous parks are Kaziranga and Manas. Both were conferred World Heritage status in 1985.

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Kaziranga National Park is spread over 850 sq kms across , Nagaon, and Sonitpur districts. Located in the floodplains on both sides of the Brahmaputra, the sanctuary lies at the cusp of the Indo-Malayan biological realm. Patches of mixed deciduous forests are interspersed with vast stretches of savannah grasslands, wetlands and chars or river islands formed by the shifting course of the Brahmaputra. Across the river too, there are elevated flatlands called chapories that are an extension of the park.

The park is divided into five ranges – Central (entry point at Kohora), Western (at Bagori), Eastern (at Agoratoli), Western-most Burha Above: Wild water Pahar (at Ghorakati), and Northern. The first buffalo four lie on the southern side of the river while Below: Tourists the last is on the northern bank. on a jeep safari, in the park’s Western Kohora, situated 239 kms from Guwahati Range airport and 97 kms from Jorhat airport, lies in the Central range. In fact, NH 37 which connects these two cities, passes directly through Kohora. This settlement is not only most conveniently located for tourists visiting the park, but also offers facilitiesGOODEARTH like hotels, restaurants, banks, PUBLICATIONS internet facilities, etc. The Elephant Festival held here in early January is a big draw with diverse As one approaches the park from Guwahati, Above: A perfectly cultural shows, food stalls and a riveting display one enters from the western-most range. The camoflagued of antics by domesticated elephants. right side of the road is taken up largely by tea machan in Bagori plantations and sporadic villages. However, the left side presents a vista of unending grassland with intermittent bamboo groves. Here, it is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of a rhino grazing by itself.

A memorable way of exploring Kaziranga is on elephant-back. As the gentle creatures tread through the tall grass, one’s senses become keenly aware of the quiet and the vastness of the horizon fringed with blue mountains. Upon hearing a rustle in the grass, one turns to spot one of the park’s prized inhabitants. Rhinos are sometimes found in good numbers grazing with deer and buffaloes around riverine flood-formed lakes calledbeels , such as the Donga Beel in Bagori. Though summer is traditionally hailed as wildlife watching season in the country, even misty winter days hold the promise of revealing rhinos in Kaziranga. Binoculars are sure to come in handy.

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Kaziranga National Park

Distance from Guwahati: 239 kms STD Code: 03776

Entry Fee Indians: Rs 20 Others: Rs 250 Vehicle entry: Rs 200 Guide fees: Rs 200

Still Camera Fee Indians: Rs 50 Others: Rs 500

Video Camera Fee Indians: Rs 500 Others: Rs 1,000

Elephant Safari Commences from Mihimukh (3 kms from Kohora Tourist GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS Lodge) at 5.30 am and 6.30 am Fee: Rs 275 per person forests, a call from a deer or the trumpet of an elephant alerts one to the possibility of catching Jeep Safari some ‘wild’ action. While it is always helpful Commences from to have accompanying forest rangers scan the Kohora, Bagori horizon to direct untrained eyes towards a and Agoratoli motionless rhino, a crouching tiger or a shy Fee: (for full-day wild water-buffalo, sometimes a casual turn safari) Rs 1,500 can reveal equally rousing sightings! Even if the beast doesn’t show itself, one returns with Best time to visit: all manner of imagined possibilities. December-May

When on safari, visitors to the park are well- advised not only to abide by park etiquettes, but also to bear in mind its conservation history, officially counted as the most successful conservation initiative in the subcontinent in the 20th century (Kaziranga Top: Elephant The other alternative is to take the jeep safari Centenary: Celebrating the Century’s Greatest safaris capture which is also highly recommended, as it offers Success Story, 2005). the magic of the the added benefit of covering a vast expanse in park’s wilderness, a relatively short span of time. Driving through Originally established as a reserve forest in occasionally the grasslands, with the misty forest air beating 1908, Kaziranga was declared a sanctuary in revealing a tiger in on one’s face, the desire for adventure is 1916 to counter excessive poaching, especially repose (above) quickly sparked. Passing through the denser of its most prized inhabitant, the rhinoceros.

22 23 Guwahati and Around

Guwahati guwahati and around To the spiritually oriented, Guwahati is home A view of Guwahati to the goddess Kamakhya; to history buffs, it illuminating stands on the very spot where the brave people the banks of the of this great land thwarted the mighty Mughal Brahmaputra army in the battle of Saraighat in 1671; to the Jorhat inhabitant, it is the child that has been, over Tezpur Madan- the years, nurtured, fulfilled and at times, even Hajo Kamdev admonished by the mighty Brahmaputra. Sualkuchi Guwahati

Silchar

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WILDLIFE Guwahati is commercially and spatially one DESTINATIONS of the fastest growing cities in India. From a AROUND humble population of 2 lakh in 1971, present- GUWAHATI day Guwahati is a teeming metropolis with 8,08,021 people (2001 Census).

• Pabitora Wildlife The city stretches for 45 kms from Lokpriya Sanctuary (100 kms) Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in the west to Narengi in the east and from the • Bornadi Wildlife southern bank of the Brahmaputra to the Sanctuary (84 kms) foothills of the Shillong plateau for around 15 kms. Guwahati Municipal Corporation • Kaziranga administers an area of over 216 sq kms. National Park (239 kms) The town derives its name from two Ahomiya words – guwa or areca nut and haat or the weekly market, thus tracing its origins to a time when it was a trading post on the Brahmaputra.

Guwahati is identified with the ancient city of Pragjyotishpura overlooked by the hallowed temple to goddess Kamakhya. In the Mahabharata, it was the capital of the Kamrupa kingdom under Narakasura and his son Bhagadatta who fought in the battle of Kurukshetra onGOODEARTH the side of the Kauravas. PUBLICATIONS The 7th century Chinese traveller, Hiuen Tsang, who visited the court of Bhaskar Barman writes that Pragjyotishpur stretched 19 kms from east to west and was the principal base for the kingdom’s strong navy consisting of more than 30,000 war-boats.

From the 7th century to the founding of Ahom rule in the 13th, Guwahati passed through the hands of the Palas, the Kamtas and the Kochs. Excavations in Ambari and at Cotton College suggest that it was a prosperous city from the 9th to the 11th century AD under the Palas.

Under the Ahoms, the city saw a spurt of building activity, and it was during this period that most of the ponds in the city were excavated.

Facing page: The Taking advantage of the weakening of Ahom distinctive dome rule in the last decades of the eighteenth of the Kamakhya century, the British East India Company made Temple is one of rapid inroads into the region. By 1838 they the city’s enduring came to control entirely what is now the state icons of Assam.

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In the heart of Guwahati is the area. Below: Dighali Not only is it the commercial hub of the city Pukhuri but also houses some of Guwahati’s important landmarks.

The famous Cotton College, a premier educational institute, stands at the northern edge of Pan Bazaar. Established in 1901, the college was named after Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton, Chief Commissioner of the erstwhile British province of Assam.

On the southeastern corner of Pan Bazaar is a large, rectangular lake, Dighali Pukhuri. The lake is believed to have been dug by Bhagadutta, the king of Pragjyotishpura and was once connected by a canal to the Brahmaputra. It was used extensively by the Ahom rulers as a sheltered harbour for their naval vessels. Dighali Pukhuri derives its name from the word Above: The wide Guwahati received a boost with the dighal meaning elongated. tree lined roads of establishment of the city of Shillong and the Guwahati booming tea business. Burgeoning trade in To the west of Dighali Pukhuri and facing the Below Left: tea and timber (not only from the northeast main entrance to Cotton College isNehru Park. Gauhati University but also from Burma) hastened the arrival of A little green oasis in the heart of town, the park was established in railways and telegraph, laying of roads and preserves a number of rare species of plants. 1948, and is increased accessibility.GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS among the oldest of the country’s After Independence in 1947, Guwahati northeastern states remained the most important commercial Below right: The centre of . After 1972, when the entrance to Cotton state of Meghalaya was carved out of Assam, College Shillong became the capital of Meghalaya while Dispur, a part of Guwahati town, was made the administrative capital of Assam. With its wide roads, serene water bodies and numerous parks, Guwahati is a well-planned and picturesque city.

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Clockwiswe from Behind Nehru Park is Christ Church. One of below: Guwahati the earliest churches in northeast India, it was High Court; consecrated in 1859 by Reverend Daniel Wilson, Christ Church; Bishop of Calcutta. The original structure A local tennis collapsed in an earthquake in 1856 and was club; Guwahati rebuilt in 1861. Barely four decades later it was Planetarium destroyed once again in the earthquake of 1897 only to be rebuilt again in 1901.

Curzon Hall, Earle Law College, Handique Girls’ College, Anusandhan Samiti, Assam State Museum, Cotton College, Assam Sahitya Sabha, Assam Lawn Tennis Association and the High Court are located on the banks of Dighali Pukhuri.

Assam State Museum, just east of the railway Sil Pukhuri station, was established in 1940. Apart from separate sections on archaeology, numismatics and epigraphy, it has particularly interesting ethnographic displays that include local crafts, GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONSa reconstructed tribal village and medieval stone and bronze sculptures from Ambari.

Nagkata Pukhuri derives its name from the custom of serpent worship, prevalent in medieval Assam. Its origin is traced back to the days of the Ahom king, Swargadeo Pramatta Singha (1744-1751).

Sil Pukhuri derives its present name from a stone (sil) inscription found on its banks, in , but written in Ahomiya alphabets. The inscription mentions that the pond was excavated by Tarun Duwara Phukan in 1753 AD, during the reign of Swargadeo Rajeshwar Singha (1751-1769). The pond now stands in the middle of Guwahati’s business district, surrounded by bustling shops and high-rise residential buildings.

Sil Pukhuri was originally called Nau Konia Pukhuri, (or ‘the lake with nine corners’). It is believed that when the lake was excavated, nine wells were dug in nine corners. Water was taken from these nine wells to perform the navagraha bath (a ritual bath involving invocations and incantations to the nava or nine grahas or planets).

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Shaktipeeths Jor Pukhuri is the name given to a pair (jor) of identical tanks, separated by a road excavated of Guwahati during the reign of the Ahom rulers. A short distance northwest of Sil Pukhuri is The bustling fish Ugratara Temple, a prominent centre of Ujan Bazaar. Sprawled out along the southern market in Ujan The immediate cult stands on the northern bank of banks of the Brahmaputra, the area is best Bazaar environs of GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS Jor Pukhuri. Legend has it that after Vishnu known for its fish market or the maach ghat Facing Page: Guwahati are blessed with four dismembered ’s body her navel fell on the where a flurry of trading activity is to be seen Ugratara Temple shaktipeeths: spot where the temple now stands. every morning. Be sure to reach very early as the day’s business usually wraps up by 7 am. • Kamakhya Temple The temple was built in 1725 AD by the Ahom on Nilachal Hill king, Swargadeo Siva Singha (1714-1744), According to local lore, Ujan Bazaar derives where the fell who was also instrumental in excavating Jor its name from the word azaan (Muslim call for • Dirgheshwari Pukhuri to facilitate the needs of the devotees prayer) due to the presence of a mosque in the Temple in north at the temple. Like Dighali Pukhuri, area. Another theory suggests that the name Guwahati where it was connected to the Brahmaputra comes from the Ahomiya word jaan (a rivulet), her thigh fell and formed the naval and ship- though no such stream exists any longer. • Ugratara Temple, building base of the Ahom kings. where her navel landed That ancient Guwahati was • Bhubaneshwari a significant seat of astrology Temple atop and astronomy is attested Nilachal hill where by the Navagraha Temple. the head of the goddess fell Located on Chitranchal Hill, northeast of the city centre, the temple, according to scholars was in the heart of Pragjyotishpura. The temple has a red beehive-shaped dome and enshrines nine lingas representing the nine planets in its inner sanctum.

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The huge linga enshrined in the temple’s garbhagriha is considered by locals as one of the twelve jyotirlingas or ‘lingas of light’, marking the spots where Shiva pierced the earth with columns of fire. Within the same complex is the equally popular Janardan Devalaya dedicated to Vishnu. This is believed to be an older temple, rebuilt in the 18th century.

A small pathway at the back of the temple complex leads down to Sukreshwar Ghat, A little ahead of Ujan Bazaar, along the river, the jetty from where Assam Tourism’s is Sukreshwar Devalaya, a Shiva temple, cruises take off. constructed in 1744 by the Ahom king Swargadeo Pramatta Singha. From the wee Midway down the steps, if one looks to the hours of the morning, devotees throng the right, one is completely unprepared for the Top: Boatmen on temple to seek the deity’s blessings before breathtaking sculptures carved into the rock- Brahmaputra setting about theirGOODEARTH daily activities. Shops PUBLICATIONSface, that look out on to the river. Said to be Above: Ancient outside the temple, adjoining the main road, over 600 years old, the sculptures, depicting sculptures at sell flowers, mainly marigold and tulsi and Brahma and other , are in a Sukreshwar Ghat bel leaves. remarkable state of preservation. Below: Tea is Assam’s largest and The main temple is approached by a long flight Nearby is the Gateway of Guwahati, erected, most famous export of steps and is guarded by two beautifully it is said, to commemorate the visit of Thomas Facing page sculpted Nandis. Baring, the Earl of Northbrook, while he served Above: Sukreshwar as Viceroy of India (1872-76). Devalaya Middle: The giant Paltan Bazaar, another of the city’s commercial linga enshrined in centres, lies to the east of Ujan Bazaar. It forms the temple the transportation and hospitality hub of Below: Beautifully Guwahati. Apart from the city’s railway station, carved Nandi at Paltan Bazaar also houses the main depot the entrance to the of the state-owned Assam State Transport temple Corporation (ASTC). Most of the city’s hotels – both high-end as well as budget establishments – function from Paltan Bazaar.

The Guwahati Tea Auction Centre here is the largest of its kind in the world. Set up in 1970, it handles most of the tea business of Assam (see pp 90-93). The scale of its turnover can be judged by the fact that Assam produces 55% of India’s tea and accounts for 80% of India’s tea export. 47 assam Guwahati and Around

A short ferry ride from Kachari the god of love. Infuriated by his reconstructed by a rich, local sightings are, hence, counted as Ghat takes one to Peacock actions, Shiva burned Kamdev merchant who chose to inscribe fortuitous. Island. This tiny island on the and the mound of his ashes the interiors of the Shiva temple Brahmaputra, with its spiritually formed the present hill. with Vaishnavite slogans. Ferries ply to and from the stirring vista, is home to the island all day long. The best . The temple was built in The island is also home time, however, to explore the 1694 AD by the general to the rare golden langur island is during the afternoon. The temple is located atop the Garhganya Handique under (Trachypithecus geei), first The island, as well as the trip Bhasmachala Hill (or ‘the hill of orders from Gadadhar Singh brought to the attention of back offers spectacular views ashes’) on the island. Legend has it (1681- 1696), one of the ablest science by the naturalist of sunset over the immense that Lord Shiva used the island as and strongest rulers of the Ahom E P Gee in the mid-20th Brahmaputra. The sky is one of his meditation spots. Once dynasty. The original temple was century. Although the tiny painted a bright shade of red when he was deep in meditation, damaged during the devastating island has over ten of these and the afterglow persists even he was disturbed by Kamdev, earthquake of 1897. Later, it was beautiful animals, they are when the sun is long gone. extremely difficult to spot, and

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Clockwise from above: Country-made boats ferry people across the Brahmaputra near Umananda; An old temple next to the main shrine at the island; The sun sets over the expansive Brahmaputra

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Located in the Panjabari area of the city, About a 45-minute drive east from Pan Bazaar, The Shiva Temple at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra is some of it through picturesque country roads, Basishtha Ashram a multi-arts complex that aims to preserve takes one to Basishtha Ashram. Located on and promote the socio-cultural heritage of the outskirts of the Garbhanga Reserve Forest, Assam. The complex has an open-air theatre this serene temple complex is believed to have and a central museum that showcases various been the hermitage of the legendary sage artifacts made by the different ethnic groups Basishtha. Basishtha was one of the saptarishis of Assam. The open-air theatre, a replica of the or seven great sages of Hindu mythology. In in Sibsagar can hold about 2,000 the he is said to have tutored Lord persons, stages folk festivals, traditional dances and his brothers. and theatre. The ashram is nestled like a well-hidden There is an Artists’ Village where resident and jewel some distance away from the Basishtha invited artists display and sell their creations. Chariali or the main crossing where NH 37 A section of the village portrays rural life in intersects Basishtha Road. Assam through life-like statues and model thatched huts.

Sahitya Bhavan in Kalakshetra has a huge collection of rare books and manuscripts. It is a repository of the literature of the region. Another section of the art complex is the Lalit Kala Bhavan. It organises exhibitions and workshops on art and culture. A heritage park is also a part of the huge complex. GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONS

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An 18th century Shiva Temple built by the A path carries on further to three streams, Below: Locals at Ahom king, Rajeshwar Singh, greets the Sandhya, Lalita and Kanta, that flow down Basishtha Ashram visitor as he steps into the sylvan environs of from the waterfall that cascades beside the Bottom: Visitors the hermitage. While the large mandapa of the ashram. On winter evenings, the flow of the steady themselves temple is frequented by in vermillion streams is considerably reduced as compared on the slippery rocks robes, the paid guardians of the temple to the gush during the rainy seasons. Yet, on where the ashram’s precincts are the monkeys who ring the bells any given day, families, lovers and tourists are streams converge near the ashram gate when given a little morsel to be found sitting on the giant rocks that flank of food. Devotees, used to the simian presence, the streams and soak in the tranquillity. Today, light lamps and offer incense to the dvarapalas both picnickers and devotees will find a host and lesser deities who flank the doorway to the of culinary options at the modest eateries that garbhagriha. They then proceed inside to make have cropped up beside the car park outside offerings to a shivalinga, barely visible in the the ashram. dimly lit interiors, and receive prasad.

Steps leading down from the Shiva Temple take you to the smaller Ganesh Temple, with its curious conical spire surrounded by smaller similar-shaped turrets.

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Right: The Ganesh Temple at Basishtha Ashram

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Connecting the city of Guwahati with the northern bank of the Brahmaputra is the 1.5 kms long Saraighat Bridge, built where the Brahmaputra is at its narrowest in its entire course through Assam. This was also the site of the historic battle of Saraighat (see p 15). Construction of this bridge began in 1958 and upon completion in 1962, it became India’s first road-cum-rail bridge. This helped create a railway link between the northeastern states with the rest of the country. The bridge remains of immense strategic importance and is heavily guarded by armed police. Across the Saraighat Bridge is the futuristic Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, built in 2007 for the National Games of India.

Heading westward towards the airport, a short way off National Highway 31, is Deepor Beel, a large freshwater lake surrounded by wetlands of immense biological importance. Covering a total area of 414 hectares, the lake (beel in Ahomiya) and its surroundings support the livelihood of over 1,200 tribals in 14 villages around it, and also protect and nurture a unique ecological habitat. From the smallestGOODEARTH phytoplankton to the giant PUBLICATIONS water lily (Euryale ferox), from the floating water hyacinth to deciduous forests rich in teak, sal and bamboo, it forms the ‘lung space’ that constantly replenishes the increasingly choked metropolitan air. It was designated a Ramsar site in November 2002 under the Ramsar Convention for the protection of wetlands.

The beel is a natural habitat to as many as 219 species of endemic and over 70 species of migratory birds. During the winters, it is very common to spot congregations of more than 20,000 migratory aquatic birds. Some of the globally threatened species like the spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), lesser adjutant stork (Leptoptilos javanicus), Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri), Pallas’ sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) and greater adjutant stork (Leptoptilos dubius) can be seen here.

Close by, in Jalukbari, stands the Gauhati University campus overlooking the Brahmaputra. Established in 1948, the university is among the oldest in the northeastern states.

54 55 assam Kamakhya Temple Facing page right and below: Exquisite Kamakhya Temple, on Nilachal hill, sculptures adorn the walls eight kilometres west of Guwahati of Kamakhya Temple railway station, is one of the most Below: A priest, typically venerated shaktipeeths in India. The attired in red robes, stands temple is dedicated to goddess Kamakhya, outside the temple an incarnation of Sati.

It is on Nilachal Hill, says the , that the yoni or creative organ of Sati fell when Vishnu, in a bid to save the world from the Shiva’s nrittya or dance of destruction, cut her dead body into 51 pieces with his sudarshan chakra. (see box p 61). The garbhagriha deep inside the temple, marks the sacred spot and is kept covered with red silken cloth.

Inscriptional evidence dates the temple to 5th-6th century, however the present structure was built in the 16th century by the Koch king Naranarayan. The temple is perhaps the earliest of the surviving Koch monuments in Assam.

It is said that in a battle with the Nawab of Gaur, Naranarayan’s army suffered GOODEARTH PUBLICATIONSa crushing defeat and his brother Chilarai was taken prisoner. Chilarai prayed to goddess Kamakhya, who assured him of his imminent release. No sooner than she had spoken, that news reached that the Nawab’s mother was dying of snakebite. Only Chilarai could save her from the jaws of death. Grateful, the Nawab ordered his immediate release. On his return, Naranarayan and Chilarai rebuilt the Kamakhya Temple.

Above: An early 20th century photograph of the chhattris in Orchha on the Betwa

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Clockwise Legend however attributes a much higher from facing force behind the construction of the temple. page left: A It is said that once, Kamdev, the god of love kalash with lotus disturbed Shiva while he was meditating. petals; Detail of Infuriated, Shiva turned Kamdev to a pile of As one enters through a figure sculpted ashes. Kamdev’s wife , pleaded with Shiva an elaborately on the walls of to bring her husband back to life. Moved by carved archway, one the main temple; Rati’s tears, Shiva agreed on condition that she is greeted by the Tara Temple built a temple to Sati on the spot where her yoni imposing shikhara of seen through had fallen, on Nilachal Hill. It is also said that the main Kamakhya its elaborately Assam’s ancient name, Kamrup, was derived Temple. The temple itself carved gateway; from the belief that it was here that Kamdev is reached by climbing down A popular resumed his original rup or form. steep steps. It has a pancharatha base and representation of hemispherical shikhara, embellished with the eight forms A steep path up the hill to Kamakhya Temple honey-comb patterns, tagged by historians of the mother is said to have been built by the mythological as the ‘Nilachal’ style. This departure in goddess king, Narakasura. Flanked by wild flowers, the structural idiom set forth a new style in path is referred to as mekhela ujuwa path or ‘the temple architecture, which was later adopted road where you have to lift your mekhela high’. by the Ahom kings to erect their magnificent dols or temples in Sivasagar (see pp 108-117). Today, the steps leading up to the temple are flanked by a host of shops selling paraphernalia. On the right is a carved, colourful gate that leads to the Tara Temple, one of the many subsidiary shrines devoted to eight manifestations of the Mother Goddess, the others being GOODEARTHBagala, Tripurasundari, PUBLICATIONS Kamala, Matandi, Shyama, Bhairavi, Dhumawati and Bhuvaneshwari. Each has their separate shrines in and around the temple complex.