assam travels
With undulating Hills, Lush Green Tea Estates, Golf Courses, Wild Life sanctuaries, National Parks, spiritual and religious centers, historical monuments, largest river island of the world Assam is indeed paradise revisited. One cannot seem to have, enough of Kamrupa and Pragjyotishpur as Assam was known earlier known. Whether one is an intrepid traveler, a curious traveler, a spiritual seeker, a scholar, a nature lover or a lover of art and craft, Assam has amazing sights and sounds to quench the thirst of even the most intrepid and demanding of traveler. Nature as if has emptied her bosom to Assam. With the mighty Brahmaputra flowing through it is a majestic sight. The sun rise and sunset on the bank of the mighty Brahmaputra is a sight no one would like to miss. Guwaahati is the premier and the most developed city of the North-East. It is the gateway to the North east nestled by the blue hills surrounding the city and the mighty Brahmaputra flowing through it. With low clouds and swirling mists from November to March end Guwahati is a treat for people who like to discover. It is a curious blend of modernity and traditions on one hand and science and sensibility on the other. If there are malls dotting the city landscape, you also have Basistha Ashram, Gandhi Ashram, Kalashetra and Silpagram store house of traditions and culture of Assam. Art of living organization is also building an Ashram at Pandu in Guwahati.
State Museum and Science Museum are other attractions of Guwahati. Kalakshetra and Balaji temple situated opposite to each other are fast becoming a major tourist hot-spot as it houses the finest in Assamese art and culture along with live shows showcasing the same. For the spiritual, religious, cultural seeker there is the temple of Ma Kamakhya. It is one of the most important Sakti peeths of India. Other religious places one can visit in Guwahati are Nabagraha temple, Umananda temple, Sukreshwar Temple. For the Nature lover Guwahati boasts of a very good zoo and for the grazer of stars there is also a planetarium and walking distance from the planetarium is the Vivekananda Kendra another important socio-cultural organization based on the principles of Swami Vivekananda. Guwahati is culturally a very vibrant and there are constant performances being held in the evenings at Rabindra Bhavan and Kalakshetra for people to watch.
Assam is endowed with a very beautiful and rich scenic beauty. The valley is surrounded by hills on all sides and many streams intersect it. Endowed with abundance of scenic grandeur and a wealthy of the rarest flora and fauna it houses many endangered species of wild life. These include Rhino ceros, Golden Langur, Hollock Gibbon, Pigmy Hog, Hispid Hare, White Winged Woodduck, Tiger clouded leopard, Swamp Deer, Gangetic Dolpin etc. There are five famous national parks and more than ten wild life sanctuaries and other reserve forests. These are treasure house of these endangered species of various birds and animals. Among the national parks mention may be made of Kaziranga, Manas, Jatinga etc. Kaziranga is famous for the one horned Rhino and Jatinga is fabled for being paradise of Migratory birds about which people say that they commit suicide here. Assam is famous for tea, grown mostly in upper Assam in Jorhat and Dibrugarh.
Tea estates are again one of the few nature majestic sights. Along with it there is Nameri, Bhaluk pung and many resorts for the nature lovers where one can live in the lap of nature and enjoy the adventures that they offer. Majuli on the bank of Brahmaputra is a melting pot and houses the living tradition of the vaishnavite culture. Magherita is a famous coal field and one would not like to miss Haflong the beautiful hill station in North Cachar Hills. The capital of the mighty Ahom, Sivsagar is again a Historical delight with Rangaghar, Karenghar and many more other monuments it would appeal to as much a lay man as to a historian. The snow-capped peaks of Himalayas, with lush green tea gardens, green valley, blue hills, archeological ruins, Tezpur town again becomes a must see in the itinerary of a traveler who is visiting Assam. There are also parks, places of historical importance in Tezpur.
Situated in the North east part of India, Assam has historical relevance. Even centuries ago Hieun Tsang mentioned about the Richness of Assam and the scenery. In the North of Assam there is Bhutan, and the state of Arunachal Pradesh. And to the east is Nagaland and Manipur. To the south is Mizoram and Tripura and in the West we have Meghalaya, Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal. Today with the number of tourists coming to the state increasing there is also a lot development in the Tourism sector. There are good hotels, transportation, infrastructure and many travel agencies to help and guide them besides of course government agencies. Confluence of many tribes, sub-tribes, their rituals, traditions, customs, dialects, languages, arts, and crafts go to make the Rich Tapestry, called Assam. Bamboo, Cane, Metal are craft and industries whose products are beautiful, strong and also have utilitarian value. There is also a rich tradition of painting, masks, metal, handicrafts and handloom. But if there is anything for which Assam is world famous it is for its handloom and handicraft. Pat, Muga and Endi craft a rich fabric story. It is said that weavers of Assam can trace the pattern of birds flying overhead in their fabric. They are known to weave dreams in fabric and to visualize a perfect fabric story one has to visit Sualkuchi where every household is renowned for creating beautiful handloom products. The traditional dress of Assam is Mekhela Chadar although sarees and western Pat, Muga and Endi is also making inroads. Today a lot of fusion work through Indo-western wear is also being done in Assam. Besides this Assam is also renowed for the traditional motifs design of jewellry done in gold and gold plated. Today with a lot of innovation. Traditional jewellry is also having a modern and western look. Assam is also famous for it exquisite craftsmanship in bell and metal. With such traditions can you expect Assam to be bereft of art and culture? Assam has a rich and unique culture of music, dance and instruments. With diverse faiths and beliefs of its inhabitants it is a rich tapestry woven with multicultural yarns or distinct heritage of all the races that form a part of the social fabric of Assam. No travel brochure is complete without a mention of the gastronomic delights that a region has to offer. As one wraps up a visit to the scenic, resourceful and cultural melting pot that is, Assam one needs to mention that Assam has its share of typical native dishes. Mostly non-vegetarian there are also plenty for the vegetarian pallete on offer. So with the tourist season starting from October to April one can pack one's bags and discover this nature's bounty called Assa
