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Assam, the eastern most state of the Indian
sub-continent, extends from 22o19' to 28o16' North Latitude
and 89o42' to 96o30' East Longitude between the foot hills of
the Eastern Himalayas and the Patkai and Naga Ranges. Assam is
bordered in the North and East by the Kingdom of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. Along the south lies Nagaland, Manipur and
Mizoram. Meghalaya lies to her South-West, Bengal and
Bangladesh to her West. Assam is connected with the rest of
the Indian Union by a narrow corridor in West Bengal that runs
for 56km below the foothills of Bhutan and Sikkim.
Assam was known as 'Kamarupa' or 'Pragjyotish' in the period
of the Epics. Human inhabitation of this area dates backs to
about 2000 BC. The population of Assam comprises of the
migrants from Burma and China. They came into Assam after the
mongoloid migration. They came from Punjab through Bihar and
North Bengal. Thus Assam presents a fusion of Mongol-Aryan
culture. The early history of Assam is believed to be of the
Varman dynasty. The reign of this dynasty extended from 400 AD
to 13th century. The visit of Huien Tsang is said to have
taken place during the 7th century at the time of Kumar
Bhaskar Varman. The Ahoms ventured into Assam in about 1228
AD. By 15th century the kingdoms of Ahom and Koch were
established. This period witnessed a change in all walks of
life in Assam.
In the later part of the 18th century the Ahom Kingdom was
weakened due to internal strife. The Burmese ran over the
political authority in Assam thus invoking British
intervention to subdue the Burmese. After a conflict between
the Burmese and the English, peace was restored by the treaty
of Yandaboo in 1826. The British then set out to organize the
administration, transport and communication. Besides the
various changes, the construction of railways; introduction of
tea plantation, discovery of coal and oil etc. proved fruitful
to the British during the World War II. After Independence of
India, Assam witnessed several separation of territories. In
1948, NEFA (Arunachal Pradesh) was separated. In 1963 Nagaland
was separated. In 1972 Meghalaya and in 1987 Mizoram.
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Sightseeing
Sightseeing in Assam means a visit to the various temples and
to the game sanctuaries.
The most famous and oft visited temple in Assam is the
Kamakhya Temple in the heart of the capital city Guwahati. It
sits atop the Nilachal Hills beside the Brahmaputra River. If
climbing the many steps to the temple appears daunting, hire a
cab to take you up to the temple.There are plenty of buses
that take you there throughout the day.
You could also visit Basistha, 11 km southeast of Guwahati,
where two temples lie beside a lovely waterfall commemorating
Vashishtha Muni who wrote the Indian epic, the Ramayana. On
Chitrachal hill, east of Guwahati, is the Navagrah Temple, or
the Temple of the Nine Planets, an ancient centre of astronomy
and astrology.
Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary is located 65km from Guwahati. The
wildlife plethora includes the one-horned rhinoceros,
leopards, tigers and varieties of migratory and non-migratory
birds. Accommodation available is forest bungalows – contact
the Range Forest Officer, Pabitora, Assam. Driving here from
Guwahati is the best option – it is close by and the roads are
good.
Assam is best known for the Kaziranga Game Sanctuary covering
an area of 430 km. Home to the highly endangered one-horned
rhino, one can also spot elephants, sloth bears, tigers,
leopard cats, jungle cats, hog badgers, capped langurs,
hoolock gibbons, pigs, jackals, porcupines, pythons,
buffaloes, Indian bisons, swamp deer, sambhars and hog deer
from very close quarters.
Trips into the sanctuary are taken at dawn on houdas on
elephants that wade through the tall elephant-grass and give
you a vantage view of animals waking up to the day. The sight
of the one-horned rhino bathing in ponds with its offspring on
its back is one you just cannot afford to miss. Do wear
trousers that fully cover your legs to avoid abrasions from
the elephant-grass.
The best season to visit this park is November to April. Avoid
the monsoons (June to September) that bring heavy rainfall and
often flood the park. There is a wide range of accommodation
available at the park ranging from luxury hotels to rest
houses and dormitories. The nearest airport is Jorhat but
Guwahati is connected by many more flights. Kaziranga is 96km
from Jorhat and 239km from Guwahati. Cars are available on
rent at Guwahati and Jorhat airports. Taxis and buses from
these cities will also get you to Kaziranga. For reservations
contact Joint Director of Tourism, Kaziranga, P.O. Kaziranga
National Park, Dist. Jorhat, Assam, India: 785612.
The only tiger reserve in Assam and also famous for the rare
golden La ngur and red Panda, Manas is one of the best-kept
national parks in India. The wildlife is best seen on elephant
back at dawn. The best months to visit are October to April.
Avoid the monsoons (June to September) when heavy rains can
flood the park and wildlife stay away. For accommodation there
are two lodges maintained and run by the tourist department.
The state department has two bungalows located at Mathanguri
inside the forest. Manas National Park is 176km from Guwahati
and it makes a lot of sense to drive down because the roads
are very motorable. State transport authorities and private
operators have bus services to Manas from Guwahati. You can
also hire taxis to Manas from Guwahati.
Majuli is the largest riverine island in the world. Migratory
birds from all over the world make a stopover here, especially
the Pelican. Apart from the bird watching, you can take in the
Hindu religious sites called "satras". Majuli is also famous
for its handicrafts such as masks, pottery, handloom and
weaving. The island is accessible from Jorhat river port (Nimatighat)
by ferry – the timings of the service are 1000 and 1600 hours.
The ferry can also transport your car. Accommodation is in the
form of government guesthouses or rest houses in the religious
"satras".
How
to get there
By Air :Assam is well connected to the major cities of
India. Several domestic airlines fly to Assam. The Lokopriya
Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport of Guwahati is well
connected by air to most of the metros in the country. Air
India also operates an international weekly flight between
Bangkok and Guwahati.
By Rail :The state of Assam has a convenient railway
network both within the state and with the rest of the
country. There are train services from Kolkata, New Delhi,
Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin and Trivandrum. B.G. line
connection is up to Dibrugarh and M.G. line with Haflong and
Silchar. Major towns within the state are also connected by
the railway network.
By Road :Several private travel companies as well as
the Assam State Transport Corporation operate a large network
of buses around the state
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