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Archive for the ‘Assam’ Category

Situated on the banks of the alluring river Brahmaputra, Guwahati, the capital of Assam, is the largest city in the State and the gateway to the northeastern states. The foremost tourist attractions of Guwahati are its ancient temples – the Kamakhya Temple situated atop the Nilachal Hill is revered as the most sacred among the tantrik shrines of Shakti worship. The temple is a testimony to the rich and distinctive Assamese style of architecture. The gorgeous Brahmaputra and the Guwahati city can be seen from a bird’s view by walking a few steps up the Nilacha Hill.

Hugging the shores of the turbulent Brahmaputra, Guwahati is the gateway to the enchanting North Eastern India. The Light of the East, Pragjyotishpura, as it was known once upon a time, is said to have been a vast kingdom during the epic period of the Mahabharata. Today, Guwahati is the hub of the region and also its largest city.

Places Of Attractions

Kaziranga National Park

Not visiting Kaziranga National Park will be inexcusable as you will miss out on some exotic wild life not present elsewhere. Kaziranga National Park is home to the near-extinct one-horned rhinoceros. Due to some imaginative conservation measures, the population of one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga has risen to a whopping 1,700. Other exotic wildlife attractions at this park include hordes of Indian elephants, Indian bison, swamp deer, sloth bears, tigers, leopards, hog badgers, wild boar, jackal, wild buffalo, pythons, and monitor lizards.

Kamakhya Temple

8 kms away from Guwahati and on the Nilachal hill, is the important temple of the goddess Kali. It represents the distinctive Assamese style in architecture and marks the place where one of the pieces of goddess Kali fell to Earth. The magnificent Brahmaputra and the city can be seen from a bird’s view by walking a little further up the hill.

Sualkuchi

Assam produces three unique varieties of silks, the Golden Muga, the White Pat and the warm Eri. Silks grown all over the state find their way to Sualkuchi, 32 kms from Guwahati. It is one of the world’s largest weaving villages often called the Manchester of the East. The entire population here is engaged in weaving exquisite silf fabrics. A renowned centre of silk production, particularly known for Muga – the golden silk of Assam which is not produced anywhere else in the world.

Umananda Temple

The great Shiva temple situated on the Peacock island in the middle of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati attracts devotees from all over the country during Shiva Ratri. One can visit the temple by crossing the river by country boat plying from Kachari ghat. On the north bank of the Brahmaputra, opposite Guwahati, where the third Pandava Arjun is believed to have watered his horse while undertaking journey during Ashwamedh Yajna. Regular ferry services are available to this place.

As Puran says Kashi Vishwanath Baba is divided in to 3 parts of Trishul [1]Kedareshwar [2] Vishweshwar [3] MahaMritunjay.According to puran the person who stays at the end of his life time gets moksha.Kashi Vishwanath gives tarak mantra to get moksha. People who live in kashi get Aarth, Dharma, Karma, Moksha.The Temple is also known as the Golden Temple, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the city.This is the holiest spot in the city.

More than the Ghats and even the Ganga, the Shivalinga installed in the temple remains the devotional focus of Varanasi. Varanasi is said to be the point at which the first jyotirlinga, the fiery pillar of light by which Shiva manifested his supremacy over other gods, broke through the earth’s crust and flared towards the heavens.

The original temple was destroyed by aurangzeb who built a mosque in its place, but the traces of the old temple can be seen behind the mosque.The present temple was built by Maharani Ahilya Bai of Indore in the year 1776 and the gold plating on the towers of the temple was provided by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Indore.

To the side of the temple is Gyan-Kupor(‘The well of Knowledge’). It is believed that the Shiva Lingam removed from the original temple was hidden in this well to protect it from Aurangazeb and it still lies there. Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the temple.

Kaziranga National Park lies partly in Golaghat District and partly in Nagaon District of Assam. It is the oldest park in assam covers an area of 430 Sq kms along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South. The National Highway 37 passes through the park area and tea estates, hemmed by table-top tea bushes. One can even see the rhinos and wild elephants straying near the highway.

Catching the glimpses of the wild denizens is a complete delight for the nature enthusiasts at this magnificent park. On your wildlife tours in Kaziranga you will come across several wild animals such as Indian Elephants, Indian Bison, Swamp Deer or Barasingha, Hog Deer, Sloth Bears, Tigers, Leopard Cats, Jungle Cats, Otters, Hog Badgers, Capped Langurs, Hoolock Gibbons, Wild Boar, Jackal, Wild Buffalo, Pythons, Monitor Lizards, etc.

Besides the wildlife safari, the birding tour would be a remarkable experience for the passionate birdwatchers and wildlife photographers. Some of the bird species include Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-Shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Kite, Pallas’s Fishing Eagle, White Tailed Eagle, Grey-Headed Fishing Eagle, Himalayan Griffon, etc. One can also spot a significant number of the migratory birds that frequent the parks lakes and swampy areas during winters that include Greylag Geese, Bar-Headed Geese, Ruddy Shelduck, Gadwall, Falcated Duck, Red-Crested Pochard and Northern Shoveller. Read the rest of this entry »