Guwahati PLACE

 Guwahati is a sprawling city beside the Brahmaputra River in the northeast Indian state of Assam. It’s known for holy sites like the hilltop Kamakhya Temple, featuring shrines to the Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu. To the east, 18th-century Navagraha Temple is an astronomical center with planetary shrines. Umananda Temple, dedicated to Shiva and covered with engravings, stands on Peacock Island in the river.

Tourism in Guwahati

Guwahati, the capital city of the northeastern state of Assam, was formerly known as Pragjyotishpur (the City of Eastern Light). Its etymological root is derived from two Assamese words, "Guwa," meaning areca nut and "Haat," meaning market. Couched between the picturesque hills of the eastern flanks of the Himalayan mountain range, Guwahati houses the political capital of the state, Dispur. The gateway to the seven other northeastern states, Guwahati is a vital tourist link point, besides being an attraction in itself.

Location

Situated on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, at an altitude of 55 meters above sea level, Guwahati is the junction of three important roads, National Highways 31, 37 and 40. It is split into two parts by the river and North Guwahati is almost a separate town. One can visit it via the Saraighat Bridge or by the ferries that ply on the river. The nearest important city is Calcutta (1182 km), while the capitals of the other northeastern states are at distances varying from 110 km to 650 km. The city experiences an annual rainfall of 180 cm (from May to September). While summer temperatures range from 22 to 38°C, in winters the mercury ranges from 10 to 25°C. The best time to visit this cosmopolitan city is from October to April.

History

There is magical aura that still lingers over the ever-expanding city. The demon king Narkasura is said to have built this ancient city. Another reason for Guwahati's charm is its being the ancient 'Kamrup', the birthplace of Kamdeva, the God of Love.

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Fairs & Festivals

The most notable festival here is the Bohag Bihu, which marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year and falls sometime in mid-April. Various local delicacies like pithas, larus, and other sweetmeats are available then. All these preparations are strictly vegetarian. The Durga Puja, celebrated in the month of October, is another major festival. In the months of June-July, there is the famous Ambubashi Mela at Kamakhya temple that attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the country.

Best Time to Visit

Guwahati in the state of Assam sports a humid subtropical climate, which offers an average annual temperature of 24°C with an extreme that is known to have touched the 40 degree mark. The city lies between the mighty Brahmaputra River and the Shillong Plateau. Guwahati has a good network of hills surrounding it as well, which further contributes in the subtropical topography of the region.

Classification of different seasons in Guwahati are mentioned as below:

Summer

Summers in this northeastern city start from the month of April and stay only till the next month. During this time, the temperature can increase to a scorching reading of 40 ° C, making daytime visits of the city a sweaty affair.   

Monsoon

Monsoon season brings a moderate amount of rainfall to this city. It starts in the month of June and continues till September. Thus, some favorable months to hangout and explore the whereabouts of Guwahati.  

Winter  

Winters in Guwahati offer a chilled atmosphere for tourists to explore its attractions. The cold spell starts from the month of November and it continues till February. Temperature readings during these months can drop till 5 °C, making this season clearly the best time to visit Guwahati.    

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How to Reach

BY AIR -

The city of Guwahati has Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport to deal with all the flights coming to its land on a daily basis. Also known as Guwahati International Airport, it is very well connected to the major cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore. It also operates flights from international destinations like Bangkok and Paro.

BY RAIL -

If you are travelling to Guwahati by the network of rail, then Guwahati junction would be your end destination. The junction operates regular trains from different parts of India to Guwahati. This includes the Rajdhani Express, Northeast Express and Brahmaputra Mail from the capital city of New Delhi, Bangalore Express from Bangalore, Kamrup Express from Kolkata and Dadar Express from Mumbai.

BY ROAD -

The nearby states of Guwahati like West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar offer connectivity through a good network of national highways running across them.

Tourist Attractions

Guwahati is particularly famous for its Kamakhya temple situated atop the Nilachal hill, at a distance of 10 km from the railway station. Noted to be the most sacred among the tantrik shrines of Shakti worship in the world, Kamakhya, was built in the 10th century by the Koch king, Naranarayan. It is a common practice here to offer animal sacrifice to appease the Goddess. Above Kamakhya is another small temple, Bhubaneshwari, from where one can have a bird's eye view of the