Guwahati, Assam

Guwahati, the largest city and commercial hub of entire North-East India, is on the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra. Also known as the “Gateway to North-East”, Guwahati is a major city of Assam and a prime centre for trade, politics, culture and industry. One of the fast developing cities of eastern India, Guwahati is a major educational centre of North-East and houses some of the premier institutes, namely Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati Medical College, Guwahati University and Cotton College. The present city is the ancient urban area of Assam, named Pragjyotishpura. The city also has a number of prehistoric Hindu temples and hence, it is most often referred to as the “City of temples”. The capital of the state, Dispur is as well located within this city.
 

The name Guwahati has been derived from two words 'guwa', which means areca nut in Assamese and “haat”, which means market place. It covers an area of 651.12 sq km and lies at an altitude of 54 m above the sea level. The city has humid subtropical climate with maximum temperature of 38 oC during summers and 10 oC to 25 oC during winters. The city is a quaint mix of commerce and culture, pragmatism and religiosity. It hosts the world's largest tea auctions and houses one of the country's most important centers of Tantric Hinduism. The city was once called as an important hub of learning, and a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus.
 

The city being a major urban area even during the ancient times has a rich an illustrious history. According to epigraphic sources the present city of Guwahati served as the capital of many primeval kingdoms. The city finds its mention in the great Indian Epic Mahabharata, according to which, Guwahati was the capital of the kings Narakasura and Bhagadatta. There are several evidences that proves the existence of this developing city even during the ancient times. Besides the presence of the ancient temple of Kamakya, the astrological temple Navagraha and archaeological remains in Basista, the excavations in Ambari provides evidence of its existence during the ancient times as the finds dates back to 4th century A.D. It was known by the names of Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya in different periods and was the capital under the Varman Dynasty and the Pala dynasties of the Kamarupa kingdom. The city was the seat of the Borphukan, the civil military power of the Lower Assam region, which was appointed by the Ahom kings. From the year 1817 to 1826, the city was under the Burmese rule, until the First Anglo-Burmese War and the city came under the rule of British Government and after India attained Independence, the city became the capital of Assam.
 

A major city of North-East India, Guwahati offers several tourist attractions and owing to the presence of the most revered Kamakhya Temple, the city is visited by a huge horde of pilgrims from various part of the globe. Besides the Kamakyha temple, there are several other tourist attractions like Umananda (Peacock Island), Assam State Museum, Nabagraha Temple, Ugra Tara Temple, Basistha Ashram, Sate Zoo, etc., which are worth a visit. The city is well-conceted via road, railway and air, thus making it convenient for people traveling to and from the city.