All about Assam

By GRAHAM SIMMONS

Temples, river cruises, tea plantations and copious amounts of alcohol — Assam in India offers plenty to do and imbibe.
Arriving in Assam’s capital Guwahati from any other part of India is like flying into a totally new country. Between Guwahati Airport and the city centre is Deeporbeel Bird Sanctuary, a haven for Siberian cranes and other waterbirds, and the lush greenery here invites the visitor to linger longer.
Guwahati city itself could not be better situated, with extensive views over the wide Brahmaputra River.

A hat vendor models the latest fashion.

The ancient Mongol invaders of Assam, the Kiratas, founded the spectacular city of Guwahati (formerly Gauhati) around 1000 BC, right on the banks of the Brahmaputra.
Guwahati used to be known as Pragjyotishpur, the City of Astrological Light, and the Hindu epics describe the empire of the Kiratas as stretching from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to as far south as the Bay of Bengal.
Later, what is today Assam, became known as Kamarupa or Kamrupa, a frontier state to the Gupta Empire.
Around 640 AD, the Chinese monk-traveller Xuanzang ventured east from the renowned Nalanda University of what is today India’s Bihar state to Pragjyotishpur (modern Guwahati) at the invitation of King Kumar Bhaskara Varman, a patron of Buddhism. Even at that time, Kamarupa was an ethnic melting pot, with Tibetans, Bhutanese and others making up a substantial portion of the population.
Then came the Burmese Ahoms. They invaded Kamrupa in the early 13th century, renamed the territory Asama (Assam) and ruled for nearly 600 years until the imposition of British rule in 1824. Dr Mukul Hazarika of Assam Watch asserts that “the Assamese are not Indian, and Assam has never been a part of India until it was annexed to the British Empire in India”.
The Brahmaputra is said to be the only male river in India (downstream, it meets with the female Ganges, and their offspring is truly awesome). Early morning over the Brahmaputra is a visual and aural feast, as thousands of birds — hawks, plovers and eagles — swoop and soar over the river. The evening brings more birds, and the best place to take in the view is from a lookout adjoining Kamakhya Temple.

Priests and fast motorbikes at Maa Kamakhya Temple.

Maa Kamakhya Temple, a big complex on a hilltop, is the main site in India for Hindu tantricism.
Kamakhya Devi Temple, once a sacrificial site for the Khasi people of neighbouring Meghalaya state, still practices rites that leave many visitors (including myself) more than just a little bewildered. Every day, at least eight lambs or goats are sacrificed in the main temple, one of 10 in the whole complex.
The slaughter block takes a lyre-shaped form, with a cross-bar below where the animal’s head is secured. Blood-stains run down the side of the block. At times, the visitor wonders whether this is a temple or an abattoir. But the temple priests, far from being forbidding in their demeanour, are welcoming and full of light and laughter.
One priest invites me to stay and explore the temple compound more extensively. Two other crimson-clad priests exchange friendly banter as they speed off on their high-powered motorbikes.
Sightseeing
India is the world’s largest tea producer, accounting for over half of the 840 million kg of the beverage produced globally in an average year. The world’s biggest tea auction house, just out of town at Dispur on the Shillong Road, stages lively tea auctions. (tel: (+91 361) 256 1832 to check on auction times).
Nearby is the head office in India of the venerable Twining’s tea company, whose London office has been in continuous business at the same premises for over 250 years. Also worth a visit, the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra (about 5km from Dispur) is a cultural centre named in honour of the 15th century saint Srimanta Sankardeva, a renowned author, dramatist and devotee of Vishnu.
Cruising the Brahmaputra River out of Guwahati is another “must-do”. On Peacock Island, in the middle of the Brahmaputra, Umanand Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, still stands after more than a thousand years. Shangri-la Cruises offers everything from 45-minute cruises to extended five-day cruises along the Brahmaputra (e-mail: bonee2@sancharnet.in).
Other boats include the Al Fresco, River Queen and Jolporee, each offering evening and/or dinner cruises. The boarding place is at Sukleshwar Ghat.
The Assam Bengal Navigation company offers Luxury cruises of the Brahmaputra, with an option of lodge stays at Kaziranga National Park (http://www.assambengalnavigation.com).
On Chitrasal or Chitacala Hill just out of Guwahati, the Navagraha Temple complex is a must-visit. You don’t often find a planetarium attached to a religious structure, but in this case the synergy is most apt.
The reason for this is soon uncovered — the word navagraha means “nine planets”, with a temple devoted to each of the planets (which include the Indian “planets” of Rahu and Ketu — the moon’s North Node and South Node respectively).

Fishermen trawl the rice paddies for the succulent Chital and Margur fish. — GRAHAM SIMMONS

A couple of hours north of Guwahati is Assam’s second city, Tezpur, a gracious metropolis studded with parks and gardens. The “City of Blood” derives its name from the mammoth battle of Hari-Hara Yuddha between Shiva and Krishna, which is said to have taken place on its outskirts.
It is said that the whole world would have been destroyed, had not the three-faced Lord Brahma stepped in to adjudicate. The battle is commemorated by a diorama atop the city’s Agnigaur Hill, which today is a finely-restored public park. Chitralekha Park, with its boating lake and fine sculpture garden, is great to visit in the cool of the evening.
Food & drink
Assamese food can be spicy in the extreme, with the hasi and naga jolokia chillis being amongst the hottest in the world. Favourite dishes include aloo pitaka (balls of mashed potato with mustard, onion, ginger and green chillies), rou maas tenga (a sour-fish curry), khar (banana peel in baking soda — an acquired taste, which I didn’t get around to), and paka kharisa (subtly curried bamboo shoots).
Accompanying most meals is pudina chutney, a concoction of fiery small red chillies mixed with crushed mint, garlic and ginger.
The Paradise Restaurant (Silpukuri precinct, tel (+91 361) 266 6904) serves an excellent and inexpensive Assamese thali, a meal of several dishes served in a compartmentalised stainless-steel tray). For Indian vegetarian food, you might want to visit Aapni Nao, a riverfront floating restaurant that serves authentic Marwari cuisine.
Near the city of Nagaon, about 45 minutes drive from Guwahati, the rice paddies are hugely fertile. The paddies serve a dual purpose, being used also to raise the rare and succulent Chital fish, which tastes a little like a super-flavoursome Nile perch.
The Chital is sold by the roadside, and even at its source is not cheap.
The city of Guwahati has over 350 liquor shops, compared with just 275 in the national capital Delhi. They offer traditional brews such as xaaz, laupaani and apong (you get a free seeing-eye dog with every bottle) as well as Indian national brands like Royal Stag “whisky”, said to be a blend of Scottish malts and “carefully selected grain spirit”.
Shopping
The Ambari area has a number of government-run shops selling textiles and other crafts from all over northeastern India. Pan Bazar is great for traditional paat and golden muga silks, as well as handloom (xaal) products.
The silks from the village of Sualkuchi, an hour’s drive from Guwahati, are world-renowned. Mahatma Gandhi once said that Assamese xeepinis (weavers) are able to “weave dreams” in cloth. The hand-loomed textiles, many elaborately embroidered, include mekhla and patani (women’s dresses), chaddar (blouses), towels and bed-sheets.
Purbashree emporium, run by the North-Eastern Handicraft and Handloom Development Corporation, sells silks, Meghalaya honey, woollen carpets from Arunachal Pradesh, and a wide variety of other crafts.
Street vendors all over Guwahati do a good trade in the colourful, wagon wheel-sized hats that are a hallmark of Assam. Bamboo and cane-goods can also be found at stalls all over town.
Modern Book Depot (HB Road) and Western Book Depot (Josavanta Road, off HB Road), both have an excellent range of books about northeastern India.
Nightlife
Forget any ideas of partying, disco-style. The best nightlife that the city has to offer is cruising on the river (see under “sightseeing”), or a quiet drink in the bar of one of the bigger hotels.
The residents of Guwahati are BIG drinkers —the local newspaper North East Tribune estimated that some 400,000 bottles of spirits are sold on a typical New Year’s Eve, and this is in a city of under a million people.
“Make your own party” could be the best advice. One option is to head out of town on the road dividing Assam from the state of Meghalaya. State liquor taxes are lower in Meghalaya, so all the grog shops are on the right-hand side of the road. Some of these shops have tables and chairs outside.
But remember — there is a LOT more of Assam still to be explored!

Getting there

The highly-recommended Kingfisher Airlines flies from Kuala Lumpur to Guwahati via Kolkata (Calcutta).
WHERE TO STAY
In Kolkata: With its avant garde design, elegant restaurants and excellent facilities, the boutique-style The Park (17, Park Street, Kolkata 700016, tel +91 33 249 3121/7336) would not be out of place on the top boulevards of Paris or New York.
In Guwahati: Hotel Bellevue, M.G. Road, near Raj Bhavan, tel +91 361 254 0847, is a good mid-range option.
FESTIVALS
The annual Beach Festival, combined with the traditional Magh Bihu Festival (held in late January), offers everything from boat racing to hot air ballooning, kite festivals, cultural events, and, of course, plenty of drinking.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Guwahati is also the gateway to the wildlife of Kaziranga National Park, including the world’s biggest concentration of single-horned rhinos. The best time to visit Kaziranga is between November and March. Further afield, the quiet hill stations of the State of Meghalaya are easily accessible from Guwahati.