 Guwahati Travel Guide, India
Guwahati, India
Author: Dkonwar (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)
Guwahati is the largest city in northeastern India. Although not regarded as a state capital of Assam, it is just adjacent to Dispur, which is. Guwahati has a population of around 820,000 people, and is among the fastest growing cities in India.
Guwahati is located on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra river, at the foothills of the Shillong plateau. With rapid development, Guwahati has expanded to include the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, a new neighbourhood known as North Guwahati.
Guide to Guwahati Hotels
It's never easy finding the hotel that's just right for your stay. Still, by taking a little time to do your research, you increase your chance of getting a good hotel at the best price. Go through the list of hotels in Guwahati which we've put together, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Pick the hotel of your choice and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Yes, we show you prices from different websites, so you don't have to visit them one by one.
More on Guwahati
The history of the city is intertwined with myths. It was an ancient seat of tantric Hinduism, which results in quite a number of Hindu temples that you can see in Guwahati today. Excavations reveal that a city has been around on this site since the 6th century AD. It was formerly known as Pragjyotishpura, meaning "light of the east", and as Durjoya, during different periods of its history. The city was the capital of Assam until the 11th century. The city lost its glory with the fall of the Kamata kingdom between the 12th and the 15th centuries.
Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati
Author: daimalu (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
During the Mughal rule of India, Assam was invaded by the Mughals as many as seventeen times, but the Mughals were repelled each time.
Due to its located on the banks of the Brahmaputra, Guwahati has served as a trading center and river port for centuries. It is also a wholesale distribution center and marketing hub for the region, with the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre being the largest such center in the world.
Budget Travel to Guwahati
You can fly to Guwahati from most major cities in India, as well as from Bangkok. The Guwahati International Airport (GAU), formerly known as Borjhar Airport, underwent an upgrade and is now A380 ready. Among the airlines flying to Guwahati inlcudes Air India Regional, GoAir, Indian Airlines, IndiGo, Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher Airlines, Pawan Hans and SpiceJet.
There are train services to Guwahati from Kolkata, New Delhi, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and Mumbai.
Budget Travel within Guwahati
The cheapest form of travel in Guwahati is by local bus. Alternatively you can take the auto rickshaws, but be sure to negotiate in advance as they do not use a meter here.
|
Tools
Places of Interest in Guwahati
- Guwahati State Museum
A fascinating museum with a comprehensive collection of local handicrafts.
- Hajo
Famous pilgrimage site for Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims.
- Kamakhya Temple
This is one of the most important pilgrimage temples is India.
- Madan Kamdev
Temple with erotic carvings.
- Navagraha Temple
Temple of "nine planets", believed to mark the site of the ancient city of Pragjyotishpura, a famous center for astronomy.
- Sualkuchi
Major weaving center for Assam's famous silk.
- Umananda Temple
16th century temple in the middle of the Brahmaputra River.
- Vashishtha Temple
Temple standing on the confluence of three streams.
- Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Well-maintained zoo on the eastern part of Guwahati.
|
|
