The Northeast of India is called ‘The land of seven sisters’ comprising of the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. It’s a region which has the prettiest hilly destinations to explore and a vast range of culture and traditions to experience as a tourist in India. And the capital of Assam, Guwahati – The Gateway to magical Northeast India.
The charming city
With River Brahmaputra it’s pride
My love affair with the city started exactly twenty four years back when I landed up here the first time. But the start wasn’t too good. The train had reached more than six hours late dashing all hopes of my quick tour of the neighborhood after checking in to the hotel. By the time I reached Hotel Raj Mahal, which was just a two minutes walk from Guwahati railway station, it was already getting dark.
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The city in those days was going through a turmoil, shops used to down their shutters by 6 PM and the roads were soon deserted. After freshening up and after a coffee later I decided to order my dinner. Kept turning the pages of the room menu, but there was no non-veg in sight. It was a strictly vegetarian hotel.
Having missed my lunch, I felt absolutely pissed as the thoughts of a good mutton dish for dinner vanished in thin air just like half a day had vanished earlier. Resigned to fate and ordered a Veg Navratan Korma & tandoori rotis. Wow the food was so delicious. Must confess that’s the best of that dish that I have ever had anywhere till now. Vegetarian food isn’t too bad for a change, I had told myself after finishing my dinner. How memories stick on, as life moves on.
This first trip of mine to Guwahati was to recruit a Branch Manager for our organization. The next day completely got devoted for that purpose and as I departed for Kolkata the day after that, all I had seen of this new city was my hotel and the railway station.
The innumerable journeys that followed thereafter..
Many more employee interviews
The team meetings
Distributor events and recognitions
And celebrating success with the most passionate team I have ever had in Northeast
Fun learning sessions with kids in recent years
And with the not so young, but who still love to say ‘Yes’ to learning
The opportunity to travel on work was a God gift for the traveler in me and I have relished every moment all through my professional days. And my hobby has been to try our different hotels almost every time. Having stayed in the best accommodations over a period of time, this was one that I love to go back to. Nothing fancy nor a great complimentary breakfast but it had something else that caught my imagination. A view from the hotel.
Hotel Landmark
A centrally located clean hotel with an efficient reception
Spacious rooms with a window to check out the outside world
And this view of Nehru Stadium as you open your door early morning with a cup of tea in hand
With a restaurant nearby serving this delicious Assamese cuisine, I was sold on Landmark
Guwahati has an interesting history. The ancient cities of Pragjyotishpura and Dutjaya (North Guwahati) were the capitals of the ancient state of Kamarupa. Many ancient Hindu temples like the Kamakhya temple, Navagraha temple, Ugratara temple, Basistha temple, Doul Govinda temple, Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji temple, Aswaklanta temple, Lankeshwar Temple and the Umananda Temple are situated in the city, giving it the title of “The City of Temples”.
Let’s visit two of these temples today which you must visit even if you are on a very short holiday. And if you have the time, you could spend a day or two visiting all the others.
Kamakhya Temple
Kamakhya Temple also known as Kamrup-Kamakhya temple, is a Sakta temple dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya. It is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas. Situated on the Nilachal Hill it is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas of Saktism: Kali, Tara, Sodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. It is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus. Let’s go around.
The Main Entrance
Bells inside the temple complex
The Saubhagya Kund
Sacrifice Altar
The Nilachal Hills Exit
The next destination you must head to is the spellbinding Umananda Temple which is in the middle of the Brahmaputra River on an island known as the Umananda Island or Peacock Island. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the presiding deity here is Lord Umananda who is another avatar of Lord Shiva. Ferries run every twenty minutes from Paltan Bazar and it takes just ten minutes to reach there.
Umananda Temple
An activity which you must not miss out on
Head back to the Brahmaputra Ferry Ghat for a Dinner Cruise
We were glad to avail the Two hour Dinner Cruise aboard the Alfresco Grand and what a wonderful experience it was. It certainly is the perfect way to take in Guwahati’s beautiful sunset over the majestic Brahmaputra River while enjoying a delicious meal, soaking up the city atmosphere, gliding past the city as it lights up, watching live folk dance and music and taking away a lasting memory of a romantic night at Brahmaputra. Till you are there yourself with your family and friends, just have a glimpse.
Assam & it’s Culture
Assamese are proud of their culture and Bihu is certainly the time to experience a bit of it. Bihu is a set of three important Assamese festivals —Rongali or Bohag Bihu observed in April celebrating spring, Bhogali or Magh Bihu observed in January is a harvest festival with community feasts and Kongali or Kati Bihu observed in October is the somber, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies and is an animistic festival. The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three. Come let’s enjoy the colors of happiness.
The children are already celebrating
While the elderly get into action
Bihu is about happiness and togetherness
The other day I was planning my next trip to Northeast and stumbled upon this Brahmaputra 10 day cruise preview from Assam Bengal Navigation. And I made up my mind to be there enjoying this journey soon, experiencing the best of Assamese culture and nature. You too could. Have a look.
The creations from Assam
Sarees and Mekhela Chadors
Gamosas
Handicrafts
Guwahati. Every time I visit the city, I miss my old passionate teammates. But discover something new. You too could a lot when here. Check out Assam Tourism to plan your visit.
Northeast. It’s about rich culture, great music, awesome food and the simplicity of wonderful people.
Mesmerising description of the travelled place by the friend traveller..I’ll like to be your follower in this field of tour & travel.
Thank you so much Bhabya. Honoured.
I remember the first time I met an Assamese. He was a client that I was supposed to pick up at the airport. At first, I thought I got the wrong guy, because he looked more Chinese/Nepalese than Indian. Then he told me all about his hometown in India, and since then, I can’t wait to see the place for myself. Your article has just confirmed my belief of how interesting the region is.
Yes Ummi. People in Assam do have Mongolian features.
wonderful capture of the beauty of our homeland – Assam. Thanks
My pleasure SP. Love Assam & everything Assamese. And high up there are all my friends from Assam.
You are so lucky to be able to mix travel with your work. It looks like you’ve figured out how to balance them perfectly and still have much time to explore the lands. That is my dream one day, and to be able to visit a place as culturally-rich as Guwahati!
Thanks Chloe. Yes I have been lucky and love that I have been blessed with opportunities.
I wish we had visited the land of the seven sisters when we were in India. It would be great to start with some time in Guwahati. Especially if it is known as the City of Temples. I do love the variety in the design of the temples. It would be great to finish the day with a sunset cruise and some local entertainment.
Yes Linda this part of India is very beautiful. Next time when you are here you must include it in your itinerary.
I so agree with you, Guwahati indeed is the gateway to the north east. I have been to Guwahati multiple times because my uncle used to live there, and I never got enough of the natural beauty of the area. Like you said, sunset over Brahmaputra, especially from Umananda Island should not be missed! I didn’t know about the Dinner cruise, looks like a recent addition totaly worth trying. Gonna keep it in mind for my next visit 🙂
Yes Vaisakhi both the dinner cruise & the week to ten days cruise are relatively new additions.
What a great trip to Guwahati. I hadn’t time to visit this part of India so far, but I hope to back to India soon. Kamakhaya Temple looks so stunning. The dinner cruise on Alfresco Grand seems perfect for me.
Welcome back to India Agnes. Next time you must plan for this part of the country, Northeast.
I’ve never been in India so I kind of envy you for being able to travel there for work. I had no idea the Northeastern part of the country is called The Land of the Seven Sisters. I wonder what prompted that nickname. Are these seven states somehow interconnected? It’s funny to read that you fell in love with Guwahati so long ago. I guess some places are quite magical. I’d love to experience the rich culture and great food of this part of India.
The Northeastern States are known as the Seven Sister states because they are interdependent on one another. All these states were connected to Indian mainland via Siliguri Corridor. Hence, that was the only way to reach the Seven Sister States.
Guwahati like other parts of the North-East is really magical. We just passed through Guwahati a couple of years ago when did a trip of Arunachal Pradesh. But there is so much to experience in Guwahati. Would love to visit the famous Kamakhya temple and sail on an evening cruise on the enchanting Brahmaputra.
Yes probably you could do that next time. Both are nice experiences.
Throughout our travels, I have found that some of the best hotels to stay at are often overlooked. They aren’t necessarily the highest ranked or the ones that are most talked about. They don’t grace magazine covers or the accounts of well-known influencers. However, once you’ve found one, you know it! It looks like you’ve found exactly that here…
Absolutely Britt. During my professional days I used to stay in the best of hotels, the so called 4 and 5 stars but the feeling of personal touch was mostly lacking.The stars don’t matter any more.
Sometimes the unexpected gems are the best. I found your comment about the vegetarian dish to be interesting. I have found many surprises in my travels as well. Another thing I noted was your recommendation on visiting temples. I know that some people feel very strongly about religious sites and do not let others in, is that to be expected at this location at all?
No not here in the temples of India. Everyone is welcome. Hindu Gods don’t differentiate and niether do we the followers of the religion. I for one love to visit Churches.
What a fantastic place to visit for a work trip. I’ve always wanted to travel to India and your post gives me the additional glimpse into what I could expect. Your post is full of beauty and culture.
Thanks Kay. Welcome to India.