Finally, we reached Guwahati city to continue exploring few more unseen places during the course of our Assam Tour. Now it is the time to explore the top tourist attractions in Guwahati and start our Guwahati sightseeing tour. The ancient temples of Guwahati and magnificent Brahmaputra river flows through the city, enhance the beauty of the city and draw thousands of tourist from all corners of the earth. Today I decided to explore all the modern and ancient temples and other places of interest in the Guwahati city.
Catch my previous posts on Assam Tour here.
Exploring bird watchers paradise Dibru Saikhowa National Park and around
Historical city Sibsagar and Rongali Bihu celebration
Majuli Island-The cradle of Assamese culture
Tea tour in the oldest tea garden of Assam
How to spend a day in Kaziranga National Park
Kamakhya temple – The Ancient Temple of Goddess Sati
Perched at the top of the Nilachal Hill, the temple is located in the western region of Guwahati. The moment we reached the temple, we understand that we have to wait for long for a glimpse of the principal deity. There was an unending queue, and the temple was crowded but clean. Therefore, we manage to reach the temple premises at 6 am sharp. Unfortunately, many people were in the queue since morning. There were three separate queues – one general i.e. without any charge for darshan, a 100 INR and a 500 INR per person queue. We preferred the 100 INR per person queue. After waiting for an hour, we finally entered into the Garbha Griha, the inside chamber of the temple.
It is a legend that the Yoni of Mata Sati has fallen at this place. The chamber was dark and was below the ground level. There was a hollow that remains filled up with water from some perennial spring. This hollow is worshipped as Goddess Kamakhya in Assam. We offered red clothes and sindoor or vermilion that we purchased from outside and then, gave way to other devotees. There were some other temples on the complex too. We decided to offer our prayers to all one by one. What we liked most about the temple is the aura that calms the souls of the devotees. The 6th-century temple, however, shot into prominence only in the 10th century.
How to reach Kamakhya temple:
You can also reach the temple straight from Guwahati railway station or the Guwahati Airport, as there are plenty of cab/taxi facilities from both the places. The distance of Kamakhya temple from Guwahati railway station is 8 km.
You can hire a taxi, auto-rickshaw or Uber/Ola cab from your hotel at Guwahati to reach Kamkhya temple. Alternatively, you can also walk up stairs or take the windy road to reach Kamakhya temple.
Peacock Island and Umananda temple
After our Kamakhya temple darshan, we headed towards Fancy Bazar ghat and reached beautiful river bank of the mighty Brahmaputra river. We sat in a boat from Fancy bazar ghat to reach the smallest inhabited riverine island i.e. the Umananda Island. It is known as the Peacock Island. The island is on the river Brahmaputra. It has a small ancient temple established by Ahom king on the 16th century of Lord Bhairav perched on a hilltop. There were stairs to reach the temple premises. One can have a lovely view from the temple. The surrounding forest and mighty river makes it quite fetching for all. We also witness few Golden Langurs, an endangered species of Langurs here. After offering our prayers, we descend the stairs and fetch a boat to return to the mainland.
We also spotted a few small islands and a stone structure named Urvashi on another island. My friend told me about the story of Urvashi Island. I was amazed and shocked to hear this. I will write later about the legend associated with the temple and Urvashi Island in another post. After returning from Peacock Island we went to visit Sankardeva Kalashetra located in the Panjabari area of Guwahati.
How to reach Umananda Island
Ferry or local long boat is the only option to reach Umanada. Ferry service is available from Kachari Ghat, Uzanbazar and Fancy Bazar Ghat. Boat riding in Brahmaputra River is also serene and beautiful.
Sankardeva Kalashetra
For those who love to catch a glimpse of the traditional culture of the Assamese people, none can beat a visit to the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. It is a cultural institution, which has been named after neo Vaishnavite guru – prolific poet and plays righter Srimanta Sankardeva. He was born in the 15th century and has a profound impact on the Assamese culture. The Kalakshetra complex houses a doll museum of different dance form or Northeast India, Srimanta Sankaradeva Study Centre, a vast library and an open-air theatre that can accommodate more than 2000 spectators and a small children park. It also has Dr Bhupen Hazarika Museum which is another genius of Assam i.e. noted singer, composer, poet, and filmmaker Bhupen Hazarika.
We also visited some beautiful stone sculpture depicting Assamese village life and culture. It houses a small artificial lake and a beautiful gate designed as same as Rang Ghar( Another prominent landmark of Assam located in the Sibsagar district).
We also visited Shilpagram located adjacent to the cultural institution. A crafts village displaying the traditional lifestyle of the people of villages in Assam, Shilpagram is a good place to visit.
Sankaradeva Kalakshetra Timing:
Entry time of Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra is 10:00 AM – 7:30 PM
Entry Fee: Rs 20 for adults
Children: Rs.10 (5-14yrs)
Foreign Tourists: Rs 100
Basistha Temple
Our next stop was 400 years old Basistha temple an age-old Shiva temple constructed by Ahom king. It is a prominent tourist place worshipped by locals. We feel immediately at peace, as the temple surroundings were just fantastic. There were lush greeneries and a floating waterfall too. The temple is located at the base of a hill and small steam also flows by which make the place more beautiful. The temple deity is Guru Vashistha i.e. teacher of Lord Rama and Lakshmana. In Assam, Vashistha is pronounced Basistha and hence, the name.
Balaji Temple
If you love peaceful atmosphere and serene ambience, it is time to visit the Balaji Temple! Yes, we visited and were delighted to have the traditional Naivedhyam.
The temple made up of pure white stone has shrines of Balaji, Laxmi and Durga. We offer our prayers, and simply marvel at the sprawling campus with trees and flowering plants all around. Lighting around the campus and the stone scripture made in the template in awe-inspiring.
Charming Dipor Bil
Our last stop for the day was birders paradise, a pristine lake called Dipor bil. We rush towards Dipor bil (Deepor beel(DPBS)) which is around 10km away from Balaji temple. It is actually a perfect retreat for bird watchers. One must say that the scenic beauty of this lake was breathtakingly beautiful. The lake attracts a large number of migratory birds from far away places. The notable bird species found in this location are Kingfishers, Whistling Teal, Open Billed Stork, Shoveler Ducks, Fishing eagles, Greater Adjutant Stork etc.
It was really a good relaxing place for those who love nature. We are extremely happy to visit this wetland and also enjoyed a lot in spotting the known birds.
Best time to visit Dipor Bil:
It is open throughout the year. But the best time to visit this lake is during winter the period of October to March.
As the dawn approaches, we bid goodbye to this wonderful lake and we start experiencing hunger pangs. So, we headed back towards our home stay. There a hot piping dinner was waiting for us. We ate local Assamese food with local chicken, small fishes and pork. Then, we retreat to our respective rooms to enjoy a good sleep. Stay with us as tomorrow, we will explore new places around Guwahati!
If you are looking for more information on Guwahati tour please check out the page dedicated to Guwahati on our website, or email us on support@nexplore.org to start planning your trip! We also offer one-day city tour in Guwahati.
You can also check our pre-designed Assam tour packages here.
