Jorhat City – The Tea Capital of Assam
Welcome, friends! This is my next blog describing my trip to the oldest tea garden and heritage tea bungalows of Assam. I hope the earlier one about my journey to Kaziranga National Park must have enthralled you. Today I reached Jorhat city to explore British-era bungalows and the best tea gardens in Assam. Known as the Tea Capital of the World Jorhat is a beautiful city. What I could say about Jorhat City is that it is a stunning place with glimpses of a glorious past and a promising future. It is one of the oldest cities in Assam and the last capital of the Ahom Dynasty. The city is enriched with ancient tea bungalows, a polo club and golf courses. There is no lack of tourist attractions in Jorhat, and when we first stepped out of the cab after covering a delightful journey of 113 km, we went straight to Kaziranga Golf Resort.
Check our best Assam tour packages
Kaziranga Golf Resort
This is a luxury heritage resort with an 18-hole golf course, in between Mohbondha tea estate. The resort has spacious rooms and modern amenities. Here I got a chance to spend a few days in the colonial tea environment learn the game of golf and enjoy a grandeur holiday. We enjoyed staying a lavish weekend in between the tea garden in the Kaziranga golf course. We quickly realized that Jorhat City is quite welcoming!
Tea garden visit and ancient tea bungalows of Assam
Sprawling Tea Gardens and an Informative Research Center
The next day we headed towards Cinnamara tea estate, one of the ancient tea gardens in Assam. I heard that it will complete 175 years in 2018. I am shocked to know that it was established by one of the first Assamese freedom fighters Maniram Dewan. The sight was simply amazing! The vastness of tea gardens seems captivating and watching the workers plucking tea leaves compelled us to go for some nice clicks. There were also some imperial bungalows near these gardens to compliment the beauty of the same. I got to know that the city also hosts a tea festival every year.
The world’s oldest and largest Tea Experimental Station Tocklai Tea Research Centre is located here. When I first heard that we were heading towards a major research centre in Jorhat, I was least excited. However, soon it became clear that the visit to the Tocklai Tea Research Centre was the best thing in my entire Jorhat tour. We were amazed that the tea we consume almost daily goes through so many steps before packaging. The research centre was more than a century old. One can also witness the entire tea manufacturing process at the centre.
Tea Tasting
I also got a chance to do tea testing on request here. I was excited to see so many varieties of tea and tea testing is simply amazing.
Tourist places in and around Jorhat
Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar
At my guide’s request, we also visited a Neo vaishnavite temple named “Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar“. It is an ancient temple established by saint Madhavdeva in 1461. The candle(earthen lamp) in this temple has been burning since its inception for more than 500 years. I felt speechless to see this beautiful temple and the people praying here.
Soon, we got back into our cab and visited the Garakhiadol Temple, which is at a distance of only 7 km from the city. The Shiva temple built in the 18th century attracts a large number of devotees every year during the day of Mahashivratri. We also took blessings from the deity and returned to our taxi.
Our next stop was Sukapha Samannay Khetra, laid in memory first Ahom king of Assam, Sukapha. It looks stunning with a very large compound and ‘Thai’ styled building which depict the rich cultural heritage of the Ahom Era. It has a big statue of King Sukapha and a museum which showcases the history of Assam.
If you want to know deep about the life of tea tribes and explore more tea gardens you should consider visiting the Dibrugarh district of Assam. If you are on a tight schedule and want to experience life in tea bungalows and see a beautiful sprawling tea garden then you can visit Hatikhulli Tea Estate located near Kaziranga National Park.
Check our next blog a guide to India’s only island district Majuli and why you should visit it.
Consider reading my last travelogue during the Assam tour, “How to spend a day in Kaziranga National Park“.
If you want to spend a few days in lavish colonial tea bungalows go for a tea garden visit and tea tasting tour in Assam please check our Assam Tour packages or drop us a mail at support@nexplore.org.
