Assam, in North East India, is a treasure trove of natural beauty and diverse history, remaining as one of the most bountiful untouched regions in the country. Known as the land of ‘Blue Hills and Red River’, the state is home to wild forests, mighty rivers, and acres and acres of tea plantations. Popularly known as the home to the one-horned rhino, the state is one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the entire world. With the majestic Brahmaputra river, magnificent hills, rich flora and fauna, the state is every tourist’s paradise. One of the most beautiful states of India, Assam is the gateway to the enchanting and unexploited northeastern part of the country.
A veritable paradise, Assam shares international borders with both Bangladesh and Bhutan and boasts of its vibrant culture and scenic beauty, as well as its historical significance. The state enjoys a climate similar to tropical regions and has evergreen vegetation throughout the year.
Guwahati, the largest city, known as the city of temples, is home to Maa Kamakhya Devi Temple, one of the most sacred temples for Hindus. Another beautiful highlight of the state is Majuli, which is the largest river island in the world and is famous for its vibrant Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture. Further up north, located near the Dibru river, is Dibrugarh city, known as the Tea City of India.
Hajo, an extremely ancient pilgrimage centre for not one or two but three different religions, stands as a beautiful example of the secular diversity that exists in India. The area is dotted with numerous temples, mosques and churches, and other religious and sacred artefacts. Haflong, Assam’s only hill station, is a stunningly beautiful place, marked with rolling mountains and lush green valleys.
Assam Overview
Assam, which is shaped roughly like a Y laid on its side, is a land of plains and river valleys. The state has three principal physical regions: the Brahmaputra River valley in the north, the Barak River (upper Surma River) valley in the south, and the hilly region between Meghalaya (to the west) and Nagaland and Manipur (to the east) in the south-central part of the state. Of those regions, the Brahmaputra River valley is the largest. According to Hindu mythology, the Brahmaputra rises as the son of the god Brahma from a sacred pool known as the Brahmakund, in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. The river enters Assam near Sadiya in the extreme northeast and runs westward through the length of Assam for nearly 450 miles (725 km) before turning south to enter the plains of Bangladesh. Studded with low, isolated hills and ridges that rise abruptly from the plain, the valley is rarely more than 50 miles (80 km) wide and is surrounded on all sides, except on the west, by mountains. Numerous streams and rivulets that flow from the neighbouring hills empty into the Brahmaputra. Although only a small portion of the Barak River valley lies within Assam’s borders, it nevertheless forms an extensive lowland area that is important for agriculture in the state’s southern region. Geologically, the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys lie on ancient alluvial sediments, which themselves cover a variety of deposits from the Neogene and Paleogene periods (i.e., some 2.6 to 65 million years old). Among those deposits are hard sandstone, soft and loose sand, conglomerates, coal seams, shales, sandy clays, and limestone.
The south-central hills between Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Manipur include the North Cachar Hills and form part of the Meghalaya Plateau, which may have been an extension of Gondwana (an ancient landmass in the Southern Hemisphere that once grouped together South America, Africa, Australia, and part of the Indian subcontinent). Isolated from the main plateau by the embayments of the Kepili River, the upland there displays a rugged topography. It generally has a northerly slope, with average elevations ranging from about 1,500 feet (450 metres) to about 3,300 feet (1,000 metres).
Roughly between the Brahmaputra valley and the south-central hill region are the northern ranges, which extend northeastward from Dabaka (east of Dispur) to Bokakhat in east-central Assam. The Rengma Hills to the south of the ridge average about 3,000 feet (900 metres). Their most prominent peak is Chenghehishon (4,460 feet [1,360 metres]).
Trip Highlights
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