In the lap of nature

Assam and Meghalaya of the North-East are truly scenic and mesmerising – ideal getaways from the rat race of urban life

Assam and Meghalaya make for tranquil tourist destinations. Our trip started from Guwahati, where we landed in the afternoon, after an hour’s flight from Kolkata. We made a beeline for Kamakhya temple.

It is one of the oldest Shaktipeeths of the country defining the North-East of our country. Temples geographically define India and the Kamakhya temple prominently sits on the Eastern point.

The “garba gruha” or the sanctum sanctorum of most temples in Assam are at lower level and are lighted with only oil lamps. The legend of Kamakhya is that Vishnu cut the body of Sati into many pieces, and the organ of procreation (Yoni) fell in this place. Consistent with the legend, there are no idols as such in the main area. The crowds can be huge, and it is best to take a special ticket for quick access.

We started for Cherrapunji in the morning. Guwahati borders with Meghalaya and one enters the Khasi hills of Meghalaya as soon as one crosses the city limits. In fact, Assam and Meghalaya were one state with Shillong as capital before they were separated in 1972. After the formation of the new State, Guwahati became the capital of Assam.

The amazing thing about North-East and especially Meghalaya is the high levels of cleanliness. Shillong has narrow roads, but they are extremely maintained. The drive from Shillong to Cherrapunji is perhaps one of the most brilliant rides, I had in my life. It is a high plateau ride with some breathtaking views of the hills.

We stayed overnight at a resort and it was a fantastic experience. Luckily, there were no rains in Cherrapunji.

Later we headed to Kaziranga. The beautiful road to Kaziranga gave us a glimpse of the beauty of Assam valley. The villages were quaint, the houses were nicely kept, and the general feeling of cleanliness was obvious. We reached Kaziranga in the evening and checked into a small but beautiful resort.

The next day, we proceeded to have a jeep safari into Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary. It was a two-hour safari and it was great fun. We were naturally excited to see the world famous Single-horned rhino, which is present only in the North-East of India.

The animal is impressive, huge, and very calm. Nature never ceases to surprise me. All the powerful animals are vegetarians and calm by nature! We saw a variety of beautiful birds, deer, wild boars, and the rhinos from close quarters. Of course, there were elephants too.

It is unfortunate that poaching of the rhinos is rampant here despite all the laws in place. Human greed is so unfortunate for the world.

In the afternoon, we visited a place called Deopahar, which was about a 45-minute ride from Kaziranga. We had to climb a mountain to find the ruins of an old temple built perhaps in the 15th century. The temple was huge and the view from the top of the mountain was stunning.

The temple itself is dedicated to Vishnu and there were carvings depicting the story of Ramayana. The Eastern boundary of the country is no doubt defined by Kamakhya and perhaps this temple. I can only imagine people of the olden times making a pilgrimage to these places from remote corners of the country.

Bharatavarsha is geographically defined by its temples; about this, there is no doubt. The unfortunate thing is; the ruins are in a state of neglect. It is a hot tourist spot. A similar place in a western country would be making millions. It is such an awe-inspiring place that I would like to see it as a necessary accompaniment to anyone visiting Kaziranga.

Trip to Assam is incomplete without visiting the tea gardens and we did just that. We managed to go inside a tea factory owned by the Tata Company. The manager took us around and showed us the intricacies of making tea.

Assam silk is very famous too and is made in a special way. The shine of the silk never goes away. In fact, according to locals here, the shine increases with time.

We visited the Umananda temple the next day which is built in the middle of the Brahmaputra River. We had to reach there by ferry. The temple itself is built in the 16th century and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

In the evening, we had the most fantastic river cruise on the Brahmaputra. The cruise costs Rs 1,000 per person, which includes an entertainment programme, and a lovely dinner towards the end. The money was well spent. There was this wonderful short film on the legendary Lachit Borphukan screened, which was interesting. This was followed by a Bihu dance and the artists were simply fantastic.

The Brahmaputra is a grand river; ships cruise on the river. It starts in China, very near to the origins of Ganga apparently, and then takes an eastward run. It curves peculiarly around the Himalayas to enter Assam near Dibrugarh, a place where the other end cannot be seen from town end.

The river cuts Assam exactly into two parts; upper Assam and lower Assam. It then enters Bangladesh and drains off into the Bay of Bengal. The river is a welcome sight for any tired eye. The Brahmaputra cruise was a fitting finale to our tour of Assam.

By: Dr Pingali Gopal