Visit to Assam – Gawahati – December 2017:

Guwahati is the capital city of Assam and situated besides the Brahmaputra River along the north-eastern Indian side. This city is known for its  holy sites such as, the hilltop Kamakhya Temple that features shrines to the Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu and the famous Tirupati Balaji temple. We visited Assam in the month of December and stayed at the IIT Guest house. IIT is a higher education institute and has a big campus beautifully spread across 500 acres of Land.

We began by visiting the Tirupati Balaji temple that is located  ten kilometres outside the main city centre. This newly built temple serves as an excellent example of modern architecture. The temple mimics the south Indian architectural style and is similar to the Tirupati Balaji temple that is located in the  south of India. The temple is dedicated to lord Balaji, but one can also see the idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Durga. The whole temple complex is made with pure white stones which adds a unique touch to its outer beauty.

Assam is also known for many folk dances. The Bihu dance  – a folk dance related to the festival of Bihu is performed by both men and women in groups. The ‘Bihu’ is also a type of music form here.

The best way to reach Gawahati is through Air, while the airport still needs some improvement, Assam has a beautiful country culture. Coincidentally, when we were in Assam, Badminton IPL league matches were going on and we had an opportunity to witness one such beautiful match.

The eating outlets here are limited and vegetarians do not have much choice in terms of food outlets.

Visit to Kaziranga National park

Kaziranga National Park is situated  in the state of Assam, India. The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceros, is a World Heritage Site. When we visited the site, the park was about to close down. With the help of a guide, we ventured into the part at the closing hours. It was getting dark and we were still inside the park. For 15-20 mins, we were scared as it was getting dark and we were deep inside the forest. But we continued and completed an elephant safari along with a deep safari.

We could site many Rhinos on the way and also saw some very closely. We stayed overnight at the  Kaziranga lodge. The hotel was alright, it operates during summer seasons and is closed for nearly 4-5 months during rainy seasons.  Overall, it was a nice trip. The people here are lovely and extremely helpful, upon almost losing my purse I was very kindly helped by the nearby shop-owners. Those who like the Assam silk sarees, I’d recommend to buy these in the village where  handloom sarees can be bought.