The Little Known Corner Of The World Called Assam.

Hey guys how you people doing. Well let me tell you that recently my friend went on a trip to none other than India. And I can’t tell you how completely spellbound, fascinated and gripped he was by the experience. He even went on to say that the trip to India was one of the best trips that he has ever made. The variety that the country offers is simply mind-blowing. He just couldn’t wait to share his experience with me. And believe me ever since he got back and showed me his shopping, the chronicles and the pictures I just can’t wait to make a trip to the place. After looking at the stuffs that he got from the place I realized that it is truly said about India that it is a place with unity in diversity. Well, you have to see it to believe it.

My travel crazy friend however, made a special mention of a place called Assam. Assam is a small state in the northeastern side of India. It is one of the most backward states of India, shrouded by militancy and ruthless physical elements. I know these things must have scared you people. In fact my dear friend also got apprehensive of the visiting the place. But he gave in to his temptation, and today he does not regret. The place is fairly safe. And if you are a true blue traveler and you miss out on visiting the place and whole of the northeast then your trip to India is definitely not completely. The treat of flora and fauna that this place offers has to be seen to be believed. The people, the climate, the natural beauty, the wildlife, the clothes, the food and the list can go on, everything about the place is simply enthralling.

The place is abundant in rivers and tributaries among which a river called the Brahmaputra tops the list. Its in Brahmaputra that the world’s largest river island is located named Majuli. But the place is financially is not that well placed, and it is also facing the problem of erosion. Floods are a nagging problem to the people of this place. The constant erosion is also eating up the size of the island. There are pictures for you on the left of the blog.

Apart from having the distinction of having the largest river island the place also has a number of national parks, the most famous among them being the Kaziranga National Park the park is the habitat of the world famous one horned rhino. However, the tragedy is that today, the population of this “extinction facing” species is decreasing at a rapid speed; mainly because of poaching.

Apart from the one horned rhino the wet savanna grasslands of Kaziranga is habitat to a massive 500 species of birds, 39 types of reptiles including the endangered Gharial and the Assam roofed turtle and 52 mammalian species. It is also known as the home of the “Big Five”- elephant, rhinoceros, swamp deer, tiger, and wild buffalo.

A lot many endangered species are found in this exquisitely exotic place. In another national park, The Nameri National Park there is a species of birds called the White Winged Wood Duck which is acutely facing extinction with a mere 400 left in the world. Among the other national parks come the Orang National Park, the Manas Tiger Reserve and the Nameri Tiger reserve mostly housing the world famous species and the most beautiful- The Royal Bengal Tiger.

Well you needn’t wonder where to put up and stuff there are a number of resorts in the vicinity of the national parks. My travel freak friend put up at a resort called the Wild Grass and as he has a lot to do with the article that I am penning… sorry, that I am typing he insisted that I paste a picture of the resort too. I had no choice but to give in to his whim and you have none than to have a peek.

The article would be incomplete if you’re not given a sneak peak at the clothes and the jewellery of Assam. My crazy friend actually had a trip to the silk cultivation areas. There are primarily three types of silk cultivation in Assam Pat, Muga, and Endi. These silks are the ethnic dresses of Assam and are made from worms.

Last but not the least mention has to be made about the Assamese jewellery. The jewellery is more often than not made in gold and silver with ornamentation from ethnic Assamese stuff.

This is the picture of an Assamese bride. The jewellery that she wearing covers almost all the ethnic jewelleries of Assam.

The people in Assam are basically non vegetarians and they are especially fond of fish. Going by the huge water lands it is only natural that fish is almost like a staple in this beautiful state. Otherwise the people primarily have rice for lunch and dinner.

How can an article about Assam be complete without making a mention of the world famous Assam tea and the oilfields? The Digboi refinery is the oldest functioning refinery in the world. It is the second place in the world where oil was discovered. And there is a very interesting legend attached to the name of the place. The Britishers first doubted the presence of oil in Digboi when they found oil bubbling in the footsteps of the elephants. So the government thought of making an attempt and they dug on for oil. So there was a constant chant of “dig boy dig boy” and this is how the place got its name, Digboi. Today there are three refineries in the state, the Noonmati Refinery, the Digboi Refinery, and the Numaligarh Refinery.

The tea gardens present one of the most exquisite sights in the state. The drive down the tea gardens is something that my friend swears by.

The state also has a number of historical places; the Kareng Ghar and the Talatal Ghar to name a few to visit also including the famous Hindu temple the Kamakhya. The temple is that of a Hindu deity. One of the most important features of this temple is that of sacrifice.

So are you all set to make your next visit to this land? Well, I for one would definitely try to make it to Assam in my next trip. There is no trouble as far as conveyance is concerned. There are direct flights from New Delhi, the capital of India, to Guwahati, the capital of Assam. Once you reach Guwahati, it’s your wish whether you want to take a bus, train or private cars in order to travel to the various parts of the state. And there is also the option of flights to certain places in Assam. So that day might not be that far off when I write this blog sitting in a hotel room in Assam! Well, till then, it’s sayonara….