Home > State Information >Assam Tourism

Assam Tourism

History of Assam
In the Epics, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of the kingdom known as Kamrup. The inhabitants of Assam comprises of the migrants from Burma and China who came from Punjab through Bihar and North Bengal. Assam presents a fusion of Mongol-Aryan culture. The renowned king Narakaxura ruled Kamrupa from his capital at Pragjyotishpura. The early history of Assam is believed to be of the Varman dynasty. Among the early sources there are references of the visit of Hiuen-tsang, who had visited the court of King Bhaskar Varman.

Geography of Assam
Assam comprises an area of 78,523 square kilometers (30,318 square miles). Assam is composed of plains and river valleys. It can be divided into three principal geographical regions: the Brahmaputra Valley in the north, the Barak Plain in the south, and the Mikir and Cachar Hills that divide the two regions. The Brahmaputra Valley is the dominant feature of Assam. It enters Assam at the extreme northeast corner and runs westward (nearly 450 miles) before turning
south to enter the plains of Bangladesh. The river valley is studded with hills and ridges. The valley is surrounded on all sides except the West by mountains.

Districts of Assam
A district is an administrative geographical unit headed by the Deputy Commissioner, which consists of the offices of the District Magistrate and the District Collector. Usually an officer belonging to the IAS cadre becomes the Deputy Commissioner but occasionally officers belonging to the Assam Civil Service are also appointed. The Superintendent of Police is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. There are twenty-four districts in Assam. They are: Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Dhemaji, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Marigaon, Darrang, Kamrup Rural, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, North Cachar Hills, Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj and Kamrup Metropolitan.

Transport in Assam
The Assam state transportation corporation provides facility of transport to different cities of Assam and also to the neighboring states as well. There are different types of busses ranging from the regular ones to the luxury coaches. The newest brand known as the Rihno buses are also available. The major airports of Assam are Balipara Assam Airport, Guwahati Assam Airport and the Tezpur Assam Airports.

Culture of Assam
The men folk living in the plains wear dhotis and shirt and vest. Some men wear khaddar. In villages rich men use head-gear. Men wear hats while working in the fields. The young boys prefer wearing western dresses. The boys on occasions wear headgears with their gomacha (they tie to their hip when they are dancing). The Assamese go bare foot. The women wear long skirts, which lie up to their ankles, which are known by the name riha-mekhela-Sadar. The long skirt is the mekhela and the upper garment is the riha. Some women wear long black sari. The brides of the lower class wear sari for marriage. Married women cover their head with the one end of their riha-sador. The Hindu women put vermilion on the parting of hair on their forehead and wear bangles made of shell. Muslims also wear the same dress except that they do not put vermilion.

Flora and Fauna
The important national parks of Assam are; Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nameri National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and the Rajiv Gandhi National Park.

Education in Assam
The schools in Assam are striving to impart education that remains for life. The entry of private schools in Assam has resulted in healthy competition among schools. As a result there are improvement in the infrastructure, quality of teachers and so on. All schools do not follow a uniform pattern. Some schools concentrate not only in developing the cognitive skills of students but also in the emotional needs of students, which help students to face the world with confidence as education is the all round development of an individual.

Parents prefer to send their children to residential schools because of the quality of education and discipline imparted there. Two of the important residential schools are the Sainik School and the Assam Valley School. Across the country people come to attend the colleges in Assam. There are different colleges as: Engineering Colleges, Medical Colleges, Ayurveda colleges, Arts colleges,
Science Colleges Commerce Colleges and business schools. The Universities in Assam provides a peaceful academic environment to the students. Students from different parts of the country and also from abroad come here for study. There are qualified professors and good infrastructure facilities in the universities.

Request for Customise Tour Packages