Guwahati

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Inner sanctum at Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati

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Overview

The gateway to the Northeast, and the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the region, Guwahati serves as the starting point for many itineraries. Extending along the south bank of the mighty Brahmaputra, in the older areas near the river you'll start to feel the character and local flavour that lingers amid the ponds, palm trees, temples, single-storey traditional houses and colonial-era mansions. Only a few stretches of the riverbank are accessible in the central areas – but when you reach them, those Brahmaputra views never disappoint!

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Kamakhya Mandir

Guwahati

According to Hindu legend, when a distraught Shiva scattered the 108 (or 51) pieces of his deceased wife Sati's body across the land, her yoni (vagina)…

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

Guwahati

This small wildlife sanctuary has a thriving population of some 130 one-horned rhinoceroses, plus around 2000 wild water buffalo and almost 2000 resident…

Assam State Museum

Guwahati

Housed in an imposing colonial-era building, the state museum has a large medieval sculpture collection and upper floors devoted to informative tribal…

Dighalipukhuri Park

Guwahati

The mildly attractive Dighalipukhuri Park has boating facilities. The lake was once connected by a channel to the Brahmaputra and was used as a naval…

Ugratara Mandir

Guwahati

The red-coloured Ugratara Mandir was built in 1725 to enshrine the spot where the goddess Sati's navel is believed to have fallen when her distraught…

Umananda Mandir

Guwahati

The temple complex sits on a small forested island, accessed by a 15-minute ferry ride from Umananda Ghat. Many visitors feel that the Shiva temple, which…

Christ Church

Guwahati

The pretty, half-timbered Christ Church, with pointed, wood-framed windows, is one of Northeast India's oldest churches, founded in 1844. Rebuilt twice…

Sati Radhika Prasanti Udyan

Guwahati

Between the riverbank and Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Rd in Uzanbazar, this sliver of peaceful, tree-shaded park is police patrolled and particularly popular with…

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