The bustling city of Guwahati is the gateway to the beautiful states of North East and overall, of Assam. Located in the East, Guwahati is a continuously growing state being the largest in the region. It has a vast history with many ancient temples called "The City of Temples". The Kamakhya Temple is majestic and people from different parts of the world come here for praying to its divinity. Guwahati is situated in the backdrop of Brahmaputra River serving exquisite landscapes and scenery. The region has some exotic species of animals like Asian Elephants, pythons, tiger, One-horned Rhinoceros, and many more.
Guwahati is a culturally diverse city with people accommodating their lives with the growth in business and trade. Urbanization and Modernization have taken over Guwahati making it one of the cosmopolitan cities in India.
No one knows the origin of the name of Guwahati. Gunabhiram Barooh who was a 19th-century Assamese intellectual came with the opinion that it should be called "Guwahati" because of the abundant presence of "Guwa” trees found in the city. The pre-Ahom rulers ruled the Northern Side of Guwahati. The Brahmaputra River is referred to as “Luit” in Assam.
One of the achievements of the Kampura Era is the Silsako Bridge that was damaged in the 1987 Assam Earthquake. The River also saw the heinous war between Ahoms and Mughals that led away to the victory of Lachit Borphukan. When the British took over Assam in the 18th century, it was in a state of despair because of the wars. The Burmese raids and Moamoria Rebellion made the Ahoms weak and they could not stand up for themselves anymore.
Guwahati dates back to 1500 years before starting of western civilization. Guwahati was the center of Pragjyotishpura, a semi-magical town formed by Naraka who was the son of one of the Avatars of Vishnu. He transformed into a demon that was killed by Krishna for magical earrings. The city has references in many Hindu texts like the Puranas. The first name of Guwahati was Pragjyotishpura serving as the capital of Assam under the Varman Dynasty. Then under the Pala dynasty, it again became the capital up to the era of the 10th to 11th centuries. Then came the rule of the Ahom Kings who named the city as Borphukan. The Mughals tried defeating Assam around 17 times but they were beaten by Ahoms each time. It was also under the Kachari Rulers and Koch dynasty for quite some time. The King of Kamata Kingdom constructed the Kamakhya Temple which was preserved in the later form by the Ahom Kings.
The British constructed their first Sadar station in Nilachal Hills in Kamakhya. All of the houses were made of mud and straw with floods creating bigger problems for the people of Guwahati. The burnt brick factory for the first time was made in the Durga Sarovar Area. The first cinema was brought by Bijulee Cinemaghar to the city. Tarun As he peddled across the city, everyone applauded in appreciation. Tarun Ram Phukan owned the first car in Guwahati itself.
By the year 1899, Ulubari, Rehabari, Santipur, Bhutnath, Kharghuli, and Bhangagarh made up for Guwahati with a population of 14,244 people. After around 120 years, the population is now 1 crore spread over 216 sq. km. Modern developments and facilities have changed the shape and presence of Guwahati in recent times.
Guwahati has its charms in different seasons. One can say that October to March is the best time to visit Guwahati. The temperature is pleasant than with low temperatures and a cool breeze blowing during evenings. Guwahati also sees a moderate climate during summers but it gets hot sometimes making it hard to travel around.
Guwahati is quite cheap for the backpackers with backpackers’ hostels seeming to surge in the markets at the present times. The ranges start from around Rs. 200 per night to Rs. 1200 per night for private rooms. For the mid-range travelers, the cost per night would be Rs. 2500 onwards and go up to Rs. 4,000 per night. For the people choosing 5 stars for their stay, per night stay would be Rs 7,000 per night and goes up to Rs. 12,000 per night.
It normally takes around 2 -3 days to explore all the shopping places and temples of Guwahati. If you prefer extending your holiday, you can plan for a week's trip to Guwahati as well.