Travel Bucket List: India – Telangana Part 1

Posted on December 17, 2021 by memoriesandsuch

The next state we will explore is India’s newest state. Situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau, Telangana is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India. On 2 June 2014, the area was separated from the northwestern part of Andhra Pradesh as the newly formed state with Hyderabad as its capital. Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north, Chhattisgarh to the northeast, Karnataka to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the east and south and the terrain consists mostly of hills, mountain ranges, and thick dense forests covering.

Known for its Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb culture, the cultural centres of Telangana, Hyderabad and Warangal are noted for their wealth and famous historical structures including the Ramappa Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Charminar, the Qutb Shahi Tombs, the Falaknuma Palace, the Chowmahalla Palace, the Warangal Fort, the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam, the Thousand Pillar Temple and the Bhongir Fort in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. The historic city of Golconda in Hyderabad established itself as a diamond trading centre and, until the end of the 19th century, the Golconda market was the primary source of the finest and largest diamonds in the world and so the legendary Golconda Diamonds became synonymous with Golconda itself.

A popular etymology derives the word Telangana from Trilinga Desa or the land of three lingas, a region so-called because three important Shaivite shrines were located here: Kaleshwaram, Srisailam and Draksharama. According to experts, Telangana is of Gondi origin with the name derived from Telangadh, which means south in Gondi and has been referred to in the Gond script dating back to about 2000 years. One of the earliest uses of a word similar to Telangana can also be seen in a name of Malik Maqbul, a commander of the Warangal Fort, who lived in the 14th century, who was called the Tilangani, which implies that he was from Telangana. The word Telinga changed over time to Telangana and the name Telangana was used to distinguish the predominantly Telugu-speaking region of the erstwhile Hyderabad State from its predominantly Marathi-speaking one, Marathwada. After Asaf Jahis ceded the Seemandhra region to the British, the rest of the Telugu region retained the name Telangana and the other parts were called Madras Presidency’s Circars and Ceded.

Throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages, the region was ruled by multiple major Hindustani powers such as the Mauryans, Satavahanas, Vishnukundinas, Chalukyas, Cholas, Rashtrakutas, Kakatiyas, Delhi Sultanate, Bahmani Sultanate and the Golconda Sultanate and by the Mughals during the 16th and the 17th centuries. During the 18th century and the British colonial rule, Telangana was ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad who lost control of the Northern Circars or Coastal Andhra and the Ceded Districts or Rayalseema to the East India Company in 1823. The Northern Circars were governed as part of Madras Presidency until India’s independence in 1947, after which the presidency became India’s Madras state. Hyderabad state joined the Indian Union in 1948 after an Indian military invasion and in 1956, was was dissolved as part of the linguistic reorganisation of states and Telangana was merged with the Telugu-speaking Andhra State which was part of the Madras Presidency during the British rule to form the state of Andhra Pradesh. A peasant-driven movement began to advocate for separation from Andhra Pradesh starting in the early 1950s, and continued until Telangana was granted statehood in 2014.

Situated on the Deccan Plateau, in the central stretch of the eastern seaboard of the Indian Peninsula, Telangana is drained by two major rivers, with about 79% of the Godavari River catchment area and about 69% of the Krishna River catchment area, but most of the land is arid with a predominantly hot and dry climate. One of India’s classical languages, Telugu is the official state language and Urdu is the second official language with about 77% of the population speaking Telugu and 12% speaking Urdu.

Telangana has an agriculture driven economy though the state has also started to focus on information technology and biotechnology and is one of top IT-exporting states of India. The state is also mineral rich and the Golconda region has produced some of the world’s most famous diamonds, including the colourless Koh-i-Noor, the blue Hope, the pink Daria-i-Noor, the white Regent, the Dresden Green and the colourless Orlov, Nizam and Jacob, as well as the now-lost diamonds – the Florentine Yellow, Akbar Shah and Great Mogul.

Hyderabad Part 1
The city of Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana and also a shared capital for Andhra Pradesh until the new capital of Amaravathi is ready. It is the largest city of the state and lies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of South India. Much of Hyderabad is situated on hilly terrain around artificial lakes, including the Hussain Sagar lake, which predates the city’s founding. Hyderabad is the fourth-most populous city in India and the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in India and has the fifth-largest urban economy in the country.

Hyderabad was established by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to extend the capital beyond the fortified Golconda Fort. In 1687, the city was annexed by the Mughals and in 1724, the Mughal Viceroy Nizam Asaf Jah I declared his sovereignty and founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty, also known as the Nizams. Hyderabad served as the imperial capital of the Asaf Jahis from 1769 to 1948 and also housed the British Residency and cantonment until the Indian independence in 1947. Hyderabad was annexed by the Indian Union in 1948 and continued as a capital of Hyderabad State between 1948 to 1956 and after the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, was made the capital of the newly formed state. In 2014, Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated to form Telangana and Hyderabad became the joint capital of the two states with a transitional arrangement scheduled to end in 2024. Since 1956, the city has housed the winter office of the President of India.

Relics of the Qutb Shahi and Nizam rules remain visible today with the Charminar symbolising the city. The amalgamation of local and migrated artisans created a distinctive culture and the city emerged as a significant centre of oriental culture. Painting, handicraft, jewellery, literature, dialect and clothing are prominent still today. Through its cuisine, the city is listed as a UNESCO creative city of gastronomy. The Telugu film industry based in the city is the country’s second-largest producer of motion pictures. Until the 19th century Hyderabad was known for the pearl industry and was nicknamed the City of Pearls, and was the only Golconda Diamonds trading centre in the world. Hyderabad’s central location between the Deccan Plateau and the Western Ghats has attracted major Indian research, manufacturing, educational and financial institutions and since the 1990s, the city has emerged as an Indian hub of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

The name Hyderabad means Haydar’s City or Lion City, from Haydar or lion and abad or city, after Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, also known as Haydar because of his lion-like valour in battle. The city was originally called Baghnagar or the City of Gardens, and later acquired the name Hyderabad. One popular legend suggests that the founder of the city, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, named it Bhagyanagar after Bhagmati, a local nautch or dancing girl whom he married. She converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Mahal with the city named Hyderabad in her honour.

There is evidence that Hyderabad and its surrounding region has been inhabited from the Stone Age with archaeologists finding evidence of inhabitation that may date from 500 BC. The region comprising modern Hyderabad and its surroundings was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty from 624 to 1075 and following the dissolution of the Chalukya empire into four parts in the 11th century, Golconda came under the control of the Kakatiya dynasty from 1158, whose seat of power was at Warangal, 148 km northeast of modern Hyderabad. The Kakatiya dynasty was reduced to a vassal of the Khalji dynasty in 1310 after its defeat by Sultan Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate which lasted until 1321 when the Kakatiya dynasty was annexed by Malik Kafur, Allaudin Khalji’s general. During this period, Alauddin Khalji took the Koh-i-Noor diamond, said to have been mined from the Kollur Mines of Golconda to Delhi. Muhammad bin Tughluq who succeeded to the Delhi sultanate in 1325, brought Warangal under the rule of the Tughlaq dynasty and Malik Maqbul Tilangani was appointed its governor. In 1336 regional chieftains who revolted against the Delhi sultanate in 1333 took Warangal under their direct control and declared it as their capital and in 1347 when Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, a governor under bin Tughluq, rebelled against Delhi and established the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan Plateau, with Gulbarga, 200 km west of Hyderabad as its capital, both the neighbouring rulers Musunuri Nayakas of Warangal and Bahmani Sultans of Gulbarga engaged in many wars until 1364–65 when a peace treaty was signed and the Musunuri Nayakas ceded Golconda fort to the Bahmani Sultan. The Bahmani Sultans ruled the region until 1518 and were the first independent Muslim rulers of the Deccan.

Sultan Quli, a governor of Golconda, revolted against the Bahmani Sultanate and established the Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1518 and rebuilt the mud-fort of Golconda and named the city Muhammad Nagar. The fifth sultan, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, established Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi River in 1591 to avoid water shortages experienced at Golconda and built the Charminar and Mecca Masjid in the city during his rule. In 1687, the Golconda Sultanate came under the rule of the Mughal empire and Hyderabad was renamed Darul Jihad or the House of War and Golconda was renamed Deccan Suba or the Deccan province. The capital was moved from Golconda to Aurangabad, about 550 km northwest of Hyderabad. In 1724, Asaf Jah I defeated Mubariz Khan to establish autonomy over the Deccan, named the region Hyderabad Deccan, and started what came to be known as the Asaf Jahi dynasty and rulers were referred to as Asaf Jahi Nizams or the Nizams of Hyderabad. In 1768 Asaf Jah II signed the Treaty of Masulipatam, surrendering the coastal region to the East India Company in return for a fixed annual rent.

In 1769 Hyderabad city became the formal capital of the Asaf Jahi Nizams and the Nizam signed a subsidiary alliance with the East India Company in 1798, allowing the British Indian Army to be stationed at Bolarum in modern-day Secunderabad to protect the state’s capital, for which the Nizams paid annual maintenance to the British. After India’s independence, the Nizam declared his intention to remain independent rather than become part of the Indian Union or the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan. On 17 September 1948, the Indian Army took control of Hyderabad State after an invasion codenamed Operation Polo. With the defeat of his forces, Nizam VII capitulated to the Indian Union by signing an Instrument of Accession, which made him the Rajpramukh or the Princely Governor of the state until it was abolished on 31 October 1956. On 1 November 1956 during the state reorganisation on linguistic lines, Hyderabad state was split into three parts, which were merged with neighbouring states to form the modern states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The nine Telugu and Urdu speaking districts of Hyderabad State in the Telangana region were merged with the Telugu speaking Andhra State to create Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as its capital. The Telangana movement which demanded the creation of a new Telangana state took place in 1969, 1972 and 2010 and on 30 July 2013, the Indian government declared that part of Andhra Pradesh would be split off to form a new state of Telangana and Hyderabad city would be the capital city and part of Telangana, while the city would also remain the capital of Andhra Pradesh for no more than ten years. The state of Telangana thus was formed on 2 June 2014.

The Golconda Fort is one of the region’s best-preserved monuments with construction completed in the 1600s and is reputed for being where once, the Koh-I-Noor diamond was stored. It is said that if you clap your hands at the bottom of the fort, the echoes of it can be heard right to the top. As per legend, an idol was found in the area by a shepherd. Soon after, the Kakatiyan king was informed about the same, and he gave the order to build a mud fort around the idol in 1143. The fort came to be known as Golla Konda which meant Shepherd’s Hill in Telugu and then Golkonda. The fort rose to prominence when it came under the rule of Qutub Shahi Dynasty during the 16th century and the fort expanded from a mud fortress to a lofty structure having a 10 km outer wall. After a failed attempt in 1686, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was finally able to breach the impregnable fort in 1687 after a long nine-month siege.

A grand structure, the Golconda Fort is built at an altitude of 400 feet with a circumference of 7 km displaying a fusion of Hindu-Islamic styles of architecture. Its walls comprise of 8 gates and 87 bastions with each reaching heights between 50 to 60 feet. There are three powerful consecutive fortification walls each within the other with the first wall containing a town, the second wall which is a double wall that runs around the foot of the hill on which the citadel stands and the third wall which is further up the hill lies within the second and is comprised of masonry and natural boulders. Situated with the fortress are the dwellings of the queens and princesses and their retainers. The fort is famous for its royal apartments, parade grounds, numerous halls and mosques. Amongst the eight gates, the Fateh Darwaza is the main gate as the victorious march of King Aurangzeb proceeded through it. This door is 13 feet wide and 25 feet long and was made up of steel spikes to protect it from elephants. The Balahisar Darwaza which was built in the Nawabi style is another magnificent structure, but today, only the eastern gate can be visited.

The Golconda mines are known to produce some of the most coveted and popular diamonds ever known including the Idol’s Eye, the Hope Diamond, the Darya-i-Noor and the famous Koo-i-Noor. In the evening, the fort comes to life with the light and sound show which showcases snippets from its past. On all days, the first show is in English while the second show is in Telugu on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and in Hindi on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Between November and February, the first show takes place at 6:30 pm and the second show at 7:45 pm while between March and October, the first show takes place at 7 pm and the second show at 8:15 pm. The ticket counter opens from 5:30 pm with tickets costing INR 140 for an adult and INR 110 for a child in the executive class and INR 80 for an adult and INR 60 for a child in the normal class. The fort is open from 9 am to 5 pm and the entry fee to the fort is INR 5 for Indians and INR !00 for foreigners. Camera fees are INR 25. Naya Qila is an extended version of the Golkonda Fort.

The Gomajipet Fort located about 110 km from Hyderabad is a popular tourist attraction. It has lately been restored and boasts of magnificent architecture and reflects the grandeur of a royal time. The Asmangadh Fort constructed in 1885 translates to the home in the sky is because it was situated on a hilltop. Today, it has been converted into a school called the St. Joseph’s Public School.

Synonymous with Hyderabad, the Charminar is located in the heart of the city and was erected by Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty to signify the founding of Hyderabad when he shifted his capital from Golconda. It was so named as it consists of four minarets and is also famous for the market that sprawls around it and is called Laad or Chudi’ Bazaar. According to historians, the inadequacy of water and the plague forced Quli Qutub Shahi to move his capital and Quli Qutub Shahi pledged to build a monument if the suffering of his people came to an end. The Charminar was built to commemorate the decision and eradication of the plague from the city. The old city of Hyderabad was designed keeping Charminar as the centre of the city. According to legend, Quli Qutub Shahi saw his beloved wife, Baghmat he and built Charminar as a symbol of his eternal love for her. There is also a legend that talks of the existence of a secret tunnel under the Charminar that connects it to the Golkonda Fort which was created as an escape route for the royal family in time of an emergency.

The Charminar is a massive structure with four minarets. Towards the north of the monument, there are four gateways known as Char Kaman constructed in the cardinal directions. The Charminar is a perfect square, inspired by the shape of the Shia Tazias with each side 20 meters in length. It has four grand arches that face a fundamental point that open into four streets. There stands a 56 meters tall minaret at each corner with a double balcony. Each minaret has a dome on top with petal-like designs at the base. One needs to climb 149 steps to reach the upper floor. The structure is made of granite, mortar, marble and limestone and there is a mosque located at the western end of the open roof. One can get a bird’s eye view of the city from the balconies of the Charminar with the devout able to offer prayers inside the mosque. An exquisite example of the Indo-Islamic architectural style with Persian influences. The arches and domes of the monument define the influence of Islamic architecture, while the Persian influence is prominent from its minarets. The balconies and the outside walls, embellished with delicate stucco floral ornamentations on the ceiling, showcase the influence of the Hindu style of architecture. At the base of the Charminar is a small temple known as Bhagyalakshmi Temple. The best shopping in Hyderabad is the area surrounding the Charminar with the streets brimming with people and the shops displaying attractive and colourful bangles, pearls, jewellery, semi-precious stones, silverware, Kalamkari paintings, sarees, silk materials, gold-embroidered fabric, lacquer bangles, ittar and the traditional Khara dupatta. The area is also famous for its delicious Hyderabadi cuisine. The Charminar is absolutely mesmerising when illuminated between 7 and 9 pm but one can’t enter the building after 5 pm. The second floor and upper columns are not open to the public.

Once the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, the Chowmahalla Palace was built between 1857 and 1869 and can be translated to mean Four Palaces. The monument consists of two massive courtyards as well as a grand dining hall known as the Khilafat and once served as the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad and still belongs to the heir of the Nizams, Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah.

The facade of the Chowmahalla Palace is a delicate artwork of domes, arches, windows and meticulously carved out designs embellished with gentle fountains, expansive lush gardens, numerous palaces, a clock tower, the Roshan Bangla and the Council Hall. The construction of the palace was initiated by Salabat Jung in 1750 and completed during the period of Afzal ad Dawlah, Asaf Jah V in 1869 and is believed to have taken inspiration from the Shah of Iran’s palace in Tehran. Influenced by Persian, Rajasthani, Indo-Saracenic and European styles, the palace was originally spread over an area of 45 acres, but covers only 12 acres today. There are four palaces inside, Aftab Mahal, Afzal Mahal, Tanhiyat Mahal and Mahtab Mahal and the northern courtyard has the Bara Imam, where all the major administrative activities took place. The most important structure is the Khilwat Mubarak which has the raised marble platform where the Takht-e-Nishan or the royal seat was laid. A Clock Tower which is also called the Khilwat Clock is also present and has been ticking away for about 251 years now. The Council Hall has an impressive collection of manuscripts and priceless books and today, holds a priceless collection from the Chowmahalla Palace Collection. The Roshan Bangla is a royal chamber named after Roshan Begum. The Bara Imam is situated in the Northern Courtyard and overlooks a building built in its exact image and used to serve as a guest house. The Afzal Mahal in the Southern Courtyard is a two-storeyed building adorned with long pillars, detailed carvings, and majestic garden spaces while the Mahtab Mahal, the Tahniyat Mahal and the Aftab Mahal have delicate carvings and majestic archways adorning their white stone surface and are built in neo-classical architectural style. Chowmahalla Palace is closed on Fridays and is open between 10 am to 5 pm on other days. Entry fees are INR 80 for Indians, INR 200 for foreigners and INR 10 for children. Photography fees are INR 50 and videography will cost you INR 100.

Since Hyderabad has so much to offer, it will be split into two parts, with the second part coming up.

In My Hands Today…

Posted on December 4, 2021 by memoriesandsuch

The Long Partition and the Making of Modern South Asia: Refugees, Boundaries, Histories – Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali Zamindar

Nation-states often shape the boundaries of historical enquiry, and thus silence the very histories that have sutured nations to territorial states. “India” and “Pakistan” were drawn onto maps in the midst of Partition’s genocidal violence and one of the largest displacements of people in the twentieth century. Yet this historical specificity of decolonization on the very making of a nationalized cartography of modern South Asia has largely gone unexamined.

In this remarkable study based on more than two years of ethnographic and archival research, Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali Zamindar argues that the combined interventions of the two postcolonial states were enormously important in shaping these massive displacements. She examines the long, contentious, and ambivalent process of drawing political boundaries and making distinct nation-states in the midst of this historic chaos.

Zamindar crosses political and conceptual boundaries to bring together oral histories with north Indian Muslim families divided between the two cities of Delhi and Karachi with extensive archival research in previously unexamined Urdu newspapers and government records of India and Pakistan. She juxtaposes the experiences of ordinary people against the bureaucratic interventions of both postcolonial states to manage and control refugees and administer refugee property. As a result, she reveals the surprising history of the making of the western Indo-Pak border, one of the most highly surveillanced in the world, which came to be instituted in response to this refugee crisis, in order to construct national difference where it was the most blurred.

In particular, Zamindar examines the “Muslim question” at the heart of Partition. From the margins and silences of national histories, she draws out the resistance, bewilderment, and marginalization of north Indian Muslims as they came to be pushed out and divided by both emergent nation-states. It is here that Zamindar asks us to stretch our understanding of “Partition violence” to include this long, and in some sense ongoing, bureaucratic violence of postcolonial nationhood, and to place Partition at the heart of a twentieth century of border-making and nation-state formation.

Festivals of India: Bhai Dhooj

Posted on November 17, 2021 by memoriesandsuch

About 10 days back, on the second day after the festival of lights, Diwali, is the festival of which strengthens the bonds between a brother and sister. Also known as Bhratri Dwitiya, Bhaubeej, Bhai Tika and Bhai Phonta, Bhai Dhooj strengthens the bond of affection between brothers and sisters. There are two Bhai Dooj in Hindu calendar. The first one falls on the Dwitiya Tithi of Chaitra month and is not as popular as the second one which falls two days after Diwali or the second lunar day of Shukla Paksha or the bright fortnight in the calendar month of Kartika. The celebrations are similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan and on this day, sisters give gifts to their brothers. In the southern part of the country, the day is celebrated as Yama Dwitiya.

The festival is known by different names in different communities. In North India, it is known as Bhai Dooj and is observed during the Diwali festivities, on the second day after Diwali. In Nepal it is known as Bhai Tika, where it is the most important festival after Dashain or Vijaya Dashmi or Dussehra. Observed on the fifth day of the Tihar festival, it is widely celebrated by the Khas people. In West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh, it is known as Bhai Phonta and it takes place every year on the second day after Kali Puja. In western Odisha, it is called Bhai Jiuntia while the Marathi, Gujarati and Konkani-speaking communities in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka call it Bhau Beej, Bhav Bij or Bhai Beej. Other names for the festival include Bhatru Dviteeya, Bhatri Ditya or Bhaghini Hastha Bhojanamu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Another name for the day is Yamadwitheya or Yamadvitiya, after a legendary meeting between Yama the God of Death and his sister Yamuna, the river on the Dwitheya or the second day after new moon. According to a legend, Yamraj’s sister Yamuna tried to get her brother to visit her on many occasions but Yamraj was unable to do so for a long time. When he finally met her, he was greeted with a grand ceremony, offered sweets and had the ceremonial tika placed on his forehead. Being immensely pleased with the love and respect he was showered with, Yamraj gave Yamuna a boon and she in turn asked him to dedicate a day on which he would visit her house each year. Hence, the ritual of siblings visiting each other on this day began to honour the kinship between them.According to another legend, after slaying the evil demon Narakasura, Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra who gave him a warm welcome with sweets and flowers. She also affectionately applied tilaka on Krishna’s forehead and some believe this to be the origin of the festival.

Celebrated like the festival of Raksha Bandhan, but without the tyong of the rakhi on the brother’s wrists, on this day, sisters invite their brothers for a sumptuous meal often including their favourite dishes and sweets. The ceremony signifies the duty of a brother to protect his sister, as well as a sister’s blessings for her brother. Sisters then perform an arti for their brother and apply a red tika on the brother’s forehead. This signifies the sister’s prayers for the long and happy life of her brother and treat them with gifts. In return, elder brothers bless their sisters and treat them with gifts or cash. In Haryana and Maharashtra, women who do not have a brother worship the moon instead and apply henna or mehendi on girls as a tradition. For sisters whose brothers live far away and can’t meet her, send her prayers for the long and happy life of her brother through the Moon God and performs aarti or prayer to the moon. This is the reason why children affectionately call the moon Chandamama where Chanda means the moon and mama means a mother’s brother. In West Bengal, Bhai Phonta is marked with many rituals along with a grand feast arranged for the brothers though it is necessary that, both the brother and sister are more than 5 years of age.

In Nepal, Bhaitika or Bhaitihar is known as the tihar or festival of brothers. On this day, sisters pray to the God of death, Lord Yamra for the long life and prosperity of their brothers. The ritual involves sisters marking the forehead of their brothers with a seven coloured long tika with the rest of the rituals is similar to that performed by Hindus elsewhere.

To all sisters and brothers, hope you had a fabulous festive period!

Travel Bucket List: India – Assam Part 6

Posted on November 15, 2021 by memoriesandsuch

With seven National Parks, Assam now has the third most National Parks in India, after the 12 in Madhya Pradesh and nine in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and so this part will focus on the National Parks in Assam. We will start from the west and make our way eastwards.

Raimona National Park
Located in the Saralpara Forest Division of Kojrajhar, the Raimona National Park is one of Assam’s newest national parks which was declared a national park on 5 June 2021 on the occasion of World Environment Day. The park is part of a contiguous forest patch with an area of 422 sq km covering the northern part of the notified Ripu Reserve Forest, which in turn forms the westernmost buffer to the Manas Tiger Reserve in the southern foothills of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot. The Sankosh River forms a boundary on the west along the boundary with West Bengal, Bhutan lies to the north and the Saralbhanga River lies to the east. Historically the area was a part of the migratory route of the faunal species from Himalayan Mountain, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese realms towards the west and Peninsular Indian realm species to the east. It shares contiguous forest patches of Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park in Bhutan, creating a transboundary conservation landscape of more than 2,400 sq km.

The Raimona National Park is famous for the Golden Langur, an endemic species which has been named the mascot of the Bodoland region. It also has the Asian elephant, the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Clouded Leopard, the Indian Gaur, the Wild Water Buffalo, the Spotted Deer, the Hornbill and more than 150 species of butterflies, 170 species of birds and 380 varieties of plants and orchids.

Manas National Park
The Manas National Park is many things – a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve. The only tiger reserve in Assam, the national park is famous for the rare golden langur and the red panda and is known as one of the best-kept national parks in India.

Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan and is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog and is famous for its population of the wild water buffalo. The name of the park comes from the Manas River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River, which passes through the heart of the national park. Five other smaller rivers also flow through the national park which lies on a wide, low-lying alluvial terrace spreading out below the foothills of the outer Himalaya. The Manas river also serves as an international border dividing India and Bhutan.

On an area of 360 sq km, the Manas National Park was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 1 October 1928 and the Manas Bio Reserve was created in 1973. Before the declaration of the sanctuary, it was a reserved forest called Manas R.F. and North Kamrup R.F used by the Cooch Behar royal family and the Raja of Gauripur as a hunting reserve. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1985 after being increased to 391 sq km in 1951 and 1955 and the Kahitama, the Kokilabari and the Panbari Reserved Forests were added in 1990 to form the Manas National Park which was then declared a World Heritage Site in 1992 and increased to 950 sq km in 2008. On 21 June 2011, it was removed from the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger and was commended for its efforts in preservation. There is only one forest village, Pagrang, in the core of the national park with 56 other villages surrounding the park and many more fringe villages are directly or indirectly dependent on the park.

The park is divided into three ranges. The western range is based at Panbari, the central range at Bansbari and the eastern range at Bhuiyapara. The ranges are not well connected, while two major rivers need to be forded in going from the centre to the Panbari, there is a rough trail, the Daimari road connecting the centre to the eastern range. Most visitors come to Bansbari and then spend some time inside the forest at Mathanguri on the Manas river at the Bhutan border.

Manas is recognised not only for its rich biodiversity but also for its spectacular scenery and natural landscape which includes a range of forested hills, alluvial grasslands and tropical evergreen forests. It’s home to India’s second-largest tiger population and also famous for its population of wild water buffalo. Manas harbours the maximum number of endangered species from India as listed in the IUCN Red Book.

The park is divided into two biomes, the first one is the Grassland Biome that has animals like the Pygmy Hog, the Indian Rhinoceros, the Bengal Florican, and the Wild Asian Buffalo. The second biome is the Forest Biome that has animals like the Slow Loris, the Capped Langur, the Sambar, the Great Hornbill, the Malayan Giant Squirrel and many others. The park boasts 55 species of mammals, 380 species of birds, 3 species of amphibians and 50 species of reptiles. One can easily spot rhinos and tigers while sitting on an elephant which can be arranged by forest officials from Mathanguri during which one can see tea pickers during the tea season. The best time to see these activities is from October till the first week of December and again from mid-March onwards.

The summer palace of the King of Bhutan lies beyond the bend of the Manas River and lies on the Bhutan side of the Manas National Park. One needs to hire a boat to cross over to the Bhutan side after taking prior permission and stroll about a km to get to the summer palace, which is guarded by a solitary watchman.

The Bodo tribe, indigenous to Assam have set up their Eco-tourism Society in the National Park where they perform their traditional dances and music and visitors can get to see local handlooms and textile woven by the women. Some villagers also take the visitors out on foot safaris and can even offer one a night stay in the forest.

A boat ride in an eight-person boat will cost INR 8000 and a safari will set Indians back by INR 120 per person and INR 750 per person for foreigners. Still camera charges for Indians and foreigners are INR 50 while for a video camera, Indians need to pay INR 100 while foreigners pay INR 500. A typical day for a visitor in the sanctuary will start early around 5 am with a 1-2 hour elephant ride, after which one can stroll on the river banks. After a hearty breakfast, a visit to the Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society is a must where one can have a traditional Bodo style lunch and enjoy their music and dance. After lunch, it’s time for river rafting which will take 2-3 hours and one can end the day by taking in the jungle safari to enjoy bird watching and catch wild animals in their homes.

Orang National Park
Located on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts, the Orang National Park covers an area of 79.28 sq km. It was established as a sanctuary in 1985 and declared a national park in 1999. With rich flora and fauna, including the great Indian rhinoceros, the pygmy hog, the Asian elephant, the wild water buffalo and the Bengal tiger, it is the only stronghold of the rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river. The park has a chequered history of habitation. Up to 1900, it was inhabited by local tribes who abandoned the area because of an epidemic disease. In 1919 the British declared it the Orang Game Reserve and was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 and declared as National Park in 1999.

During the monsoon season, the park becomes a veritable flood plain with the many streams overlapping each other and these flood plains constitute twelve wetlands in the park, apart from the 26 man-made water bodies. The park is thus formed of alluvial flood plains of the many rivers and is an integral part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The park has been categorized into the Eastern Himalayan Moist Deciduous Forest in an area of 15.85 sq km, the Eastern Seasonal Swamp Forest with an area of 3.28 sq km, the Eastern Wet Alluvial Grassland with an area of 8.33 sq km, the Savannah Grassland on an area of 18.17 sq km, the Degraded Grassland in 10.36 sq km, the Water Body of 6.13 sq km, the Moist Sandy area with an area of 2.66 sq km and the Dry Sandy area with an area of 4.02 sq km. It is bounded on its south and east by islands and spill channels of the river, but the flat alluvial land is seen distinctly as two terraces; the lower terrace is of recent origin on the bank of the Brahmaputra river and the other is the upper terrace to the north, separated by a high bank running through the park. The whole park is encircled by inhabited villages thus subjecting it to biotic pressure with fox holes built by the villagers on its west.

The park will pleasantly surprise visitors with its rich variety of animals, birds and fishes and a similar abundance of flora. The park is known for its rhinoceros conservation and has The Great Indian Rhinoceros and the Bengal Tiger. Apart from rhinos, one will find here the Great Indian Rhinoceros, porcupines, Bengal tigers, civets, water buffaloes, leopards and many more. A huge number and types of fish are also present here. Along with this one can spot several birds in the park such as kingfishers, fishing eagles, woodpeckers, mallards, white pelicans and so on. A safari into the park will let one experience the refreshing beauty of the surroundings and vegetation as well as the enjoyment of watching such a variety of wildlife. The park is also an important breeding ground for various fishes. The best time to visit the Orang National Park is between November to April as winters are cool and pleasant. Visitors, however, need permission from authorities in advance to visit the park.

Kaziranga National Park
Hosting two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, the Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park is also home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer and is recognised as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility. The national park is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, crisscrossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and includes numerous small bodies of water. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.

The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904, when Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, visited the area. After failing to see a single rhinoceros, for which the area was renowned, she persuaded her husband to take urgent measures to protect the dwindling species which he did by initiating planning for their protection and on 1 June 1905, the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an area of 232 sq km. Over the next three years, the Park area was extended by 152 sq km, to the banks of the Brahmaputra River and in 1908, was designated a Reserve Forest. In 1916, it was redesignated the Kaziranga Game Sanctuary and remained so till 1938, when hunting was prohibited and visitors were permitted to enter the park. It was renamed the Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 to rid it of its hunting connotations.

In 1954, the Assam (Rhinoceros) Bill, which imposed heavy penalties for rhinoceros poaching was passed and in 1968, the Assam National Park Act of 1968 was passed which declared Kaziranga a designated national park and the 430 sq km park was given official status by the central government on 11 February 1974. In 1985, Kaziranga was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique natural environment.

Kaziranga has been the target of several natural and man-made calamities in recent decades including floods caused by the overflow of the river Brahmaputra, leading to significant losses of animal life and encroachment by people along the periphery has also led to a diminished forest cover and a loss of habitat.

Although the origin of the name Kaziranga is not certain, there are many possible explanations derived from local legends and records. According to one legend, a girl named Rawnga, from a nearby village, and a youth named Kazi, from Karbi Anglong, fell in love. This match was not acceptable to their families, and the couple disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again, and the forest was named after them. According to another legend, Srimanta Sankardeva, the sixteenth-century Vaisnava saint-scholar, once blessed a childless couple, Kazi and Rangai, and asked them to dig a big pond in the region so that their name would live on. Kaziranga also could mean the Land of Red Goats or Deer, as the word Kazi in the Karbi language means goat, and Rangai means red. Some historians believe, however, that the name Kaziranga was derived from the Karbi word Kajir-a-rong, which means the village of Kajir. Among the Karbis, Kajir is a common name for a girl child, and it was believed that a woman named Kajir once ruled over the area. Fragments of monoliths associated with Karbi rule are found scattered in the area that seems to bear testimony to this assertion.

The park is approximately 40 km in length from east to west, and 13 km in breadth from north to south and covers an area of 378 sq km, with approximately 51.14 sq km lost to erosion in recent years. The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri. Kaziranga has flat expanses of fertile, alluvial soil, formed by erosion and silt deposition by the Brahmaputra and the landscape consists of exposed sandbars, riverine flood-formed lakes known as beels, which make up 5% of the surface area, and elevated regions known as, chapories, which provide retreats and shelter for animals during floods. It is one of the largest tracts of protected land in the sub-Himalayan belt, and due to the presence of highly diverse and visible species, has been described as a biodiversity hotspot.

In the park, safaris can be undertaken both during the day and night during the open tourist season. Elephant rides are also very popular among visitors and hiking is prohibited. Kaziranga has a total of 35 mammalian species, out of which 15 are threatened. The big-five of Kaziranga is the collective name given to the group of the one-horned rhino, the wild water buffalo, the swamp deer, the Asian elephant and the royal Bengal tiger. The rivers within Kaziranga are also home to the endangered Ganges Dolphin. The national park is divided into 4 zones: Kaziranga Range, Western Range, Eastern Range and Burapahar Range. One safari of one zone is allowed at a time. While the Western zone is considered good for elephant watching, safaris and rhino sightseeing, the Eastern zone is better for watching water birds.

The Kaziranga National Park is between 1st November and 30th April each year, but the best time to visit is after the second week of January as the grass levels would have reduced and there would be clear visibility. The entry to the part is INR 100 per person for Indians and INR 650 for foreigners while the cost of an elephant ride is INR 750 per person for Indians and INR 1250 per person for foreigners and the booking times for the elephant safari is between 5:30 to 7:30 am and then again between 3 – 4 pm. To go on a jeep safari, everyone will need to pay INR 300 as toll charges per trip per vehicle and the jeep safari booking is open between 7 to 10 am and then from 1:30 pm till the sunsets.

Nameri National Park
Located on the foothills of the eastern Himalayas about 35 km from Tezpur, the Nameri National Park is about 9 km from Chariduar, the nearest village and shares its northern boundary with the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh and together they constitute an area of over 1,000 km of which Nameri has a total area of 200 km. The park was declared as Tiger Reserve around 1999 – 2000 and is the second Tiger reserve in Assam after the Manas Tiger Reserve. Nameri National Park has two core areas: the Nameri National Park and the Sonai – Rupai Wildlife, a satellite core of the Tiger Reserve. The river Jia – Bhoroli is the lifeline of Nameri, which flows along the southern boundary of the park from the northwest to the southeast. In the east, the river Bor – Dikorai, a tributary of the river Jia – Bhoroli, flows along the southern boundary from the northeast to the southwest.

The park boasts of a dense elephant population and other animals that the park includes tigers, sambars, leopards, Bengal foxes, mouse deer and jungle cats. Some rare Himalayan plant varieties are also found seen. The park is popularly referred to as The Last House of White Winged Wood Duck and one can swim, river raft and sunbathe here. The park is open between 10 am and 5 pm daily and has an entry fee of INR 50 for Indians and INR 250 for foreigners.

Dibru Saikhowa National Park
Boasting a rich collection of flora and fauna, many of them endangered, the Dibru Saikhowa National Park is one of the few remaining protected sites in the Endemic Bird Area of the Assam Plains. The national park is a river island national park and one of the 19 biodiversity hotspots in the world located about 12 km north of Tinsukia. Of the seven parts of the park, one is a wetland and the rest are mainly covered with grasslands and dense forest. An identified Important Bird Area (IBA), it is most famous for the rare white-winged wood ducks as well as feral horses. In 1997, Dibru Saikhowa National Park became the ninth biosphere reserve out of the total 18 identified to date in India. Earlier known as Dibru Reserve Forest and Saikhowa Reserve Forest, this protected area was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1986, and a national park in 1999.

Comprising tropical moist deciduous forests, tropical semi-green forests, Salix swamp forests, moist evergreen forests, grasslands and canebrakes, the region originally comprised a tropical rainforest but after the disastrous earthquake of 1950, it underwent major geomorphological changes and the rainforest eventually gave way to deciduous forests. The park is bounded by the Brahmaputra river, Lohit river and Arunachal Hills in the north and Dibru river, Debang river, Dibru and Patkai hills in the south, making for beautiful, verdant surroundings. The climate is tropical monsoon, with a hot, humid and wet summer and cold and dry winters.

The Dibru Saikhowa National Park has no roads inside and so there are no jungle safaris or elephant rides available and visitors can only explore the park by trekking, though there is a boat service which is available which can take one to various spots. Guijan Ghat and Saikhowa Ghat or Dhola Entry Point are the national park’s entry points with the former about 10 km and the latter about 50 km from Tinsukia. Although accessible round the year, the best time to visit this park is during the late winter as during the monsoon, the park may sometimes close due to heavy rain, without any prior notice. Entry to the park is not permitted before sunrise and after sunset and night halts and picnics are not allowed inside the park.

Kekjori Trees are known for their vast branches with a single tree covering a vast area with branches spreading low and wide. A visit to look at these trees requires a 15-minute boat ride to an island in the middle of the Brahmaputra and a half-hour walk. Churkey Sapori or the river island in the north of the Saikhowa part of the park is famous for spotting the bright coloured wild horses known as Feral Horses which are free-ranging, untamed horses descended from domestic horses that escaped from army camps during World War II and are not truly wild horses. Although not a scheduled wildlife species, the feral horses of Dibru-Saikhowa have considerable curiosity value. The Maguri Matapung Beel is a lake within the park and a haven for birds and is classified as an Important Bird Area or IBA and is host to 374 different species of birds. The boat safari on this lake is an amazing opportunity for bird watchers to spot migratory birds and rare birds of various descents and if lucky, one can even spot the endangered River Dolphin.

Entry fees for Indians are INR 100, while foreigners pay INR 500. The park is open between sunrise and sunset and if interested in photography, Indians need to pay INR 50 while foreigners pay INR 500 and for videography, Indians pay INR 500 and foreigners INR 1,000.

Dihing Patkai National Park
Assam’s newest national park, and covering an area of 234 sq km in a rainforest, the Dehing Patkai National Park was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 13 June 2004 and was upgraded to a national park on 13 December 2020 and officially notified as one on 9 June 2021. It is located in the Dehing Patkai landscape which is a dipterocarp-dominated lowland rainforest with the rainforest stretching for more than 575 sq km in the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Charaideo with the forest further spreading over in the Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. It encompasses the erstwhile Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Jeypore Reserve Forest and the western block of the Upper Dihing Reserve Forest. Dehing Patkai forms the largest stretch of lowland rainforests in India and the wildlife sanctuary was declared as the Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant. It is the last remaining stretch of the Assam Valley tropical wet evergreen forest.

Being a completely virgin rainforest, the Dihing Patkai National Park is very rich in biodiversity and an ideal habitat for non-human primates. Today, 47 mammal species, 47 reptile species and 310 butterfly species have been recorded in the park. There are more than a dozen different ethnic groups living in the area including the Tai Phake, the Khamyang, the Khampti, the Singpho, the Nocte, the Chutia, the Ahom, the Kaibarta, the Moran, the Motok, the Burmese and Nepali people, many of whom were brought by the British to work in the tea plantations

The sanctuary’s most ubiquitous inhabitant is the Asian elephant. The mega-herbivore can be seen in herds as well as alone, and is considered a sight to behold, but also one to be wary of, especially for travellers on foot. The national park is also famous for birds and is a biodiversity hotspot with over 350 species of avifauna providing a unique habitat for many globally threatened species including the extremely rare white-winged wood duck and many migratory birds.

The landscape of Dihing Patkai is dominated by towering Hollong and the Mekai trees, with other species such as beautiful Nahar or Messua ferrea, which puts out red, yellow, and silver leaves in spring. Cutting through the forest is the Burhi Dihing river, which creates several sand islands that are popular with migratory roosting birds. The park has two main access points, Soraipung, a small village where the range officer and the interpretation centre is located and the Jeypore gate which is a short distance from Jeypore town. The closest town is Digboi, which is 10 km away.

The best time to visit Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is during the winter and spring months. Between November and the end of February, there is no rain and waterlogging and one can see many migratory birds around with birds and small mammals at their peak from about 7 am till around 10-10:30 am and then again from the afternoon until sunset. Between March and April, there is rainfall, which brings new growth and the breeding season. This is also a good time to hear and spot the Blue-eared barbet, the drongo cuckoo, the common hawk, the Hodgson’s hawk, and the highly sought-after violet and emerald cuckoos.

Unlike conventional national parks, Dehing Patkai Sanctuary does not have safari vehicles and canter buses. The Park can be explored by vehicle, both private or hired, by boat, or on foot. Taxis charge between INR 1,200 to INR 1,500 per day, depending on the vehicle.

With this, we come to the end of this visit around the northeastern state of Assam. A region I have been wanting to visit for decades and hope to visit soon. In the next part, we will explore a new state in India.

Travel Bucket List: India – Assam Part 5

Posted on November 12, 2021 by memoriesandsuch

Sadiya
A former capital of the Chutia Kingdom, Sadiya lies in the foothills of the Himalayas, not too far from the state’s border with Arunachal Pradesh. After the downfall of the Chutia Kingdom, it became the seat of the Sadiya-Khowa-Gohain of the Ahom kingdom and extensive remains of buildings and fortifications built during the rule of the Chutias near Sadiya still point to the importance of the region in the past. It was the centre of development of the eastern form of Prakrit during both the Chutia and Ahom periods, which later gave rise to the modern form of Assamese. Sadiya, which lies 67 km north of Digboi and 552 km northeast of Guwahati, stands on a grassy plain, almost surrounded by forested Himalayan mountains, on the right bank of Lohit River which is locally, but erroneously, considered the main stream of the Brahmaputra river. The town is famous for a flower named Satphul, which means a blessing or a desert flower, similar to jasmine. The word Sadiya is derived from the Deori language and it stands for the land of the rising sun where Sa or Xa means Sun, Di stands for water and Ya means land.

The Tameshwari Temple is what Sadiya is mainly famous for. A Shakti temple that can be accessed by taking ferry rides from the Dhola Ghat, it is also an important archaeologists site. The roof of the temple is made entirely of copper or tam in Assamese, hence the temple’s name. The most notable among the temples built by Chutia kings, the temple was dedicated to Kechaikhati, a primordial female tribal deity of the Chutiyas later Sankritised as Tamreswari. As per the Kalika Purana, the main temple was an octagonal structure surrounded by eight dwarapals or guards in eight directions. When the Britishers visited the temple complex, the main temples has disappeared and only a small square structure remained. The wall and doors of the temple were well designed and there were two giant elephant sculptures with silver tusks at the main door of the complex. The walls were made without any mortar and instead used iron dowels and brackets. The temple was surrounded by brick walls and on the western wall, there was a place for human sacrifice. Although the temple is now completely submerged under marshy lands due to silt deposition, in 1959 it showed that the main statues of the temple were built of sandstone and granite. The roof of the temple was originally sheeted with copper but in 1848, the copper roof was already removed. In the floods of 1959, due to the deposit of silt in the banks of the Paya river, the structure was completely submerged in the waters.

There are many other Shaivik temples where Deori tribes used to worship in ancient times. The two major ones are the Burha-Burhi Thaan and the Boiragi Thaan. Also built by the Chutia kings, Bura-Buri Than was dedicated to the primordial parents Gira-Girasi or Bura Buri, which were later Sanskritised as Shiva and Sakti. Although the structure has fallen due to natural calamities, the base remains intact upon which a new temple has been built. The foundation is an octagonal shaped base made of stone with each edge spanning 3.4 m in length. The temple was built using granite stone and fixed using iron dowels and brackets similar to the ones used in the Malini Than and the Tamreswari temples and was surrounded by a wall built using bricks.

The Bhismaknagar fort, further east of Sadiya, is tentatively dated to the 8th century. Based on the inscription , it is assumed to be the capital of Chutiya king Laksminarayaṇa of the early 15th century. The fort located in Roing is an important monument built by Chutia kings with the walls of the fort spread over 10 sq km. The name was probably derived from Bhismaka, the Hindu monument constructed for the royal lineage of the Chutias during the Neo-Vaishnava movement in the 16th and 17th centuries. A brick with the name Lakshminarayan indicates that the fort was repaired during the 15th century. The Bhismaknagar central complex extended over an area of 1860 sq m and has three halls, six ingresses and two extension rooms as well as a two-meter high stone wall inside the complex with a medieval architecture. While quarrying in the fort, enormous pieces of work of art like potteries, terracotta figurines, terracotta plaques and decorative tiles were recovered. Fabricated from the burnt bricks gave this fort an impressive and remarkable top view.

In the hills north of Roing lie scattered some old brick structures, mainly between the Chidu and Chimri villages situated at an altitude of about 305 m. The local people, the Idus called these structures Rukmini Nati where nati is the Idu word for bricks. Excavations of the two mounds at Chimri, unearthed two rooms, built on a slope, at a distance of 14 m from each other. The contents dug out from inside the walls of the rooms were of river-borne materials, which suggests that they were destroyed by floods. There is evidence of the extension to this area being of the same culture as that of Bhismaknagar. Another archaeological site called Duku Limbo lies on the left bank of the Dibang at the foot of Elopa hill with brickbats found at this site suggest that the Brismaknagar culture had extended to this point.

Tezu Fort is an old mud fort in the Tindolong area, 6 km from Tezu, which was explored in 1972. The area of the fort, enclosed by earthen ramparts is square with the rampart 8 ft high, and equally broad at the top with sloping sides. On both the inner and outer sides of the rampart run two ditches about 6 m wide. There is a prominent mound, circular and about 3 m in height, almost at the centre of the enclosure which appears to be a cavalier for lookout purposes. The complex seems to represent a defensive mud-fort or redoubt of a modest dimension suitable for a small band of soldiers to maintain vigilance against the enemies from their hide-outs inside the jungle especially in guerilla warfare, the normal practice in the region. The fort has been assigned roughly to a period about the 14th to 15th centuries.

Haflong
Our next destination Haflong is Assam’s only hills station which lies 577 km south of Sadiya and about 280 km southeast of Guwahati. Haflong is a Dimasa word that means an anthill. Haflong produces fruits like pineapples and oranges and like other hill stations in India, Haflong’s architecture reflects its British colonial past.

Haflong Lake is one of the largest natural water bodies in Assam and is situated in the heart of the town and is also Haflong’s most popular tourist spot with the lake providing majestic views of the Himalayas and offers opportunities to engage in boating. Another major attraction is Haflong Hill which is popular for trekking and hiking. The scenic view of the adjacent mountains and the lush forests makes it worth visiting. The Chavang Kut, a harvest festival is celebrated in Haflong every day in November. Situated 47 km from Haflong, Maibong is located on the bank of the Mahur River and was the ancient capital of the Dimasa Kachari Kingdom which existed from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Maibong still contains the ruins of the once flourishing capital of the kingdom and visitors will find the remains of a stone house and a temple of the Kachari kings. The monolithic Ramchandi temple of the Kachari kings, built in the 12th century is also famous.

Jatinga
Jatinga located about 5 km south of Haflong and 328 km southeast of Guwahati is a village on a ridge, inhabited by about 2,500 Khasi-Pnar people and a few Assamese. It is famous for the phenomenon of bird suicides. At the end of the monsoon months, between August to November, especially on moonless and foggy nights between 6 and 9:30 pm, birds that are not disturbed by the locals but out of the dark northern skies will start to descend as they are attracted to lights. These dazed birds are captured using bamboo poles by the locals. The local tribals first took this natural phenomenon to be spirits flying from the sky to terrorise them with the phenomenon not confined to a single species, with the tiger bittern, black bittern, little egret, pond heron, Indian pitta, and kingfishers all being affected, as well as hill partridge, green pigeons, emerald doves, necklaced laughing thrushes and black drongos with the birds mostly juvenile. Experts believe the cause likely to be disorientation at high altitudes and high-speed winds due to the widespread fog at the time. The birds, mostly juveniles and local migrants, are disturbed by high-velocity winds at their roost and when the disturbed birds fly towards lights as refuge they are hit with bamboo poles and killed or injured. The killings, as well as the number of birds arriving at the village, has been declining gradually since the last few years with much of this due to the loss of habitat caused by development and environmental degradation.

Diphu
The headquarter of Karbi Anglong district Diphu lies 150 km north of Jatinga and about 250 km east of Guwahati. Known as a mini hill station, it is a popular weekend getaway. The word Diphu comes from the Dimasa language, which means white water where Di means water and Phu means white. Historically, it is said that the stream in Diphu carries large amounts of sediment during the rainy season, giving it a whitish colour, hence its name. Diphu is home to many indigenous communities of Assam including the Karbis, the Dimasa Kacharis, the Boro Kacharis, the Garo Kacharis, the Rengmas and the Tiwa Kacharis.

The Arboretum Cum Craft Centre is located around 8 km from central Diphu and is a planned complex consisting of a park, a garden and a craft and exhibition centre. The garden is well maintained throughout the year and has a variety of annual and seasonal flowers on display throughout the year. There is also a small park area for children to play in. The Arboretum Cum Craft Centre also houses an open-air stage where events can take place as well as an indoor hall where smaller events or exhibitions can be organised. The traditional exhibit store is from where one can buy clothes and souvenirs from the region. The centre is open daily between 6 am and 7 pm.

5 km from Diphu town towards the Marat Longri Sanctuary, the Botanical Garden is a well-maintained garden with flowers, trees and plants native to the district and Assam grown including many medicinal herbs and plants. There is a semi-natural water body also part of the complex which is suitable for boating. The park also has replicas of traditional Karbi homes on display and there is a cafeteria inside which caters for food and refreshments. The park is open daily between 9 am and 5 pm and has an entry fee of INR 10 per person.

Located at a distance of around 4 km from Diphu, Singhason is the highest peak in the district and an excellent spot for hiking and trekking. From the top, beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding Brahmaputra valley and the distant white peaks of the Himalayas can be seen with sunrises and sunsets, highly recommended when the weather is suitable.

The Marat Longri Wildlife Sanctuary, located around 10 km from Diphu, is a protected reserve that is a part of the greater Dhansiri-Lunging Elephant Reserve. Spread over an area of approximately 451 sq km, this reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2003. Although it is relatively underdeveloped, it is home to many important faunas of the region, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Asiatic Elephant, the Himalayan Black Bear and the Hoolock Gibbon. The best time to visit the sanctuary is between November and March which is the winter months with cool temperatures and minimal humidity.

Established in 1886, the District Museum houses many regional archaeological artefacts with the collection including those of handicrafts, hunting and house tools, ornaments, textiles, and traditional instruments that reflect the culture and lifestyle of the various indigenous communities of the region. A brilliant image of Lord Narasimha is also on permanent display within the museum.

Karimganj
Located close to India’s border with Bangladesh, Karimganj lies about 330 km south of Mayong and Guwahati. It makes up the Barak Valley alongside Hailakandi and Cachar and was previously part of the Sylhet district which is in Bangladesh today before India’s partition of India. During the partition, a plebiscite was held to decide whether the Sylhet region covering the entire Sylhet, Moulovi Bazaar, Karimganj would remain in India or join the newly formed Pakistan. A delegation led by Abdul Matlib Mazumdar went to the Radcliffe Commission to plead their case to let the greater Sylhet region remain with India, but due to the demands of the Muslim League, a plebiscite was held where the Sylhet region, including Karimganj, voted to go with Pakistan, winning by a very small margin. Sylhet was made part of East Pakistan with Karimganj being divided and handed over to India with the reason being to let India have proper connectivity with Tripura. The Kushiyara River was made the river border between India & East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. Parts of Karimganj including Beani-Bazar, Barlekha, Shahpur and Zakiganj fell under East Pakistan and Karimganj was given to India. KArimganj has two major rivers Kushiara and Longai with a long rumbling canal called Noti Khal connecting the two rivers.

The Chhatachura Range that flanks the town arises from the southeast side of the district with its highest peak at 2087 ft above sea level and a middle part known as Saraspur at 1000 ft high. The lowest section of the hill is called Badarpur and is 500 ft above sea level. Separating the valleys of Longai and Chargola, the Duhalia Range is the 3rd range passing through Karimganj. Popularly referred to as the Pratapgarh Range, its highest hill is 1500 ft above sea level. The Adamail Range forms a border with Bangladesh and is also referred to as the Patharia Range. The range is spread over a length of 45 km, with its highest peak elevated at about 800 ft above sea level. The River Kushiara separated by the River Barak flows from Karimganj to Bangladesh and serves as an international border separating Assam and Bangladesh.

Hailakandi
Located about 51 km southeast of Karimganj and about 312 km south of Guwahati, Hailakandi in the heart of the Barak Valley makes up the Valley alongside Cachar and Karimganj. The town is the administrative headquarters of the district and has several legends attached to it. More than 50% of the district is a reserve forest with two reserve forests, the Inner Line Reserve Forest and the Katakhal Reserve Forest. Blessed with a thick cover of lush green forest, sprawling tea gardens, lovely fruit orchards and a gurgling river, Hailakandi has many hidden treasures waiting to be explored. Situated at Badarpur Ghat, the Siddyashar Bari Sibmandir is a popular temple dedicated to Siddyashar Bari. Offering a splendid view of the River Barak, the Pach Pirr Mukam is a famous spot in the town with the huge cropland near the place adding charm and beauty to it.

Silchar
Just 35 km north of Hailakandi and 303 km south of Guwahati lies the town of Silchar in the southernmost part of Assam. The headquarters of the Cachar district, Silchar was founded by Captain Thomas Fisher in 1832 when he shifted the headquarters of Cachar to Janiganj in Silchar and earned the moniker Island of Peace from Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. The city is located in an alluvial flat plain with swamps, streams, and isolated small hills, locally known as tilla marking its landscape. Apart from Barak river, the other major river is Ghagra river. Silchar is in Zone V on the Seismic Zonation Map and has witnessed major earthquakes. Silchar is the site of the world’s first polo club and the first competitive polo match. In 1985, an Air India flight from Kolkata to Silchar became the world’s first all-women crew flight. The name Silchar comes from the two Bengali words shil mean rock and char meaning shore or island. It is theorised that locals started calling the area Shiler Chor meaning the rocky shore, which got shortened to Silchar, which was in turn adopted and popularised by the British.

Cachar was ruled by the Tippera dynasty in the 13th century and eventually moved eastwards to present-day Tripura and by the 16th century, Cachar was a part of the Tripura Kingdom. While the hill areas of the Kachari kingdom i.e. Dima Hasao, had a Dimasa stronghold, the plain areas i.e. present-day Cachar had Bengalis constituting the majority. Eventually, the formal conversion of the Dimasa kings into Hinduism was carried out under Bengali Brahmins when Raja Krishna Chandra and Raja Govinda Chandra performed the Hiranyagarbha ceremony in 1790. The Kings in turn were great patrons of Bengali literature and Bengali was the court language of the Kachari kings. After taking over parts of the Brahmaputra Valley and Manipur by 1823, the Burmese made forays into Cachar as well which prompted the British occupation of Cachar as essential towards guarding the nearby British held district of Sylhet against the Burmese. Captain Thomas Fisher, an army officer took charge of Cachar in 1830 with the headquarters in Cherrapunji and in 1833 Silchar was made the headquarters. In 1942, the Japanese forces dropped a bomb on the Derby Tea Estate 20 km from the town. In the 1850s, the British observed exiled Manipuri princes in Silchar play Sagol Kangjei, the predecessor to modern polo which was already popular in nearby Manipur. In 1859, the world’s first polo club in Silchar, called the Silchar Kangjei Club was established which was later renamed to Silchar Polo Club and survives today as the Cachar Club. The first competitive modern form of polo was played in Silchar as well though no polo is played anymore.

Khaspur is located 20 km from Silchar and has the ruins of a great Dimasa kingdom. The main attractions here are the Lion Gate, the Sun Gate and the old kings’ temple. The original palace is in a state of non-existence, but its subsidiaries, the main entrance gate, the Suryadwar, the Debalaya are still intact with the entrances made of an elephant pattern. The Bhubeneshwar temple or the Bhubanhill Temple is one of the most celebrated temples of Lord Shiva in south Assam and is located about 50 km from Silchar and on the top of the Bhuvan hill. During the festival of Shivaratri, thousands of Shivayats march towards the hilltop to worship Lord Shiva. This temple by its geographical location attracts a lot of hikers as there are no motor roads to reach the hilltop, one has to hike at least 17 km from the plains to the temple. About 22 km from Silchar on the way to the Kumbhirgram airport the Vishnu temple at Salganga is another tourist attraction. One of the most revered temples in south Assam, the Kachakanti Kali Temple dates back to the 19th century. It was built in 1806 by the then Kachari King and was later renovated in 1978. The temple is dedicated to the Mother Goddess Kachakanti, who is said to be an amalgamation of two powerful Hindu deities, Goddess Durga and Goddess Kali and it is said that even until 1818, even human sacrifices were offered to the Goddesses here. The Badarpur Fort is located on the bank of the Barak River, about 16 km from Badarpur Railway station and is an important feature of the Barak Valley. The Maniharan Tunnel is only a few km from Silchar and according to Hindus, was constructed during the days of Lord Krishna and was once used by him. Many small temples are devoted to Garuha, Lord Lakshmana, Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman. One of Silchar’s beautiful lakes, Dolu Lake is a photographer’s delight where one can spend some time contemplating life and its mysteries. The Gandhibag Park is located on the banks of a lake in the heart of the town and is named after Mahatma Gandhi. The park includes the Shahid Minar, the memorial for 11 martyrs who died on 19th May 1962 while fighting for the protection of their Bengali language against the Government of Assam.

Memories and Such

Memories of a very ordinary life

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