Popularly known as “The Gateway of North-East India”, Guwahati is the largest city of Assam. Nestled between the foothills of the Shillong plateau and flanked by the mighty river Brahmaputra, Guwahati is the prime centre for socio-cultural, industrial and political activities of the entire North-Eastern region. Home to the extremely revered Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati is also a prominent Hindu pilgrimage destination and houses several temples. A quaint mix of commerce and culture, pragmatism and religiosity, the city is also a major commercial and educational hub of North-East. Dispur, the capital of Assam is as well located within the city of Guwahati and is also an important tea trading centre. Geography and Climate Guwahati encompasses an area of 556 sq. km and has an average elevation of 55 meters from the sea level. The city is located at 26.18°N and 91.76°E. Guwahati has humid subtropical climate with the average temperature hovering around 30[SUP]o [/SUP]C to 19[SUP]o [/SUP]C. The high humidity is inherent and often rises past 80% except during the winter season when it is dry. Summer begins in March and ends by June, which is apparently the hottest month of the year. The city receives an average annual rainfall of 1613 mm. During winters, the minimum temperature recorded is 7[SUP]o [/SUP]C. Demographics As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Guwahati in 2011 is 963,429; of which male and female are 502,255 and 461,174, respectively. The total number of literates in the city is 798,726 of which 426,401 are males while 372,325 are females. The average literacy rate is 91.11% of which male and female literacy was 92.89% and 89.16%, respectively. The sex ratio of Guwahati city is 918 per 1000 males. History of Guwahati The city of Guwahati has a long and illustrious history, which dates back to several hundreds of years. It is an ancient city that finds its mention even in the Puranas as well as in the great Indian Epic Mahabharata. The rock surfaces bear testimony that Guwahati has always been the Capital to many ancient Kingdoms. According to the Hindu mythological texts of Mahabharata mentions that Guwahati was the Kingdom Capital of mythological Kings Narakasura and Bhagadatta which reflects the antiquity of this city. Supporting this theory are the ancient Hindu Temple of Goddess Kamakhya and Navagraha Temple. Ambari, a locality in Guwahati is an important site for archaeological excavations which provides evidence that the city belonged to 6th Century A.D. In ancient times, Guwahati was known as 'Durjoya' and 'Pragjyotishpura' and the city was also a Kingdom Capital of the Varman and the Pala Dynasty. Hiuen Tsang (601-664), stated in his journal that during the reign of the greatest Varman King - Bhaskar Varman (7th Century AD), Guwahati encompassed 15 square kilometres of area and was a primary base for his mighty Naval Force comprising more than 30,000 war-boats with Captains who were well-versed with sea-routes to China via the Indian Ocean. Guwahati was a Capital of the Assam region till the 11th Century. However, with the downfall of 'Kamata' Kingdom between 12-15th century AD, the city lost its glory and became a battle-field of the resident kingdoms of 'Koch Hajo' and 'Ahom'. Mughals tried to invade into Ahom kingdom for 17 times and each time they were defeated by Ahoms army under general Bir lachit Borphukan. Between 1662-63 AD, Mir Jumla - an Iranian by birth and a prominent Governor (Subahdar) of Bengal under Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, occupied 'Garhgaon' in Assam for a year but was forced to vacate by the very capable king of Ahom Kingdom and in 1682 Mughal rule ended in Assam. In the year In 1817, the last Dynasty of Burma 'Konbaung' which was founded by King Alaungpaya, invaded Assam and made the Ahom King Chandra Kantha Singh a mere puppet-king who was supposed to work for the Burmese King. However, Chandra Kantha Singh inclined towards the British Empire which prompted the Burmese to invade Assam again. the first (of the 3) Anglo-Burmese Wars in 1826 between the British Empire and the Burmese Empire who fought for control over Northeastern India. The British won the war and total control over Assam, Manipur, Cachar, Jaintia, Arakan and Tenasserim, plus a peace 'Treaty of Yandabo' was signed by both the Empires which finally ended a war that lasted 2 years. After India’s Independence in 1947, Assam as a separate State of India with Dispur as State Capital which is within the city of Guwahati. Culture of Guwahati Guwahati being one of the largest cities of Assam displays a mix culture. The cultural museum, art gallery, Artists' Village and Heritage Park provide a glance into the culture and traditions of Assam. Assamese is the major language spoken in the city along with Hindi and English. The city displays a glimpse of the rich Assames culture and all major festivals such as Bihu and Durga Puja are celebrated with huge zest and fervor. Ambubashi Mela at Kamakhya Temple are also celebrated with great joy which attract thousands of pilgrim. Tourist Destinations in Guwahati The strategic location in the fertile Brahmaputra valley and its rich cultural heritage make it a coherent starting point for most visitors to north-east India. A trip to Guwahati is incomplete without visiting the famous Kamakhya Temple. Besides this, there are several other important tourist places that lure the tourists to the city. Some of these are: Assam Zoo or Botanical Garden Bhubaneshwari Temple Navagraha Temple Kamakhya Temple Srimanta Sarkardeva Temple Balaji Temple Umananda Temple Guwahati War Cemeteries Assam State Museum Guwahati Planetarium Regional Science Center Basistha Ashram Shankardev Kalashetra Ugra Tara Temple Accoland Transportation Air Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is situated at Borjhar, which is about 20 km west of the city centre. It is connected by major domestic airlines and helicopter services are operated from Guwahati to Shillong (30 min), Tura (50 min), Naharlagun (Itanagar), Tawang (75 min) by Pawan Hans, a helicopter service provider. Guwahati is serviced with direct flights to Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and other major cities in India by different airlines. Railways Guwahati falls under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Guwahati Junction which is the major station of Guwahati is the headquarters of the zone. Two other stations are Kamakhya Junction and New Guwahati (for freight services) located towards west and east from Guwahati respectively. Kamakhya Junction is the second largest station of the city. The city is well connected by express trains to major cities of India. Roadways National Highway 31 connects Guwahati with the states Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. National Highway 37 from Goalpara in Assam to Dimapur in Nagaland traverses the entire length of Assam and connects Guwahati with almost all the major cities of Assam including the cities of Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Bongaigaon. Three nodal points, Adabari, Paltan Bazar and ISBT Guwahati, provide bus services to towns and cities in Assam and adjoining states. Guwahati has a good public transit system and city bus service is available for going around the city and ply to most part of the city. However, the most common means of transportation within the city is by cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws.
