Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary : 176 km from Guwahati, nestling against Himalayan foot hills. Sanctuary harbours rhinoceros, ele- phants, various species of deer, rare apes and birds. Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary : 430 sq.km park. Chief sanctu- ary of one (rhinoceros unicornis) homed rhino, habitat of deer, elephants, bears, leopards, tigers & reptiles. 217 km from Guwahati airport, 56 km from Jorhat airport. Barpeta : 145 km from Guwahati famous for its Yaishnava mon- astery. Shrine of Shri. Madhavdeva, a Vaishnavaite reformer. Dananga : 80 km from Guwahati. Great winter trading area for Bhutias mountain folk. Tezpur : Once known as Sanitpur ruled by the Asura King Bana. His daughter Usha fell in love with Aniruddha, grandson of Sri Krishna. Ruins of fort, several other temples of unique antiquity. Sibsagar : Once capital of Ahom Kings. 3 temples on huge Jay Sagar tank dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva and Durga. Jorhat : Gateway to the north-eastern part of Assam. Digboi : Oil town. The Assam Oil Refinery was built here in 1889.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

In the extreme north-east of India, Arunachal Pradesh is a mountainous, remote and predominantly tribal area bordering on Bhutan, China and Burma. Bomdila: Headquarters of Kameng district, town at an altitude of 8000 feet. Scenic beauty & Buddhist temple. Museum of folk arts. Sylvan paradise, ruins of palaces and temples. Parasuram Kund: In Lohit district - pool, place of pilgrimage. Tawang Buddhist Monastery : In wooded Kameng district, 4th century old Buddhist monastery on 3048 metre plateau. Largest Buddhist monastery in India. Malinithan : Complex of ancient temples. Siang district. Bhishmakanagar : Legendary King Bhishmaka's citadel. Situ- ated at the foot of Mushmi hills. Ruins of an ancient Shiva temple.

Namadapha Wildlife Sanctuary : Tirap district. Itanagar : Excavated ruins of historical Ita fort.

BIHAR

ASSAM

Bihar is rich in places of historical and religious interest: It was the seat of the Mauryan empire, the greatest India has known, the Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and Mahavira, the founder of Jainism was born at Vaishali. India's steel towns, Jam- shedpur and Bokaro are located in Bihar. Patna : Ancient name Pataliputra, once the capital of ancient Mauryan empire. The city is situated on the Ganges river. The main market area is Ashok Rajpath. Monghyr : Capital of Mir Kasim, the last Nawab of Bengal. Moghul Fort with a beautiful Hindu temple inside it. Palamau National Park at Betla : 150 km south of Ranchi. Tiger reserve. Famous for sal forests. Best time to visit Oct- March. Netar Hat : Known as Queen of Chota Nagpur hills. 156km from Ranchi. Quiet and peaceful hill station. Gaya : Is second only to Varanasi in its sanctity for Hindus and pilgrims believe that offering Pindas (funeral cake) here will free their ancestors from bondage to the earth. The sacred foot print of Vishnu preserved in Vishnupad temple. Bodh Gaya : 14 km south of Gaya. The Buddha meditated under a peepal (Ficus religiosa) tree here and attained enlightenment. Nearby is the Lotus Pond in which the Buddha bathed. The pyramidal Mahabodhi temple unique in Buddhist architecture has a huge gilded image of the Buddha and a richly carved gateway. There is a Tibetan monastery with a large Dharma Chakra or the wheel of law inside. Vaishali : 44 km north of Patna, birth place of Mahavira, founder of Jainism and 24th Tirthankara. In 383 A.D. the second Buddhist council met here and two stupas were erected to commemorate the event.

Assam is a major tea-producing area, (there are nearly 800 tea estates) and also produces a large proportion of India’s oil. Guwahati : "Pragjyotishpur" or city of Eastern Astrology (centre for study of astrology) in remote past. Largest town of Assam on the banks of Brahmaputra. Vasishta Ashram : Great sage Vnsishta had his ashram here. Three streams - Sandhya, Lalitha & Kanta - flow close by giving the spot a unique beauty. Pilgrim & picnic spot. Janardhan temple : Temple atop hillock. Deity is Buddha indicat- ing assimilation of Buddhism in Hinduism. Kamakshya temple : Situated on Nilachala hill just 5km from Guwahati. Presiding deity of Tantrik cult, centre for Shakti wor- ship. Umananda temple : Situated on an island in the middle of river Brahmaputra, temple dedicated to Shiva has rock-cut figures of gods and goddesses on its walls. Navagraha Temple : Located to the west of Chitrachal hill. Temple of nine planets. Astronomical & astrological research centre. Hajo : 24 km from Guwahati, place of pilgrimage for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. Legend says Buddha attained Nirvana here. Pao Mecca Mosque, considered to have one quarter (pao) the sanctity of the great mosque at Mecca. Sulakashi : 24km from Guwahati, village famous for producing the Endi, Muga and Pat silks of Assam.