PERSPECTIVES
Every place has its own charm but as is said:"Beauty lies in the
eyes of the beholder". While the youngsters might prefer a bustling town
with a great night life, the older might just seek solitude in a quiet place
away from the humdrum of the city. But again, its not just the age but a wide
variety of factors that play a part. For instance, whether you are on an
educational tour, on a honeymoon or just taking a break alone.
My trip to Tezpur is a perfect example of this. Although being in our early 20's, we have a penchant for the so called "cool" places, but that trip was supposed to be a journey to the unknown India's past. Places like Delhi and Rajasthan are common destination for people with the same objective that we had, but we wanted to try something different. That exactly is what the travel agents and websites should tap in the holiday season or in any season for that matter. The reason being that, there are a lot of people like me who seek the unknown and the not-so-famous lands. You will find a zillion websites taking you to Shimla and Mussourie but how many have heard of Tawang and Roing ?
Tezpur is the historical capital of Assam apart from being a hub of the Indian army. In essence, it has a mix of both the old and new worlds and is a perfect holiday destination for the travel salesman to tap.
My trip to Tezpur is a perfect example of this. Although being in our early 20's, we have a penchant for the so called "cool" places, but that trip was supposed to be a journey to the unknown India's past. Places like Delhi and Rajasthan are common destination for people with the same objective that we had, but we wanted to try something different. That exactly is what the travel agents and websites should tap in the holiday season or in any season for that matter. The reason being that, there are a lot of people like me who seek the unknown and the not-so-famous lands. You will find a zillion websites taking you to Shimla and Mussourie but how many have heard of Tawang and Roing ?
Tezpur is the historical capital of Assam apart from being a hub of the Indian army. In essence, it has a mix of both the old and new worlds and is a perfect holiday destination for the travel salesman to tap.
PICTURE PERFECT
There is no dearth of picture perfect locations in Tezpur. Be it the stone garden of Kanaklata Udyan or the biological gardens in Agnigarh,Tezpur is the place to be for photography enthusiasts apart from the regular travellers. It is not called the "City of love" for no reason.
We were lucky to experience both sunshine and rainfall in our 3 days of stay there. Hence we were able to catch the glimpse of the beauty of Agnigarh in all its glory as the sunshine fell on the variety of beautiful plants there as well as the raindrops glistening on the rocks of Kanaklata Udyan.
But it is advisable to visit the places during the day as only a few remain open at night and the lighting is not that good. After all it is a quiet town on the banks of the Brahmaputra... which reminds me of the snaps we took of the mighty river as we passed over the Kaliabhomora bridge. Dawn or dusk is the perfect time for taking pictures of the Brahmaputra just before the glowing sun vanishes in the horizon.
But the one place I really liked was Podum-pukhuri which translated into english means "the lotus pond." Not there were many lotuses there but we enjoyed boating as a cool breeze blew in the evening and a huge crowd of boaters went buzzing around us. Although darkness had fallen already, but the lights from the nearby bank where we got our tickets just provided us with enough scope to take snaps of the life around us. While in all our visits so far, we had taken pictures of the nature from the flowers and birds of Agnigarh to the broad expanse of the Brahmaputra to the gigantic rocks of Kanaklata Udyan to the ruins of Da-parbatia, it was the first time we got an opportunity to click the people around us with all their life and exuberance.
A couple of other locations where you can try your hand at photography are the old railway station with its meter gauge, the pond of Hajara-Pukhuri, the rock inscription of Rudrapad and of course Ganesh-ghat with its crowd of the religious and the agnostics; the first group coming to pray and the second loitering around in the riverbank for not so noble reasons. But one thing for sure, each of these places has its own old world charm and is a paradise for any sane photographer.
SMELLS AND TASTES
There is no dearth of hotels but here is the only con of this beautiful town.....very few are of a good standard. And the 3 star "KRC Palace" is not everybody's cup of tea. But if you are ready to compromise on the lodging part, you can feast on a wide variety of sumptuous meals that the land of Assam has to offer. There are a lot of eateries scattered across the town which provide meals ranging from north-Indian to chinese to delicious local dishes.
If you are not that much into experimenting, you can try Vegie-food or Delight(which is the best bakery in town apart from providing fast food as well). For those with the sweet tooth, KF if recommended. Apart from Delight Bakery, KF is the only place that offers the most delicious pastries and cakes and the good news is that it has two joints in Tezpur,one only serving pastries and sweets and the other providing chinese and indian foods as well.
But for the food-maniacs like my friend Rakesh, I would strongly recommend the local "pitha". Though the pithas are generally made during "Bihu", but you will find a whole lot of extremely courteous and friendly locals who will be ever eager to let you try their varieties of pithas. Honestly, no trip to Assam can be complete without tasting them and the taste will hang on to your tongue long after you have left the beautiful state far behind you.
And of course, not to forget all those roadside vendors selling everything under the sun from "jhalmuri" to noodlesand fried eggs. Trust me you are gonna love it.
There is no dearth of picture perfect locations in Tezpur. Be it the stone garden of Kanaklata Udyan or the biological gardens in Agnigarh,Tezpur is the place to be for photography enthusiasts apart from the regular travellers. It is not called the "City of love" for no reason.
We were lucky to experience both sunshine and rainfall in our 3 days of stay there. Hence we were able to catch the glimpse of the beauty of Agnigarh in all its glory as the sunshine fell on the variety of beautiful plants there as well as the raindrops glistening on the rocks of Kanaklata Udyan.
But it is advisable to visit the places during the day as only a few remain open at night and the lighting is not that good. After all it is a quiet town on the banks of the Brahmaputra... which reminds me of the snaps we took of the mighty river as we passed over the Kaliabhomora bridge. Dawn or dusk is the perfect time for taking pictures of the Brahmaputra just before the glowing sun vanishes in the horizon.
But the one place I really liked was Podum-pukhuri which translated into english means "the lotus pond." Not there were many lotuses there but we enjoyed boating as a cool breeze blew in the evening and a huge crowd of boaters went buzzing around us. Although darkness had fallen already, but the lights from the nearby bank where we got our tickets just provided us with enough scope to take snaps of the life around us. While in all our visits so far, we had taken pictures of the nature from the flowers and birds of Agnigarh to the broad expanse of the Brahmaputra to the gigantic rocks of Kanaklata Udyan to the ruins of Da-parbatia, it was the first time we got an opportunity to click the people around us with all their life and exuberance.
A couple of other locations where you can try your hand at photography are the old railway station with its meter gauge, the pond of Hajara-Pukhuri, the rock inscription of Rudrapad and of course Ganesh-ghat with its crowd of the religious and the agnostics; the first group coming to pray and the second loitering around in the riverbank for not so noble reasons. But one thing for sure, each of these places has its own old world charm and is a paradise for any sane photographer.
SMELLS AND TASTES
There is no dearth of hotels but here is the only con of this beautiful town.....very few are of a good standard. And the 3 star "KRC Palace" is not everybody's cup of tea. But if you are ready to compromise on the lodging part, you can feast on a wide variety of sumptuous meals that the land of Assam has to offer. There are a lot of eateries scattered across the town which provide meals ranging from north-Indian to chinese to delicious local dishes.
If you are not that much into experimenting, you can try Vegie-food or Delight(which is the best bakery in town apart from providing fast food as well). For those with the sweet tooth, KF if recommended. Apart from Delight Bakery, KF is the only place that offers the most delicious pastries and cakes and the good news is that it has two joints in Tezpur,one only serving pastries and sweets and the other providing chinese and indian foods as well.
But for the food-maniacs like my friend Rakesh, I would strongly recommend the local "pitha". Though the pithas are generally made during "Bihu", but you will find a whole lot of extremely courteous and friendly locals who will be ever eager to let you try their varieties of pithas. Honestly, no trip to Assam can be complete without tasting them and the taste will hang on to your tongue long after you have left the beautiful state far behind you.
And of course, not to forget all those roadside vendors selling everything under the sun from "jhalmuri" to noodlesand fried eggs. Trust me you are gonna love it.
ADRENALINEEveryone can try their hands on 'boating' when in Tezpur. From the small
motor-driven boats of Podum-pukhuri to the old oar-driven ones of Brahmaputra.
Although, Podum-pukhuri is in the heart of the town, but if you want to
experience the waves of the brahmaputra, you will have to go a bit further away
near Kaliabhomora bridge or Silghat. Although there is very little chance the
boatman will hand over the oars to you ,at least you can experience the mode of
communication that your forefathers not so long ago used to cross the rivers
and which is still used by the small-scale fisherman.
Besides, if you like the idea of an empty road where you can accelerate to your heart's content and push the speedometer of your car or bike to the limit, well Tezpur is the place for you my friend. The town sleeps early but you need not do so. Go out on a long drive to the outskirts of the town to over the Kaliabhomora and you are gonna love it. The thrill you feel as you bolt through the darkness all around you on the solitary road is hard to explain in words.
One location for the safari lovers is the Orang National Park which is an hour's drive from the town( though it depends on who is driving). You need not be a wildlife lover to fall in love with the jungle and the rare species of birds and animals around you. It is the experience of a lifetime.
ROMANCE
Well you might wonder what is in this quiet distant place for lovebirds like you but don't ponder even a moment more over it. Tezpur is the epitome of love. Even the origin of the name Tezpur has its roots in love and the struggles that come with it. It is the place where the evil "Banasur" had taken Lord Krishna's grandson Aniruddha prisoner when he fell in love with Banasur's daughter Usha. The battle that took place after that between banasur's army and Krishna left the whole town red with blood which gave the place the name-"Tezpur" meaning "City of blood".
So you if you are visiting with your lover, take her to Agnigarh which stands as a memory to that epic battle and signifies the victory of love over hatred. The small hill with the beautiful flowers and trees around provides a serene backdrop for love stories.
Apart from Agnigarh, you can go boating in Podum-pukhuri or watch the sunrise and sunset over the Brahmaputra. In the evening, go strolling the quiet roads holding hands and experience the best time of your life.
POCKET-PROTECTIONTezpur is a very safe place, infact one of the safest in Assam what with the Army headquarters situated there. Besides, the locals are very friendly as well and crooks are an extinct species apart from some eve-teasers who are omnipresent infront of the cinemas. So in a nutshell, yhere is very little chance of yours getting ripped of unless you had been living under a rock this long. And as for lodging facilities, as I have already mentioned you can choose depending on your purse from the 3 star "KRC palace" to the moderate "Park". But of course, one rule that apllies everywhere(which I have come to propound based on my experiences) is that never ask the rickshaw-pullers or auto/taxi-drivers to take you to a decent place as it will be anything but decent. So go around and look for yourself, it won't take long as it is a small place and of course you have my little discourse to help you. And for food of course, as I have written you will be spoilt for choice but then again try to prepone your dinner a bit as the town sleep early!
Besides, if you like the idea of an empty road where you can accelerate to your heart's content and push the speedometer of your car or bike to the limit, well Tezpur is the place for you my friend. The town sleeps early but you need not do so. Go out on a long drive to the outskirts of the town to over the Kaliabhomora and you are gonna love it. The thrill you feel as you bolt through the darkness all around you on the solitary road is hard to explain in words.
One location for the safari lovers is the Orang National Park which is an hour's drive from the town( though it depends on who is driving). You need not be a wildlife lover to fall in love with the jungle and the rare species of birds and animals around you. It is the experience of a lifetime.
ROMANCE
Well you might wonder what is in this quiet distant place for lovebirds like you but don't ponder even a moment more over it. Tezpur is the epitome of love. Even the origin of the name Tezpur has its roots in love and the struggles that come with it. It is the place where the evil "Banasur" had taken Lord Krishna's grandson Aniruddha prisoner when he fell in love with Banasur's daughter Usha. The battle that took place after that between banasur's army and Krishna left the whole town red with blood which gave the place the name-"Tezpur" meaning "City of blood".
So you if you are visiting with your lover, take her to Agnigarh which stands as a memory to that epic battle and signifies the victory of love over hatred. The small hill with the beautiful flowers and trees around provides a serene backdrop for love stories.
Apart from Agnigarh, you can go boating in Podum-pukhuri or watch the sunrise and sunset over the Brahmaputra. In the evening, go strolling the quiet roads holding hands and experience the best time of your life.
POCKET-PROTECTIONTezpur is a very safe place, infact one of the safest in Assam what with the Army headquarters situated there. Besides, the locals are very friendly as well and crooks are an extinct species apart from some eve-teasers who are omnipresent infront of the cinemas. So in a nutshell, yhere is very little chance of yours getting ripped of unless you had been living under a rock this long. And as for lodging facilities, as I have already mentioned you can choose depending on your purse from the 3 star "KRC palace" to the moderate "Park". But of course, one rule that apllies everywhere(which I have come to propound based on my experiences) is that never ask the rickshaw-pullers or auto/taxi-drivers to take you to a decent place as it will be anything but decent. So go around and look for yourself, it won't take long as it is a small place and of course you have my little discourse to help you. And for food of course, as I have written you will be spoilt for choice but then again try to prepone your dinner a bit as the town sleep early!
SOUVENIRS
The memory of the place is the greatest souvenir you can take with you. It will always be etched fresh in your memory.Of course, for the more materialistic amongst you, you can buy the "Phulon-gamusa" which is more than just a gamusa(towel) but a significant symbol of Assamese culture. Then there is the "jhapi" and the "mekhela". I won't disclose what they are. Go find out for yourself. After all it is best that some things are unknown as otherwise, what is the point of travelling?
Posted by:
Surojit ChakrabortyB.Tech in computer science from BIT, Kolkata
Post-graduation: Currently pursuing MHRM in IIT Kharagpur.
More a writer than a blogger.
Surojit has travelled widely across the north-east
Contact:9681739832
surochak5@gmail.com
Post-graduation: Currently pursuing MHRM in IIT Kharagpur.
More a writer than a blogger.
Surojit has travelled widely across the north-east
Contact:9681739832
surochak5@gmail.com
