Places to Visit in Guwahati

In this post, I will explain everything about the best places to visit in Guwahati, and the nearby places to visit Guwahati. After reading this article, you can plan a sightseeing trip to Guwahati.

About Guwahati

Before talking about places to visit in Guwahati, I feel the urge of sharing a piece of brief information about Guwahati. It is the capital city of the state of Assam which is the largest metropolis in the North East region. Guwahati city is located on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river, with beautiful hills and mountains.

Again, the city is also known as the ‘Gateway to North East India’. It provides access to all the seven sister states of the North East region.

City of Temples:

Guwahati city is also known as the ‘City of Temples‘ that attracts visitors and tourists to visit the list of ancient Hindu Temples like;

• The Kamakhya Temple
• Ugratara Temple
• Basistha Temple
• Doul Govinda Temple
• Umananda Temple
• Navagraha Temple
• Sukreswar Temple
• Rudreswar Temple
• Manikarneswar Temple
• Aswaklanta Temple
• Dirgheshwari Temple
• Asvakranta Temple
• Lankeshwar Temple
• Bhubaneswari Temple
• Shree Ganesh Mandir
• Shree Panchayatana Temple, etc.

Places to Visit in Guwahati – Temples, Hindu Pilgrim Sites in Assam.

Hence, let’s begin our Guwahati Tour with the famous Hindu temples and pilgrim sites in Assam. We will also discuss the best time for devotees to visit and the activity schedules of those temples.

While talking about temples in Guwahati, you may ask a question, Which is the most famous temple in Guwahati? The Kamakhya Temple is the famous temple in Guwahati.

1. Kamakhya Temple

When you talk about the famous temple in Guwahati, The name that appears in mind is the Kamakhya temple or Kameswari temple. The Kamakhya temple is in the heart of the Nilachal Hills, standing on the bank of the Brahmaputra river in the western part of Guwahati city.

Why Kamakhya Temple is so famous?

The Kamakhya temple is famous because of many reasons:

• Kamakhya temple is the most sacred and oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas on the planet earth.
• It is the focal point of widely practiced and powerful Tantrik Saktism culture in India.
• The temple is built in the 8th-9th century with many subsequent rebuildings.
• Center of the Kulachara Tantra Marga
• An important pilgrimage destination
• Place of an annual Hindu gathering called Ambubachi Mela – A festival that celebrates the menstruation of the goddess.
• The Kamakhya temple is surrounded by 6 individual temples and 8 monuments.

Above all, the main temple is in the mids of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas of Saktism. The name are Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika.

Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi, and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples. Temples for individual Mahavidyas together as a group, as found in the complex, are rare and uncommon.

Interestingly, the remarks and mentions of the temple have been found in the Pillar engraving of Gupta ruler Samudragupta.

Places to visit inside Kamakhya temple

By the time you reach the Kamakhya Temple, you can visit some other temples. Kamakhya is famous for some other temples. The temple names are Devi’s Dashamahavidya temples, temples of Lord Shiva, MahaKali, Tara, Maa Bhubaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumawati, Bagalamukhi, and Matangi & Kamala. More about Kamakhya Temple

How to Reach Kamkhya Temple?

Airways connectivity: The LGBI Airport (Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport), is about 20 kilometers west of the city center. From the airport, you can book a taxi/cab or board a bus to get to the city center or to your hotel.

Railway / Train connectivity: Kamakhya Station is the second largest station in the city and is nearest to Kamakhya Devalaya. From the railway station, you can hire a cab/taxi or board a local bus to get to the city center or to your hotel.

Road Connectivity: Guwahati is well connected with the adjoining cities and states through bus service. The three nodal points connected to the city bus route are Adabari, Paltan Bazar, and ISBT Guwahati. You can easily take a bus or book a cab to reach Kamakhya Temple.

Umananda Temple

Umananda Temple also known as Umananda Devaloi is located on Umananda Island. This island is also known as Peacock Island, the smallest riverine island in the world. This is a beautiful destination for devotees of lord Shiva and also for the general tourist.

Meanwhile, you reach there you will find yourself in the middle of the river Brahmaputra. The temple is located just opposite the Cachari Gahat and the Deputy commissioner’s office of the Kamrup district. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Guwahati city from the river Brahmaputra itself.

Why Umananda temple is famous?

In brief, Umananda temple is famous for its name and location of the temple. It is located on an island which is the temple of Lord Shiva. He created this island to make his spouse happy. So, the word ‘Uma’ is the name of his spouse, and the word ‘Anand’ means ‘happy’ in Assames language. So, this place is called Umananda.

Besides that, Umananda the smallest river island in the world looks like the splayed feathers of a peacock. The British people named the island peacock island as it looks like the splayed feathers of a peacock.

In a word, Kama’s arrows interrupted Lord Shiva during his penance here. So Shiva became angry and burnt him to ashes with his blazing third eye. So this hill is named Bhasmachal or Bhasmakut. Also, there is a Kund near this island called Urvasi Kund. It is believed that the divine Lady Urvasi staying here brings Amrit(nectar) to Goddess Kamakhya for Her enjoyment.

How to reach Umananda Temple?

So, to reach Umananda Temple, First, you have to go to the Umananda Ghat or Cachari Ghat by cab. You can book a cab/ Ola / Ober directly from the Airport / Railway Station / Inter-State Bus Terminus or from the hotel. Once you reach Umananda Ghat or Cachari Ghat, choose any of the following three options.

How to reach Umananda Island?

Basically, You can hire a country Boat to reach Umananda Island. The easiest and fastest way to reach Umananda is to hire a country boat available on the bank of the river Brahmaputra. The main advantage of hiring a country boat is that you don’t have to wait for the scheduled time of departure and fulfilling the occupancy of the total seating capacity. You can simply hire it individually or with a small group of people.

But you should confirm the availability of river safety measures like flotation devices, life jackets, and distress signal devices.

Alternatively, Use Private Ferry Services to reach Umananda Island temple. There are some private ferry services available that you can also take to get to Umananda Temple. You should confirm the availability of river safety measures like flotation devices, life jackets, and distress signal devices.

And, Preferably use the Ferry service provided by Inland Water Transport to reach Umananda Island. This is the only reliable means of transport to reach the temple though it will make you wait for the scheduled departure time.

But It has approximately all the river safety measures available like flotation devices, life jackets, distress signal devices, and expert crew services. The best idea is that you can book a ticket from the Inland Water Transport Service website.

How much for the private ferry ride to Umananda temple?

Basically, the private ferry rides charge an amount of rupees 100/- to Rs. 250/- per head. But the ferry service run by the Inland Water Transport Service charges Rs. 20/- per head. The ferry starts from Kachari ghat and is quite regular after 10 AM and it takes only around 10 minutes to go to the island.

An alternate arrangement seems to be there at the Jolpoorie ghat where the charges are around Rs 200 per person two-ways and the timings stretch up to 6 PM but I didn’t avail of this facility.

Remember that the ferry service stops at the city end at 4:45 PM and at 5:00 PM at Temple end.

Basisths Temple, one of the best places to visit in Guwahati

In short, the Basistha temple or Basistha Ashram Temple is a famous Vedic age temple, built by the great saint Basistha (Vasistha). It is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sage, one of the Saptarshis (seven great rishis).

Again, Basistha temple is one of the famous Shiva mandirs in Guwahati, located in the southeast corner of Guwahati city. The temple is standing on the bank of beautiful streams originating from the Meghalaya hills. These streams became the river Basistha flowing through different places to visit in Guwahati as Bahini / Bharalu and meet the river Brahmaputra.

Basistha Ashram

Basically, this ashram was the home of the sage Basistha. Inside this ashram temple, there is a cave still available where the Muni Vasistha used to meditate long back. The ashram is very close to the Garbhanga Reserve Forest, which is a famous place to visit in Guwahati for elephants, a waterfall, and a proposed butterfly reserve.

Although there was an ancient temple built with stones which are of around 1000 – 1100 CE. The Ahom King, Swargdeo Rajeswar Singa rebuilt this temple on the remains of the stone temple with bricks in the mid-18th century. The temple is famous for its shape as an octagonal temple with polygonal sikhara on it.

How to reach Basistha Ashram

Basistha Ashram is located in Guwahati, Assam, India. Here are some ways to reach the ashram:

• By Air: The nearest airport is Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. From there, you can hire a taxi or take a bus to reach the ashram.
• By Train: Guwahati Railway Station is the nearest railway station to Basistha Ashram. From there, you can hire a taxi or take a bus to reach the ashram.
• By Bus: Basistha Ashram is well connected by road. You can take a bus from Guwahati to the ashram.
• By Taxi: Taxis are easily available in Guwahati. You can hire a taxi to reach the ashram.

Once you reach Basistha Chariali Bus Stand, you can follow the direction given below, or you can ask for directions to Basistha Ashram. It is located on the outskirts of the city, in the hills, and is a popular destination for tourists and spiritual seekers.

Natural Places to visit in

Conclusion

Finally, I hope, this article will help you plan an amazing trip to visit Guwahati. I write regularly about tourist places around and if you have any questions, you can text me in the comment and I will get back to you soon.