PRIME ATTRACTIONS
Nehru Maidan Nehru Maidan, the triangular green park
behind the tourist lodge, features a pretty little church and the small
District Museum, with old manuscripts and sculptures from both ancient and
modern times, labeled in Assamese and English.
Chitralekha Udyan
Opposite the Tourist lodge, Chitralekha Udyan, with its central lake, was
established by a British deputy commissioner in the 1800's to house
remnants of Asura's palace. The park is at its best in the early evening
when the fairy lights and pathways are lit up.
The Mahabhairav Temple
The
main market, Chowk Bazaar, is on MC Road roughly 1-km north of the tourist
lodge, with the ancient Mahabhairav temple, dedicated to an incarnation of
Shiva, still further north.
Agnigarh
1-km east along the river Brahmaputra,
the hill of Agnigarh commands great views over the town and river, and is
said to be the place where Asura imprisoned his daughter, Usha. Preserving
the sweet memory of young lovers, Agnigarh or the rampart, surrounded by
fire, is perhaps the most beautiful tourist sport of Tezpur. According to
legend princess Usha the only daughter of King Banasura was kept inside
the palace, which was surrounded by rampart of fire.
Da-Parbatia
There is little left of Da-Parbatia temple, 6-km west of town, except its
finely carved doorframe depicting Ganga and Yamuna, said to be the oldest
specimen of religious art is Assam. The ruins of
the doorframe of Da-Parbatia
Temple are perhaps the finest and oldest specimens of sculptural of
iconoclastic art in Assam. Its carving has the
characteristic of the style of early Gupta School of sculpture. The
doorjambs having two Goddesses Ganga and Yamuna standing below with
garlands in hands in artistic pose and elegance are decorated with
beautiful ornamental foliage.
Bamuni Hills
The ruins of Bamuni hills are famous for its artistic beauty. The
sculpture remains, which had been dated back to the 9th and 10th century
AD, now lie in the Cole Park and Missionary compound.
The Hazara Pukhuri
This large tank preserves the name of Harzara Varman in Tezpur and was
excavated in the early part of the 19th century. This is the third largest
tank covering an area of 70 acres.
Cole Park
It is one of the most beautiful places in the town. The park, which was
first established by a British Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Cole, is the place
for peace loving people. One can see here the two massive ornamented stone
pillars and the sculptural remains of the famous Bamuni hills.
EXCURSIONS
Bhalukpong
Bhalukpong, a beautiful picnic and angling spot was the capital of
'Bhaluka', the grandson of King Banasura. It is 64-kms from Tezpur under
the foot of Aka Hills (Arunachal
Pradesh ). Remains of old fortifications are still visible. This
picturesque place lies on the way to Bomdila in
Arunachal
Pradesh . Other attractions of Bhalukpong are a hot spring, a big
orchid garden at Tipi and the unspoilt beauty of nature.
Eco Camp
About 50-km from Tezpur, off the road to
Arunachal
Pradesh , drive over a dirt track and creaky bridges to reach the
Eco Camp, a unique experiment by the Assam anglers Association and the
state's Forest Department. The Eco Camp is near the Jia Bhoroli River and
across the river, on the other side, is the Nameri Tiger Reserve.
Bhomoraguri
A mammoth stone inscription made by the Ahom General Kalia Bhomora
Phukan, who planned to construct a bridge over Brahamputra could be seen
here. Almost two centuries later, a bridge over Brahmaputra at the same
place has now been completed. The 3.05-km bridge named after the great
Ahom general, connecting Nagaon district with Tezpur was opened for
vehicular traffic by the than Prime Minister of India Late Rajiv Gandhi on
April 3rd 1987.
The Nameri Tiger Reserve
The Nameri Tiger Reserve sprawls over from Assam into Arunachal Pradesh.
The best way of traveling here is on elephants as there are no roads
inside the park. The thick jungle, with patches of swamp, is home to a
variety of animals and birds. Among the animals that one can spot over
here include the powerful Mithun or Indian Bison and the rare white winged
Wood Duck, counted among the most endangered bird species on earth.
Orang
Wildlife Sanctuary
A miniature Kaziranga
covering an area of 72-km is only 65-km to the west of Tezpur town. The
animals to be seen in this sanctuary are One horned Rhinoceros, Buffalo,
Leopard, Sambhar, Barking Deer, Tiger, varieties of water birds, Green
Pigeon, Florican, Teal, Geese and Wild Elephant.
Kaziranga
National Park
The first national park of Assam, Kaziranga is 80-kms from Tezpur via
Kalia Bhomra Bridge. The park is world famous for its one-horned
Rhinoceros. Kaziranga is the abode of varieties of wildlife life such as
Tiger, Elephant, Indian Bison, Buffalo, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Hog-Badger,
Cap Langur, Hillock Gibbon, Swamp Deer, Sambhar, Hog Deer, Barking Deer,
Sloth Bear, Goose, Hornbill, Ebisse, Cormorant, Egret, Heron, Fishing
Eagle and Pelican.
HOW TO GET THERE
Air: The nearest airport is Saloni about 10-km from
Tezpur.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Rangapara 60-kms from
Bhalukpong and 65-km from
Orang Wildlife
Sanctuary.
Road: The state bus stand has ASTC buses to
Guwahati via
Kaziranga
continuing to either Tinsukia or Dibrugarh. Other services run to
Sibsagar, Shillong and Siliguri. APSTS
buses run to Itanagar and Bomdila via Bhalukpong. Private bus companies
also operate from opposite side of the state bus stand and run luxury
buses to the same destinations once or twice daily.
WHERE TO STAY
Assam Tourism Department has well furnished tourist lodge
with modern amenities for accommodation purpose. Circuit House, Dak
Bungalow and a number of hotels also offer comfortable accommodation with
reasonable tariff.
FOR MORE TOURIST INFORMATION
Bus Stand:
Tezpur's ASTC (State) bus stand, KK Road
Tourism Offices:
The Tourist Office, located in the Tourist Lodge on KP Agarwalla Road in
the centre of town.
Post & Telegraph :
The GPO is on Head Post Office Road parallel to the main road.
Bank:
State Bank of India is situated near the state bus stand, but it does not
change foreign currency.
NEARBY CITIES
Bamuni Hills: 5-km
Saloni: 10-km
Bhalukpong: 64-km
Jia Bhorali: 50-km
Orang: 65-km
Kaziranga:
80-km
Rangapara: 124-km
Guwahati: 181-km
Amid
tea gardens and military
cantonments on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, 181-km northeast of
Guwahati, the pleasant little town of
Tezpur, built around several lakes, stands on the site of Sonitpur.
Undulated green valleys surrounded by hills of Arunachal Pradesh, with
snow capped peaks of Himalayas as the northern backdrop, lush green tea
gardens and magnificent archaeological ruins have all contributed to make
Tezpur a tourist's delight.