Kamrup metropolitan

 

Kamrup Metropolitan district comprising the metropolitan city of Guwahati was created after the 2011 census. Guwahati is not just Assam’s largest city, it is the gateway to Northeast India for providing the best connectivity to other states in the region and the world beyond. The town derives its name from two Asomiya words – guwa or a areca nut and haat or the weekly market, thus tracing its origins to a time when it was a trading post on the Brahmaputra.

To the spiritually oriented, Guwahati is home to the goddess Kamakhya. To the history buffs, it stands on the very spot where the brave people of this great land thwarted the mighty Mughal army in the battle of Saraighat in 1671.

Guwahati is commercially and spatially one of the fastest growing cities in India. It is an investment destination for major global brands, the 260 sq km Guwahati provides a window to a market of 60 million people comprising seven Northeast states and adjoining countries such as Bhutan. The city’s strategic location makes it the focal point of India’s Look East policy that envisages the Northeast as a bridge between Southeast Asia and the rest of the country. Few cities in India can match Guwahati’s natural attributes. It is woven around 11 forest reserves, several wetlands and hills ranges, one of which houses the ancient Kamakhya Temple. One of the longest surviving cities in the Indian subcontinent, Guwahati’s graph started rising after the capital was shifted to Dispur, now a part of the city, from Shillong in 1972. At Guwahati’s heart is an epic tank named Dighalipukhuri, so named because of its elongated (dighal) shape, this tank is believed to be linked with river Brahmaputra via underground tunnels. Legend has it that king Bhagadatta had this tank carved out in honour of his son-in-law and Kaurava prince Duryodhana. The other tanks are Nagkata or Nagkata Pukhuri, Jorpukhuri, meaning a pair of ponds (adjacent to Ugratara temple) and Silpukhuri. Nagkata Pukhuri derives its name from the custom of serpent worship, prevalent in medieval Assam. Its origin can be traced back to the days of the Ahom king, Swargadeo Pramatta Singha (1744-1751). Silpukhuri derives its present name from a stone (sil) inscription found on its banks, in Sanskrit, but written in Ahomiya alphabets. The inscription mentions that the pond was excavated by Tarun Duwara Phukan in 1753 AD, during the reign of Swargadeo Rajeshwar Singha (1751-1769). The pond now stands in the middle of Guwahati's business district, surrounded by bustling shops and high-rise residential buildings. Led by Kamakhya, Guwahati has an array of ancient and medieval temples, 19th century mosques, churches and gurudwaras. One of the modern additions is Balaji temple, the showpiece of South Indian cultural influence in Assam. KAMAKHYA TEMPLE The most important Hindu pilgrimage in Assam is the Kamakhya temple atop Nilachal Hills, home to many ancient temples, in the western part of Guwahati. A 3-km winding road takes the devotee up to the temple complex, where Mother Goddess is worshipped in the yoni form inside the sanctum sanctorum that is a cave with rock stairs. Kamakhya temple is considered the greatest of all the saktipithas in India. Around this shrine small township of Kamakhya has sprung up. NABAGRAHA TEMPLE Nabagraha Temple is one of two in India dedicated to astronomy and astrology. It is located on Chitrachal hill in the south-eastern part of the Guwahati city. The temple contains nine phallic emblems of Shiva covered with cloths of different colours sacred to the nine planetary gods, namely, Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangala (Mars), Buddha (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu. Worship of planets to ward off evil is prevalent here. SUKRESWAR & JANARDAN These two temples are located in the heart of Guwahati were built during the reign of Swargadev Pramatta Sinha (AD 1744-51). The temple of Lord shiva is situted on the Brahmachal or Dakini hill as mentioned in the ancient scriptures. It is famous for the 6th Jyotirlinga of India. Quite a large number of visitiors from all over India visit this holy shrine. Just below the hill the North Brook Gate is situated which was built to welcome the Viceroy of India, North Brooke during the British Raj. CHRIST CHURCH Christ Church is one of the earliest churches in northeast India. It was consecrated in 1859 by Reverend Daniel Wilson Bishop of Kolkata. The original structure collapsed in an earthquake in 1856 and was rebuilt in 1861. Barely four decades later it was destroyed once again in the earthquake of 1897 only to be rebuilt again in 1901. GUWAHATI TEA AUCTION CENTRE The world’s largest CTC tea auction centre, it was established in 1970. It handles much of the tea business in Assam that produces 55% of India’s tea and accounts for 80% of the country’s tea exports. SRIMANTA SANKARDEVA KALAKSHETRA Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra on the southern edge of Guwahati is a microcosm of Assam’s cultural diversity named after Srimanta Sankardeva the great unifier of Assam and the greatest integrator of the India Society in the fifteen century. This cultural centre off ers the A-Z of customs and traditions of various communities that have shaped Assam. It also has an amphitheatre for cultural pursuits, recreation and fun rides for children. It was formally inaugurated in February 1999.