TOURISM
Tezpur -City of
Eternal
Romance |
Wild Life Trail
| Outside Tezpur
Exclusive Articles
: Vision
Document |
Eco-tourism Project
Archaeology
| Welcome to Sonitpur- a land of natural beauty, ancient monuments and rich culturalheritage.Tezpur is an important tourist destination with beautiful parks, temples and ancient monuments . | |
Tezpur - 'City of
Eternal Romance'
Situated on the
northern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra, Tezpur also known in the ancient
days as Sonitpur- is a serene quite town, famous for its beautiful parks ,
ancient Hindu temples
and archaeological ruins steeped in mythology, legend and folklore.
One can either avail the package tours provided by private tour operators or can contact the Tourist Information Officer , Tezpur, Tourist Lodge .(phone- 91-03712-21016)
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Chitralekha
Udyan (Cole Park) It is, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful places in Tezpur. Established by a British Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Cole in 1906, the park has two massive ornamented stone pillars, and other sculptural remnants . It was recently renovated and revitalized in 1996 under the stewardship of the then Deputy Commissioner, Mr. M.G.V.K.Bhanu, IAS. |
| Agnigarh This hillock on bank of river Brahmaputra is the site of legendary romance of princess Usha (the only daughter of king Bana) and Anirudha, grand son of lord Krishna. Usha was kept on this hillock which was surrounded by fire, hence the name of Agnigarh. Agnigarh provides a panoramic view of the great river and Tezpur. Recently Agnigarh has been developed as a beautiful park by district administration. It has a series of sculptures depicting the mythology ,open air stage, giant mushrooms and huge water fall . |
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Padum Pukhuri This is a beautiful lake with an island. The island has been developed into a beautiful park with a musical fountain. There is an iron bridge to take you to the island. On the lake one can boat. |
District Museum at Dak Bungalow
Dak Bungalow is an old and beautiful British era building in heart of the town. Recently it has been renovated and now houses the District Museum.
Ouguri hill
Ouguri
hill on bank of Brahmaputra river provides breath taking view of
the
mighty river and Tezpur town. There are huge rocks on the top of the
hill which add to the beauty of the hill. These rocks provide facility for
rock climbing. There is a giant statue of Kanaklata, legendary martyr
of Quit India movement of 1942,on the top of the hill. Recently district
administration started developing the hill in to a beautiful park.
Trimurty
Udyan
This is a
park along Borpukhuri. This has been named after the three jewels of
Assamese culture: Rupkowar Jyoti
Prasad Agarwalla, Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha and Natasurjya Phani Sarmah.
The
Hazara Pukhuri
It is a large tank
in name of Harjar Varman in Tezpur. It was excavated in the early part of
the 9th century.
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Bamuni
Hills
The ruins of Bamuni Hills are famous for their exemplary artistic finesse. The sculptural remains date back to the ninth and tenth century A.D. |
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Da
Parbatia Ruins of the door frame of Da Parbatia temple, a few kilometres away from Tezpur, is perhaps the finest and oldest specimen of sculptural art in Assam. Its carving is characteristic of the early Gupta school of sculpture. |
Mahabhairab Temple
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The ancient temple of Mahabhairab stands to the north of Tezpur town. This temple is believed to have been established by king Bana with a Siva lingam. Formerly, this temple was built of stone but the present one is built of concrete. During the later years, the Ahom kings donated devottar land for the Temple and Pujaris and Paiks were appointed to look after the temple. The responsibility of management was in the hands of a Bordoloi or Borthakur .But now the affairs of the temple is managed by the Government through a managing committee headed by Deputy Commissioner. Sivaratri is celebrated in the Temple in a big manner. |
Haleswar
It is 10 km to the north of Tezpur, near Tezpur- Balipara
main road. A linga was found by a cultivator ( Hallowa) while he was ploughing
in the field. A temple was constructed initially on this linga. Later , the Ahom
King Rudra Singha constructed the temple in 1705 AD.
Rudrapada Temple
To the east of Tezpur town, on the bank of river Brahmaputra the Rudrapada
temple is situated. It is believed that Rudra ( Lord Shiva ) had left the print
of his left foot (pada) on a stone found in the temple. It is believed that Mahadeva
showed his real self to king Bana here. Rudrapada temple was later built by Siva
Singha in the year 1730 A.D. The main temple was destroyed, due to erosion of
river Brahmaputra.
Nine lines Inscription of Harjjar Varma
About 2 kms away from the heart of the town, close to the
Rudrapada temple on the bank of river Brahmaputra the famous nine line
inscription of Harjjar Varma (approximately – 815 – 834 AD) is seen. This
inscription is of 829-30 A.D. This is found engraved on a stone. This
inscription is archaeologically important.
Bhairabi Devalaya
Bhairabi temple is situated on a small hillock on the bank of
river Brahmaputra. It is in the eastern side of Tezpur. Tradition has it that
"Usha" the daughter of King Banasur, used to offer puja to the Goddess
Bhairabi regularly. Bhairabi is another form of Durga.. The
temple we see here now, is newly built. There is no sign of the old temple. It
is believed to be destroyed by various natural calamities. Ruins of old temple
are lying scattered around the temple.
Bhomoraguri
It is a mammoth
stone inscription made by the Ahom General Kalia Bhomora Borphukan, who planned
to construct a bridge over Brahmaputra. Almost two centuries later, a bridge at
the same site now stands completed. The 3.015 km bridge, named after the great
Ahom general, connects Silghat of Nagaon district with Tezpur.
Tezpur
has a number of guesthouses and hotels for accommodating tourists.
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The important
guesthouses are:
Tourist Lodge , Circuit House ,Arunachal Govt. Guest House (Parbatinagar).
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The important hotels
are:
Hotel
Luit, Hotel Parijat, Hotel Durba, Hotel Basant, Hotel Meghdoot, Hotel Blue Star,
Hotel Frontier, Hotel Rest House, Hotel Himalaya, Central Lodge, Hotel
Kanyapur,
Hotel Madhuban and Hotel Indrapuri.
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Wild Life Trail
Nameri National Park :
| Some 40 km away from Tezpur, the 212 sq km sprawling Nameri National Park opens up. It is famous for Tiger,Elephant, rare species of birds and rare species of fish in Jia Bharali river. |  |
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Nameri provides a diverse flora and fauna. The most famous white winged wood-duck ( Deo Hanh ) is found here. Besides these other animals found here are Black Bear, many types of deer’s, butterflies, fishes, elephants etc.
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| River Jiyabharali flows down through the Nameri National Park which provides wide vistas for adventure water sports like rafting and angling . |
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Eco-camp :
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Near Bhalukpung and in close vicinity of Nameri National Park is the Eco-camp set-up and run by an NGO. The camp provides accommodation, food, elephant rides, angling and rafting in Jiabharali at a reasonable price. |
Bura Chapori Wild Life Sanctuary :
Bura Chapari -an old sandbank turned
permanent, faces the mighty river Brahmaputra and like the famousKaziranga
National Park housed mammals, reptiles and birds and plays host to a host of
migrants who can feed and move around here. Declared a reserved forest in 1974
it became a sanctuary in 1995 with all the protective and developing measures
which follow in their wake. It is 40 km away from Tezpur Town.
| It has an area of 44.6 sq. km. and forest type is of alluvial flood plains. Major part of the sanctuary is covered by grassland with patches of water bodies and woodland, strip of plantations created during the past has helped to create- barriers around the sanctuary. The mammalian species it harbours are Tiger, Elephant, Wild Buffalos, Hog Deer, Wild Boar besides bird species like Bengal Florican, Black Necked Stork, Open Billed Stork, White eyed Pochard, Millard, Spot Bill, Large Whistling Teal and many others |  |
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What you can see in
Winter 1. Mallard 2. Black Naked Stork 3. White Eye Pochard 4. Open Billed Stork 5. Pintail 6. Brahmini Duck 7. Large Whistling Teal 8. Shovller 9. Common Teal, Darter, Cormorant. |
Sonai Rupai Sanctuary :
In this
Sanctuary one can find a huge variety of animals and wild lives. One can see
following animals in this Sanctuary-
| Widely distributed 1. Elephant and Python |
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Fairly distributed 1. Tiger 2. Leopard 3. Bison 4. Bengal Florican(bird) 5. Hornbill(bird) 6. Hispid Hare 7. WhiteWinged Wood Duck
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Biswanath Ghat :
Beyond Biswanath Chariali at Biswanath Ghat, Biswanath temple popularly known as "Gupta Kashi is located at the confluence of Bridhaganga (Burigonga) river with Brahmaputra. The ghat has a cluster of temples of different gods. From the stone posts, beams and other ruins found there it is believed that once there was a stone temple. During the summer the temple remains under water. Only in winter worship is done by constructing temporary shed which draws lot of tourists. On the third day of Assamese Bihu festival a mela is held there. One can visit from here the island of Umatumuni, an archaeologically famous place.
For people visiting other archaeological sites of Biswanath
and Gohpur area, Biswanath Chariali town provides the base.
It is around 80 km away from Tezpur town .
Tourist Taxis are available here . Accommodation, either in
Govt. Circuit House, Tourist Lodge or in Hotels is also available. A tourist
lodge at Biswanath Ghat is under construction .
Singri Temple:
The Singri Temple is towards west of Tezpur town and is
located on the bank of river Brahmaputra, within a distance of about 45 km .This
temple has been mentioned in the Kalikapuran as Shringatak.. It is said that one
can attain penance worshipping it. As the Shiva Linga of this temple revered as
God remains under water, the temple is also known as Gupteshwar. Derived from
the word "Gupta" which means hidden and "Eshwar" denotes
God.
A big mela organised on Sivaratri in the Temple draws number of devotees to
Singri.
Nag-Sankar
:It is situated towards East of Tezpur in a place called Jamuguri . This Devalaya is said to be built by King Narasankar of Nagakha in the 4th century with Pratapgarh as its capital. This is a renowned place of pilgrimage.
The temple has a pond nearby where hundreds of the rare
variety of Gangetic soft-shell turtle and peacock are found. Some of the turtles are even hundreds of years old.
A rest house
with modern amenities has recently been constructed by DRDA .
By -
Shri S. K. Srivastava, I.F.S.
Conservator of Forests.
North Assam Division, Tezpur
Balipara Reserve Forests was constituted on 27th Oct'1878
with
an area 189''72 sq km.
And is bordered by the Jia Bharali in the East (Now
Nameri National Park), Mansiri river in the West, Arunachal Pradesh
in the North
and Singlimari Reserve Forest in the South.
An eco tourism project in and around area
of Balipara Reserve Forest can
definitely be fruitful for exploiting tourism potential for
natural preservation because it includes conservation,
education , responsibility and active participation. Eco-tourism
will enable the local community to improve standards
of health and education and their general quality of life
without having sell
off natural resources or compromise of their culture. Further the
ecotourism is
a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and also
sustain the well being of local people. There is a great scope of promoting
ecotourism in bhalukpung area, which will be completely
in harmony with
management.
Ecotourism project can be described as follows :
Ecotourism
Zone will spread over an area of approximately 200 hac.. It will start
from Bhalukpung '0' point toward Balipara - 2 km length and 500 mt. Width in between
the road and Jia Bharaliriver. A map showing the proposed ecotourism Zone inside
Balipara Reserve Forest is attached herewith.
(B)
Permissible
Identified activities :
This
will be as follows :
(i) Bird watching : The area is rich in
avifauna.
More than three hundred species have been identified in the adjoining Nameri
National Park. Most notable birds in the area are white winged wood duck,
Cormorants,Herons,eagles, storks,pelicans , egrets , hornbills, Hillmans,duck
,pheasant ,partridges, wood peckers, floricans etc. Most of these bird
species fly to proposed ecotourism Zone which can be sighted by ecotourist
under the guidance of an experienced bird watcher. The identification of different
bird species, their behavioural patterns etc. will be interesting activity in
Ecotourism Zone. Further the nesting, feeding and resting site of residential as
well as migratory birds will provide great pleasure to ecotourists.
Such activities will definitely help in controlling habitat destruction,
fragmentation, hunting and illegal trade of birds.
(ii) Watching of other wild life across the river Jia
Bharali : Nameri National park harbours a
variety of diverse faunal species which include tiger, leopard, small
cats,
elephant, bison, sloth bear, black bears, wild dogs and many primates etc. Many
of these animals roam in the proposed Eco tourism Zone as well since the area is
an integral part of the Nameri Wild Life habitat.
(iii) Trekking in identified
nature trail : Natural trail will extend in entire 200 hac area of the Eco tourism Zone. The eco
travelers will experience real thrill, while trekking through the forests,
watching wild life birds, varieties of butterflies and other fauna. Trails are
very important in Ecotourism Zone.
Therfore, proper trail route selection and design will be marked in the field by
the D. F. O. , Sonitpur West with technical experts.
(iv) Rafting in Jia Bharali River :
Jia Bharali river originates from snow capped mountain of Arunachal
Pradesh flows along the Western boundary of Nameri National Park and finally
meets in the Brahmaputra river in Tezpur town. The Jia Bharali river is unique
ideal site for rafting because it has a
beautiful gradient, clear water which has tremendous potential for introducing
rafting and other such adventurous sports. Rafting activities is identified as
one of the most fascinating and thrilling activities in proposed ecotourism
zone. The ecotourist by this activity can enter into the Nameri National Park
and can also go for regulated angling. By rafting activity an ecotraveller
can also view varieties of flora and fauna.
(v)
Regulated
Angling : Due to fast increasing
urbanization there is always a search for outdoor recreation and so the angling
has become a source of family recreation for the people of all ages. At present
the D.F.O. , Western Assam Wild Life Division, Tezpur regulates angling in Jia
Bharali river by providing licenses to limited anglers. The hooked fishes later
on released back to the water after taking measurement, weight and other data
and this feedback is submitted to the D.F.O. , Western Assam Wild Life Division
for analysis of habitat, population growth and diseases etc. Regulated angling
can also be carried out in proposed ecotourism zone. Such activities will
attract lakhs of ecotourist both from home and abroad and will also help in
monitoring of the river ecosystem.
(vi) Elephant
Riding : Elephant riding will be
arranged by local N.G.O. /trained forest guides and they will take the
ecotravellers to different area of ecotourism zone. It will also help the
ecotourist to see the wild animals more closely.
(vii) Tree
planting with local indigenous species : Depletion
of forest cover in Balipara Reserve Forest has taken place in last several years
mainly by encroachers. The ecological impact is highly serious and alarming. The
ecosystem that thrived and flourished for ages have been disturbed almost beyond
repair. Therefore, it has became necessary to go for tree planting by indigenous
species for maintaining ecological balance and preventing environmental
degradation. Forest department will take up plantation programmes with the help
of N.G.O. and ecotourists.
(viii) Eco Development Works : The most important
objective of ecotourism is environmental conservation which is the need of the
hour. It is most essential to conserve and protect the natural heritage of the
Bhalukpung area and the Division as a whole by preserving the remaining natural
forest with the vast variety of flora and fauna.
Such activity is basically to motivate the local people in the vicinity
of Bhalukpung Ecotourism Zone in order to check further illegal felling and
encroachment. To achieve this goal following eco development works are suggested
:
(a)
Forest protection and conservation committee should be constituted under
Presidentship of local village headman or local leader or Elite person of the
locality and membership is to be given to rightholders, students, N.G.O’s,
mahila samiti or other recognised organisations etc. Regular meeting be
organised by forest official of these committees.
(b) By celebrating programme
of environment awareness which falls every year at a particular time. These are
: Seuji Saptah (1st
week of May ). World Environment day (5th June), Van Mahotsava (1st
week of July) and Wild Life week (1st week of October) etc. These
programme will be celebrated by forest department in Ecotourism Zone with the
help of local N.G.O’s, students, teachers and ecotourists etc. Such programme
will create proper awareness and interest among the masses for conservation and
development of our forest. This will also help in motivating the people for
extending their co-operation towards implementation of various eco development
schemes.
(c) Professionals like
biologists, anthropologists and site researchers be involved in conservation.
(d) Extension of medical
facilities. To arrange medical camp both human and veterinary for the nearby
people.
(e) To provide knowledge of
preservation f nature and natural resources to the people reside in the vicinity
of ecotourism zone by organising seminars as well as film show on environment.
(f) To create drinking water
and education facilities for the people living in the vicinity of ecotourism
zone.
(g) To create job opportunities to the local people more particularly
among unemployed youth by engaging them as local guides and also for other
ecotourism activities. Active participation of local community into plan process
and in operation management is essential in order to achieve the conservation
and sustainable development goals of ecotourism.
(h) By setting up Ecotourism
Library : A library can be set up
for study of books/materials related to conservation, environmental protection,
wild life and other related subject like biodiversity etc.
(C ) Proposed Guidelines for Ecotourism Project in and around Bhalukpung area of Balipara Reserve Forest.
Ecotourism will be a successful industry only if natural resources are
protected and the natural resources will be best protected if there is an
ecotourism management strategy/guidelines in a place. Guidelines/Rules are the
most basic component of a complete excotourism
management scheme. These may be as follows :
(1) For
entry into ecotourism zone, prior permission will be required as per provision
of Assam Forest Regulation 1891 and as amended in 1995. The permission may be
obtained from nearest forests office.
(2)
Following acts will be prohibited in Ecotourism Zone :
(a)
any fresh clearing.
(b)
Setting fire.
(c)
Kindling, keeping or carrying any fire except at such reasons and in such
manner as a forest officer specially empowered in this behalf may from time to
time notify.
(d)
Felling, cutting, girdling, marking, lopping, tapping or injuring by fire
or otherwise.
(e)
Quarrying stone, burning lime or charcoal or removing any forest produce.
(f)
Clearing or breaking of any land for cultivation or any other purpose.
(g)
Poisoning water or in contravention of any rules made by the state govt.
hunting, shooting, fishing etc. violation of this order will attract provision
of Assam Forest Regulation, 1891 and Wild Life Protection Act. 1972.
(a)
Full address.
(b)
Occupation
(c)
Nationality
(d)
Purpose of visit etc.
(4)A
definite amount of fee will be realised for entry into such Ecotourism Zone. It
may be best to have different fee for foreigners and national. Fee may include
day rates, weekly rates or group rates students and research scholars may be
exempted from such fees provided they produce a certificate to this effect.
(5)
Written permission will be required for regulated angling and rafting in
Jia Bharali river from the nearest forest office.
(6)
Every ecotourist will be required to fill up a printed form at the time of
departure so that the forest department is benefited of the feedback
information.
(7) These guidelines/rules
will be published and distributed for better publicity. It will be pasted on
ecotourist lodges/guest houses etc.
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