Driving
south from Jorhat and then across the Brahmaputra on the Kalia
Bhomura bridge, you will come to Tezpur or City of Blood, also
known at one time as Sonitpur. A very special sight awaits a
visitor to the Circuit House in the early mornings: just a few
hundred meters away, as the first rays of dawn streak the sky,
the river comes alive slowly with boats and vessels of all
shapes and sizes - ferries and barges, sail boats and launches
and the ubiquitous small nao, or little boat, seen all along the
course of this great river.
Ruins
of stone temples and a door frame discovered at Da Parbatia/,
about 5 kms. west of Tezpur, date to the 5th and 6th centuries.
Other architectural remains include the Agnigarh and Bamuni
hills the Bhairavi and Mahabhairab temples, and the twin tanks
ofBar Pukhuri and Padum Pukhuri
A
new attraction is the Cole Park, named after a British
administrator, which has been recently redeveloped with the
participation of local people.
About
50 kms. 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
National Park.
The
organisers at the Eco Camp can put together a day or part of a
day for white water rafting. The scenery is magnificent: forests
on either side, snow-capped mountains in the distance and a
rushing river at hand. Visitors can do river rafting, with
guidance from an expert, and try their hand at casting a line
for the elusive, large and threatened golden mahseer, the great
fish of these waters. There is an ecological campaign to save
the mahseer, so part of the river is protected and fish need to
be caught and then released in an effort to stabilise their
dwindling numbers. The food at the camp, where visitors live in
modern tents, is excellent and on most evenings there is a camp
fire with music to brighten the late hours.
The
Nameri National Park sprawls over from Assam into Arunachal
Pradesh. The best way of travelling here is (as at Kaziranga) on
elephants. 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 you can spot are the powerful Mithun or
Indian Bison and the rare White Winged Wood Duck, among the most
endangered bird species on earth.
A
short distance on the main road to Tawang is Bhalukpong, the
entrance to Arunachal Pradesh, where the police check tourist
permits.
