Assam

Assam attractions :
Bordoibum Beelmukh Bird Sanctuary - Bornodi Wildlife Sanctuary - Burasapori Wildlife Sanctuary - Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary - Charaideo - Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary - Dhansiri/Dhonxiri Valley Rrchaeological Region - Dibru-Saikhowa National Park - Digboi oil town - East Karbi-Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary Gibon Wildlife Sanctuary Guwahati archaeological region Haflong and Jatinga Hajo archaeological region Joydihing Rainforest Kapili Valley archaeological region Karbi-Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary Kaziranga National Park ( UNESCO World Heritage Site) Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary Ledo and Stilwell Road Madan Kamdev Maibong Majuli Manas National Park ( UNESCO World Heritage Site) Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary Nameri National Park Orang National Park Panidihing Bird Sanctuary Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary Podumani Bherjan Borajan Wildlife Sanctuary Sarthebari Sibsagar archaeological region Sonai-rupai Wildlife Sanctuary Sualkuchi Surya Pahar Goalpara Archaeological region Tezpur Archaeological Region Umrangshu hotwater spring
See Also National Parks in India |

India regions : India | South India | North India | West India | East India | North East India | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Lakshadweep Islands

Assam and its neighbouring states ( seven sisters ) : Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura , Meghalaya . Also the Kingdom of Bhutan , Bengladesh and West Bengal of India

Assam is known for its rich biodiversity, tea plantations and the oil resources. This state has an important place in India’s wildlife map. Two of its national parks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Kaziranga National Park and the Manas National Parks are home to the endangered one-horned Indian Rhinoceros, numerous aquatic birds, tigers, elephants and a host of other flora and fauna..

Assam Airports : Guwahati ( Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport ) , Dibrugarh, Silchar, Tezpur, Jorhat

Administratively Assam is divided into 27 districts:

1. Tinsukia ,
2. Dibrugarh
3. Sibsagar
4. Dhemaji
5. Jorhat
6. Lakhimpur,
7. Golaghat
8. Sonitpur
9. Karbi Anglong
10. Nagaon
11. Marigaon
12. Darrang

13. Kamrup Rural
14. Nalbari
15. Barpeta,
16. Bongaigaon
17. Goalpara
18. Kokrajhar
19. Dhubri
20. North Cachar Hills
21. Cachar
22. Hailakandi,
23. Karimganj
24. Kamrup Metropolitan
25. Baksa
26. Chirang
27. Udalguri
Population wise Assam has roughly half the population of UK. And area wise Assam compares a little smaller than Belgium.

The important tourist attractions in Assam include

Bordoibum Beelmukh Bird Sanctuary
Bornodi Wildlife Sanctuary
Burasapori Wildlife Sanctuary
Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary
Charaideo
Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary
Dhansiri/Dhonxiri Valley archaeological region
Dibru-Saikhowa National Park
Digboi oil town
East Karbi-Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary
Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
Gibon Wildlife Sanctuary
Guwahati archaeological region Haflong and Jatinga
Hajo archaeological region
Joydihing Rainforest
Kapili Valley archaeological region
Karbi-Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary
Kaziranga National Park ( UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary
Ledo and Stilwell Road
Madan Kamdev
Maibong
Majuli
Manas National Park ( UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary
Nameri National Park
Orang National Park
Panidihing Bird Sanctuary
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
Podumani Bherjan Borajan Wildlife Sanctuary
Sarthebari
Sibsagar archaeological region
Sonai-rupai Wildlife Sanctuary
Sualkuchi
Surya Pahar Goalpara Archaeological region
Tezpur Archaeological Region
Umrangshu hotwater spring

Tinsukia

: Tinsukia to Assam is what Mumbai to India. The city of Tinsukia is an important gateway point to the towns in upper Assam and a number of cities in the northeastern states in general. The refinery town Digboi is located in Tinsukia district. So are the sprawling tea plantations.

National Highway ( NH 36 ) passes right through Tinsukia district. The nearest airport is in Dibrugarh, which is about 40 kilometers south of Tinsukia. Guwahati is about 500 kilometers west of Tinsukia. Dibrugarh and the New Tinsukia (NTSK) are the nearest railway stations for Tinsukia. The overnight intercity express (train No. 5603/5604 ) operates daily between Guwahati and New Tinsukia.

Digboi

A page from the colonial history of India with a bit for fanciful legends makes Digboi an interesting place. The history part first. A group of Italian engineers commissioned by the then Assam Railways & Trading Co. were trying to built a railway line between Dibrugarh to Margherita (place named after the Italian princes) , where the headquarters of the company was located. Nothing could help better in this thick tropical forests of Assam than the trained elephants to move their machinery and materials. They noticed the legs of elephants smeared with mud that smelled like petroleum. They followed the trail. The oil well No.1 in India was discovered. It was in 1889, twenty-five years before the World War 1.

Now the fanciful part of the history. Some excited engineers shouted at the workers " Dig boy, Dig!" . And that eventually metamorphed into Digboi .

Right from the way it was discovered, Digboi has a few specials added to its name. Like mentioned earlier Digboi is the first commercial oil well of India. So is the refinery built at Digboi in 1901. This was the first in Asia and third in the world. With more that 100 years of history, the refinery and the oil wells still hold some remarkable records. Digboi is one of the oldest oil producing fields of the world. And the refinery is the oldest oil functioning refinery, which has survived two world wars and a torrent of historical turmoil in the region.

The tag of an oil refinery town may appears as a turn off form a tourist's perspective. You would be proved wrong if you happened to visit Digboi. It sits in the middle of an area proud of its agriculture production and wildlife reserves - an unusual setting for an oil refinery town.

The oil museum (National Oil Park) is a special attraction with all its by gone era industrial artifacts. On the other end of the town is the fringe of the wildlife area. It's not unusual to spot a herd of elephants or other interesting wild animals while you are inside the sanctuary.

Digboi belongs to one of the few towns in India still nurses its colonial nostalgia. The War Cemetery with European, American and Chinese names engraved on the tombs, an array of six-dozen plus golf courses and the remainders of the old English stye villas stand testimony to this.

Digboi is connected by road to other cities and towns of Assam. The National Highway ( NH 38 ) connecting Makum to Lekhapani passes through Digboi.

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

Spreading over 340 sq. kilometers (130 sq. miles) and a further 425 Sq. kilometers (164 sq. miles) as buffer zone around it Dibru-Saikhowa is the largest wildlife park in Assam. The park was originally proposed to protect the extremely endangered White-Winged Wood Duck in its natural habitat. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park known for its rich biodiversity, especially with the 350 or so species of migratory and aquatic birds are located in this district. The national park is hotspot of many rare species of wildlife including the Royal Bengal Tiger, Sloth Bear, Gangetic Dolphin, Crested Serpent Eagle, Spot Billed Pelican and White Winged Duck.

More on Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

**Ledo Road** Ledo Road (also called as the Stilwell Road, after the US General Vinegar Joe Stilwell) starts from Ledo located south of Digboi.

Margherita , south of Digboi is notable for its relaxed ambient with its tea plantations and picnic spots on the sandy banks of Dihing river.

Lekhapani is a small town located southwest of Digboi mostly inhabited by the Tangsa Naga tribes.

Ledo Road (also called as the Stilwell Road, after the US General Vinegar Joe Stilwell) starts from Ledo located south of Digboi. Western Allies built the road during the World War II to connect Ledo in India to Kunming in China. The construction this treacherous road was initiated as Burma Road had been cut by the Japanese army in 1942 , which was major wartime supply line to China. Though its origin Ledo is in India, majority of Ledo Road is in Burma.

National Highway (NH 38) winds its way through Ledo to Lekhapani..

National Highways ( NH ) of passing through Assam
NH	Route
31	From W.B. Border - Gouripur - North Salmara - Bijni - Charaliamingaon Junction with NH No.37
31B	North Salmaria - Junction with NH No37 near Jogighopa
31C	From W.B. Border - Kochugaon - Sidli Jn. With NH31 near Bijni
36	Nagaon - Dabaka - Amlakhi - Nagaland Border
37	Junction with NH No.31B near Goalpara - Paikan - Guwahati - Dispur - Nowgaon - Numaligarh - Jorhat - Jhanzi - Dibrugarh - Tinsukia - Makum - Saikhoaghat
37A	Kuwari Tal - Junction with NH.No.52 near Tezpur
38	Makum - Ledo - Lekhapani
39	Numaligarh - Naojan - Bokajan up to Nagaland Border
44	From Meghalaya Border - Badarpur - Karimganj - Patharkandi up to Tripura Border
51	Paikan up to Meghalaya Border
52	Baihata - Charali - Mangaldai - Dhekiajuli - Tezpur - Gohpur - Bander Dewa - North Lakhimpur - Dhemaji - Kulajan - Arunachal Border - Junction with NH No.37 near Saikhoaghat
52A	Gohpur - A.P. Border - Bander Dewa
52B	Kulajan - Dibrugarh
53	Junction with NH44 near Badarpur - Silchar - Lakhipur up to Manipur Border.
54	Dabaka - Lumding - Langting - Hablong - Silchar - Dwarband up to Mizoram Border
61	Jhanzi - Amguri - Nagaland border
62	Dudhnai - Damara up to Meghalaya Border
151	Karimganj - Bangladesh Border
152	Patacharkuchi - Hajua - Bhutan Border
153	Ledo - Lekhapani - Arunachal Pradesh Border
154	Dhaleshwar (Badarpur) - Bhairabhi - Mizoram Border

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