SIVASAGAR
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more than 600 years Sivasagar (Also spelled as Sibsagar) was the political
hub of pre - British Assam. Sagar was the capital of the Ahom rulers who dominated Assam for
six centuries. They ruled Assam virtually uninterrupted for those centuries until their kingdom fell to the British, in 1826. This city's main feature is the water body from which it gets its name. This is a 257 acre tank at a higher elevation than the rest of the town, with three temples on its banks. Of these temples, the most prominent is the Shivdol, which draws large crowds at Shiv Ratri. The other temples are the Vishnudol and Devidol. Other attractions include the Rang Ghar, the double-storied, oval shaped amphitheatre and the seven-storied, Talatol Ghar, with three underground floors The latter is a palace with two secret tunnels. Joysagar, said to be the biggest man-made lake in the country, is spread over 318 acres of water on the edge of the town. A new addition is the Ahom Museum on the bank of the Sivasagar. It stores artefacts of the rulers, including swords, clothes, manuscripts, goblets and platters. The actual ancient capital of the Ahoms is Gargaon about 13 kms. east from Sivasagar, where the major draw is the Kareng Ghar, a seven-storied palace built by 18th century architects. Charideo situated nearby, is another old capital which was built by Sukapha, the founder of the Ahom dynasty. There are maidans or vaults for the king and members of royal families here. Travellers cross the Namdang stone bridge, carved out of a single boulder hundreds of years ago, over which a busy highway still runs today. |
Sivasagar railway station is
situated within half a kilometer from the main town and tourist will have
no problem reaching the town. One needs to halt at Simuluguri junction on
the main railway route and then take the Simuluguri - Moranhat passenger
in the early morning to arrive at Sivasagar. Alternatively Sivasagar is
well connected by road from Guwahati and Jorhat. There are no dearths of
good hotels for the tourists at sivasagar.
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| Materials are downloaded from Div.page TSK. |