Sibsagar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sibsagar is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Sibsagar. The district occupies an area of 2668 km² and has a population of 1,052,802 (as of 2001).
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[edit] History
Sibsagar was once the capital of the Ahom rulers who dominated Assam for more than 600 years. They ruled Assam virtually uninterrupted for 6 centuries until their kingdom fell to the British, in 1826.
[edit] Attractions
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This city's main feature is the water body from which it gets its name. This is a 257 acre tank also called Borpukhuri, at a higher elevation than the rest of the town, with three temples("Dol"s in Assamese) on its banks. Of these temples, the most prominent is the Sivadol, standing tall at 104 feet, drawing large crowds on Shiv Ratri. The other temples are the Vishnudol and Devidol. The temples were built by Queen Madambika, wife of Swargadeo Siba Singha, in the year 1734.
Other attractions include the Rang Ghar, the double-storied, oval shaped amphitheatre with a roof which is shaped like an inverted boat, and the seven-storied, Talatol Ghar. The latter is a palace with two secret tunnels and three floors underground. 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 in an area called Rangpur. This lake was built by Swargadeo Rudra Singha in honor of his mother Joymoti. A new addition is the Ahom Museum on the bank of the Sibsagar. It stores artefacts of the rulers, including swords, clothes, manuscripts, goblets and platters. The ancient capital of the Ahoms is Gargaon about 13 km east from Sibsagar, 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 maidams 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.
Take a day trip from Sibsagar to Dibrugarh, one of the major tea-producing centres of the subcontinent. Near Dibrugarh are major oil and gas installations. The road to the city is flanked by tea gardens on either side which stretch like carpets of green bushes. Women and men stand in the shade or sun, plucking the leaves at a surprising pace and tossing them into the conical cane baskets they carry on their backs. And in Dibrugarh there are tea plantations even within the city limits. Assam produces most of India's tea and a visit to a tea factory should be included in any itinerary.
[edit] How to get there
The nearest railway station is Simaluguri, 16 km from Sibsagar town. Buses ply regularly from Simaluguri towards Sibsagar. Taxis are available for hire from the railway station. It is approximately a half-hour bus ride from Simaluguri town. The nearest airports are Jorhat (55 km) and Guwahati (369 km). Buses ply regularly from Jorhat and Guwahati.
[edit] External links
http://sivasagar.nic.in Official website of the district
[edit] Notes
Assam State Electricity Board (A.S.E.B), Maibella is located to the east of Sivasagar Town. ASEB, Maibella is recently renamed as Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited (APGCL).
