Sivasagar

In the year 2000, BBC listed a town in Assam among the world's wildest cities because of its close proximity to dense rainforest and the numerous lakes. It is no other than Sivasagar, which is some360 km from Guwahati. 

Sivasagarwas the seat of power of the Ahom Kingdom that had jurisdiction over parts of the present-day Assam. The Assamese community, which is a dominant group in the state now, are descendants of the Ahoms, let Global Connection Siliguri tell you. 

The town is famous for numerous lakes, palaces, and monumentsthat the Ahom rulers built from 1699-1788.  Interestingly, out of the five capital towns of the AhomKindom, four ~ Charaideo, Saragua, Garhgaon, and Rangpur ~ lie within Sivasagar district. The fifth one, Jorhat, is aneighbouring district.  

Sivasagar is situated around the largest and most bio-diverse Dihing rainforest. The town's main feature is the large namesake lake from which it takes its name. This is a 257-acre tank, also known as the Borpukhuri, lying at a higher elevation than the rest of the town. 

There are three famous temples located on the banks, with the prominent one being Sivadol. It is a 104 feet high structure and draws huge crowds from all over Upper Assam on Shivaratri. The other two temples are Vishnudol and Devidol. The temples are284 years old.

The Tai Ahom Museum located on the banks of Sivasagar has a gem of collections of memorabilia from Ahom Kingdom days. Artifacts used by the Ahomrulers, their vestments, swords, manuscripts, goblets, and household utensils are stored in the museum. 

Global Connection Siliguri insists that tourists should not miss a visit toTalatalGhar and the Rangpur Palacethat are edifices of the AhomKingdom. TalatalGhar (underground chamber) is a palace having two secret tunnels and three floors below the ground level that were used as exit routes during the Ahom wars. 

TalatalGhar constitutes the underground structure of the Rangpur Palace, whose four floors above-ground make up the KarengGhar.In all, the Rangpur Palace is a seven-storied building. 

Sivasagar is also home to the biggest man-made lake of India,Joysagar. It is located on the outskirts of the town. Spread over 318 acres area, it was built by Ahom King SwargadeoRudraSingha in the honour of his mother, Sati Joymoti.

Gaurisagar is another lake in the town spread over an area of 150 acres. Ahom Queen BorKuworiPhuleshwari Devi built this lake. 

About 8-km away from Sivasagar lies another fascinating lake named Rudrasagar. With Global Connection Siliguritaking care of the logistics you should not worry about the distance. Swargadeo Lakshmi Singha built this lake and dedicated it to his father SwargadeoRudraSingha in 1773. 

Lastly, a visit is must to the PaniDihing Wildlife Sanctuary, a rich wetland eco-system spread over 33.93 sq km that surrounds Sivasagar town. A paradise of migratory and resident birds, over 165 species of birds have been identified and recorded here.