Sivasagar- the royal city is situated in Assam, northeast of India. It is famous for the monuments of the Ahom Kingdom built during their six hundred years of reign. There are a lot of places to visit in Sivasagar which will amaze you.
Sivasagar is a historic town in the Eastern part of Assam with a rich heritage of culture. The town
is about 350 km from Guwahati. It is well connected by road/ rail. The nearest
airports are Rowraih (Jorhat) about 55kms away and Mohanbari (Dibrugarh) about
90 km away. The Rajdhani Express between New Delhi and Dibrugarh runs daily
the nearest railway station in Simaluguri is a few km away from Sivasagar town.
1. SHIVA DOL and SIVASAGAR TANK:-
Shiva Dol is situated in the heart of Sivasagar, next to the Sivasagar tank, comprising of Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, made up of Shikara architecture. It was built by Ambika Kunwari, queen of Ahom King Shiva Singha in 1734. It is of height 104 feet and of perimeter 195 feet. It has a golden dome at the top called 'kolosi' which is of height 8 foot. The walls of the temple are decorated with the sculpture of Hindu Dev-Devis. The temple is visible from most of the parts of Sivasagar giving it another level of beauty and charm. The best time to visit this temple is on the occasion of Shivaratri, where devotees from different places gather together to worship in front of Lord Shiva.
Sivasagar tank is internally connected to it which is also known as Borpukhuri. It was also built by Queen Ambika in 1734. It has an area of 130 acres and a depth of 64 feet. It is believed that it was built in one night. It shows the advanced architecture of the Ahom dynasty. Now, it has become a site of attraction for many tourists.
2. RANG GHAR:-
Rang Ghar was actually made for entertainment purpose for the Ahom kings like a sports pavilion. It is a two-storeyed building attached with a big field called ' Rupohi Pathar '. During Rangali Bihu, the cultural festival of Assam, various games like buffalo fights, cockfight, wrestling and other entertaining sports had taken place in this field. Now, Rangali Bihu is celebrated every year in this place with the presence of huge gathering. Rang Ghar is termed as the first amphitheater of Asia. It was built with bricks, paste of rice, eggs and some other materials. At first, it was built with bamboo and wood by Rudra Singha and later reconstructed in 1746 during the reign of Pramatta Singha. It looks like an octagonal boat-like structure with stone crocodiles at the top of it. The pavilion is 10 meters in height with 27 meters length and 11 meters width. The entry fees for Indian people is 25 rupees and for foreigners is 300 rupees. The best time to visit is during Rangali Bihu. You will be able to enjoy the rich culture of Assamese people and also the extraordinary architectures of Ahom Kingdom.
3. KARENG GHAR :-
Kareng Ghar is one of the beautiful architecture of the Ahom Kingdom, located in Garhgaon, 15 km away from Sivasagar town. It was the third capital of the Ahom Kingdom after Cheregua. It was built by Siuklengmung for his queen Chaoching in 1540 with wood and bamboo. Later, it was reconstructed by Pramatta Singha and the present architecture was built by Rajeswar Singha in 1752. The monument is of four-storeyed with a dome-like roof and four watchtowers. It has four main gates. It is believed that it has secret passage to Tolatal Ghar which is still uncovered. Gargaon is called 'Che-Hung' by Tai Ahoms which means city surrounded by ramparts. The ancient name of this city was Hemenabari. The capital was abandoned in 1704 due to some structural damage caused by enemies. You can go there anytime and It is sure that you will enjoy the mesmerizing monument and the nearby natural scenarios a lot.
4. TALATAL GHAR :-
Talatal Ghar is another impressive monument of the Ahom Kingdom located in Duboroni Ali road, Joysagar, 4 km away from the main town of Sivasagar. It was the fourth capital of the Ahom Kingdom known as 'Rangpur' after Garhgaon, first built as a military base. The initial construction was done by Rudra Singha in 1698. Talatal Ghar is seven storeyed building with secret tunnels and three underground floors used to escape during wars. The main palace was built by Rajeswar Singha. The construction of the building was first started in 1751 and completed in 1769 by the architect Ghanashyam, made with special bricks and mixture of 'Bora Chaol', rice grains, eggs of swan etc. One secret tunnel is 3 km long connected with Dikhow river and another one is 16 km long connected with Garhgaon. There are many long corridors and small wings. The ground floor contains stoor rooms and servant's rooms. The royal place was on the upper storey with a prayer room and an isolated room. Though it is a very huge building, the visitors are allowed to see only a small part because of some reason. You can visit the ground floor, first floor and the remaining part of the 2nd floor and 3 rd floor. It is indeed a mysterious place for everyone with a number of secrets. The entry fees for Indian people started with 25 rupees and for foreigners 300 rupees.
5. JOYSAGAR TANK:-
Joysagar Tank was built by Ahom king Rudra Singha in the year 1697 in the memory of his mother Joymoti Kunwari, a great lady known for her sacrifice for the country. It was made in 45 days. It is situated in Rangpur. In this place, Joymoti was tortured by the Chaodungs of Ahom king Siulikpha to extract pieces of information regarding her husband Gadadhar Singha from her mouth. There are many temples nearby it- Joydol or Vishnu Dol, Ghanashyam Dol, Baidyanath Shiva Dol, Sri Surya Mandir, etc. It is known as the largest man-made tank of India covering an area of 318 acres.
6. JOY DOL:-
Joy Dol is situated on the northern bank of Joysagar Tank, 5 km away from Sivasagar town, known as 'Keshavanarayana Vishnudol' or 'Joy Dol'. It was built by Queen Madambika, wife of Shiva Singha, during the reign of Rudra Singha in 1734 and was devoted to Lord Vishnu. The temple consists of an octagonal Garbhagriha with a dome-like structure and designed with a honeycomb-like structure and lotus flower-like structure. The external walls are decorated with various figures of Hindu Gods. There are two temples nearby it called -Surya temple and Ganesha temple. The best time to visit there is July-august. The famous and mesmerizing architecture of the temple attracts tourists from every corner of India and some foreigners also visit there to enjoy the rituals of Hindu religion. The entry fees for Indian visitors are 25 rupees and that for foreigners is 250 rupees.
7.AHOM MUSEUM:-
Ahom Museum is the place to have a vast idea of 600 years of glory of Ahom dynasty. It is situated on the western bank of Sivasagar Pukhuri. It was inaugurated on 31 January 1992. There is a collection of various antic things of Ahom kingdom like Tai books, manuscripts, garments, ornaments, various decorative items, weapons used during their dynasty, etc. This is the best place if you want to research about Tai Ahom. This museum also promotes research on Tai Ahom language. So, if you go to Sivasagar, don't miss this museum.
8. DEVI DOL:-
Devi Dol is devoted to Goddess Durga situated on the bank of Sivasagar Pukhuri. It is situated between Shiva Dol and Vishnu Dol. It was built by Queen Madambika, wife of King Shiva Singha in the year 1734. The temple is of height 60 feet and a diameter of 120 feet. There are separate places for Durga puja and Kali Puja. During Durga Puja, a large gathering is seen in the monument from different parts of the country.
9. VISHNU DOL :-
Vishnu Dol is a small temple situated on the bank of Sivasagar Pukhuri. It was built by Queen Madambika in 1734 in the devotion of Lord Vishnu. It is also a place to visit nearby to Shiva Dol. Filled with the devotions of many devotees, it is termed as one of Assam's most sacred temples. Situated just beside the Shiva Dol, it is a perfect match for the devotees to offer their prayers to the almighty and get their blessings at the same place.
10. PANIDIHING BIRD SANCTUARY :-
Panidihing Bird Sanctuary, a place of melodies and chirruping sounds of the birds, situated in Sivasagar district, Assam, India. It is 22 km away from the main town of Sivasagar. You can go there either by train, bus or flight. The nearest airport is Dibrugarh. This is a wetland comprising of area 33.93 square kilometers. This was established as a bird sanctuary in august 1996. The Brahmaputra river is to the North West and the Dishang river is to the south of the sanctuary. The annual temperature is about 10-35 degrees centigrade and the average annual rainfall is about 3500 mm. It is the best place for bird enthusiasts. The birds flying and singing all over the place will give you unlimited pleasure. The best time to visit there from November to April because, in this time, the migratory birds come here for shelter and food.
To know more about Panidhing click here.
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