Assam, India

Assam belongs to the Seven Sisters Region of Southeast Asia, which consists of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. A part of the rich north eastern legacy of India, the beutiful land of Assam consists of magnificent hills and valleys and mighty rivers like the Brahmaputra and Barak. It is well known for it's picturesque beauty, it's rich blend of crops and variety of minerals.

Assam is known for Assam tea, petroleum resources, Assam silk and for its rich biodiversity. It has successfully conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, tiger, and numerous species of birds and provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant.

The census of 1991 states that Population of Assam amount to 2, 24, 14, 322. The Schedule Castes of the state are 16 in number while there are 23 Schedule Tribes in Assam. The profile of the Population constitutes a combination of various tribes and other similar ethnic groups.

A majority of the Assamese is the Vaishnavas (a sect of Hinduism). The Vaishnavas do not believe in idol worshiping and perform Namkirtana where the glory of Lord Vishnu is recited. The two important cultural and religious institutions that influence the cultural fabric of Assam: the Satras, the site of religious and cultural practice which have been in existence for over 400 years and and the Naamghar, the house of prayers.

The Assamese tea plant, Camellia assamica, is one of the only two REAL tea plants
that are commercially cultivated (along with Camellia sinensis - the Chinese tea plant).
If you have never tasted fresh, well-made Assamese teas before, we are sure you will
love our teas. If on the other hand you already love Assams, we would like to welcome
you to the largest selection of single estate, single malt Assams you will ever see!

Much of the ancient past of Assam still lies buried deep beneath its soil. Assam, by whatever name, was known in other parts of the world as far back as in 100 BC is nevertheless clear from the records of the Chinese explorer Chang Kien who traced his country’s trade with Assam during that period. The Periplus of the Erythrean sea depicts how Chinese silk from Assam reached Egypt and Rome before the advent of Christainity. Ptolemy’s geography also acknowledges the existence of Assam.

Bihu is the national festival of Assam. The principal of the three Bihus, Bohag or Rongali Bihu ushers in the Assamese New Year, in the middle of April, and is celebrated with distinctive Bihu dances and songs.

Kaziranga National Park

This park is 215 Km away from Guwahati, at Kohora. The best season is November mid to April. It is closed during monsoon ( April to mid October). Trained elephants are available as mounts for seeing the park. Jeep drives are also available.This park occupies around 430 sq km. It is a World Heritage Site. The Indian one-horned rhino is the main attraction of this park. It was declared a game reserve in 1926 to save the one-horned rhino. A single horn of the rhino was worth of US $ 40,000 in 1995. It has swamp deer, hog deer, wild pig, hoolock, wild buffalos, sambar gibbon, pythons, tiger and elephants. There is a rich variety of shwater fowls, the egrets, pond herons, river terns, fishing eagles, adjutant storks, black necked storks are also available. The river here, has the gharial (fish eating crocodile) and dolphins.