Indian Destinations That Create An Unforgettable Journey: Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar

ASSAM

BRAHMAPUTRA – There really is no need to hard-sell a river cruise, in fact any river cruise—a small bobbing boat, a gently moving landscape and shore excursions to punctuate the whole experience… And when it comes to this particular experience the mere words are persuasion enough: Brahmaputra River Cruise. You can see the entire expanse of Assam pass you by and when you’re not floating on the mighty river, you make little forays into tea estates, quaint local villages, heritage monuments, and the cherry on top, Kaziranga National Park. How could anyone resist? And, more importantly, why would you? Cruises are run by many operators and come in various itineraries.

KAZIRANGA – Tall elephant grass as far as the eye can see—that’s quintessential Kaziranga! It’s been more than 100 years since Kaziranga was first deemed a Reserve Forest. This Unesco World Heritage Site today is a wonderful success story of our wildlife conservation efforts. About 860sq km of mostly grassland, interspersed with marshes and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, crisscrossed by four rivers, this park is most famous for harbouring two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. Apart from that, it affords visitors the chance to see the tiger, the elephant, wild buffalo and swamp deer as well as close to 480 species of birds! The park is 217km/4 hrs from Guwahati by road.

Tourists riding on elephants look at the one-horned Rhinoceros at the Kaziranga National park in Guwahati, Assam.

MAJULI – In the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra river is India’s largest river island, Majuli. This fascinating landmass used to be significantly larger at 1,250sq km but the fury of the Brahmaputra has whittled it down to something merely over 350sq km. Which is a pity because the culture is quite unique: apart from lush green forest and beautiful beaches, the island is also a stronghold of a line of neo-Vaishnavism—a legacy of the 15th-century saint-scholar Srimanta Sankardeva and still has over a score of ‘satras’ that are monasteries as well as repositories of art. Reports say the island may well disappear over the next couple of decades, so you might want to go now! Majuli is accessed by ferry from Jorhat, 22km/1 hr.

BIHAR

SASARAM –  The man who interrupted the Mughal reign of northern India, the man who gave us the ‘rupaiah’, started our postal service and improved the legendary Grand Trunk Road… Sher Shah Suri did all this in an illustrious career. His tomb lies in the historic city of Sasaram (the Grand Trunk Road passes through it) and it is well worth a visit. The red sandstone mausoleum stands, quite photogenic, in the middle of an artificial tank. Also, there’s a rather majestic 7th-century fort at nearby Rohtasgarh that Suri used, as well as a temple to the goddess Maa Tara Chandi. Sasaram is about 100km/2.5 hours from Varanasi.

SONEPUR MELA – For two weeks every year, starting on the full-moon day in the month of Karthik, Sonepur, otherwise a moderate village at the confluence of the rivers Gandak and Ganga in Bihar, morphs into the largest cattle fair in Asia. It has been held at this place since the time of Emperor Aurangzeb and it’s what the advertisement says: a world class mela. Crowds come, stalls are magically set up, loudspeakers blare, paraphernalia you didn’t know you needed is sold and then, of course, there is an awesome parade of livestock: elephants, Persian horses, bulls, cows, buffaloes, rabbits, fowl and even dogs. Sonepur is 2Skm/1 hour from Patna.

Sonepur Mela

BODH GAYA – A gaunt young man sat down to meditate under a tree 2,500 years ago, determined to know the truth or die. The universe yielded to him that full moon night, giving us a spiritual leader whose influence has lasted 25 centuries… and also Buddhism’s foremost pilgrimage site. This is Bodh Gaya, where Gautama Siddhartha became the Buddha. There is the Animeshlochana temple, Cankamana or the Cloister Walk, the Bodhi Tree itself (or more accurately, a descendent) and monasteries from every nation with a significant Buddhist following. Be there on Buddha Purnima—if you can brave it! Bodh Gaya is 12km from Gaya, the most convenient entry point.

CHHATTISGARH

BASTAR –Those familiar with Indian epics will recognise the old name for Bastar: Dandakaranya. In the 14th century, the Ka-katiya Annama Deva established his kingdom here under the tutelage of the goddess Dantheshwari, whose temple stands to this day at Dantewada, one of the 52 shaktipeethas of the sub-continent. This verdant, mountainous tract in the south of Chhattisgarh is famous for being a tribal stronghold, populated by various ethnicities. Any foray into these lands must go through Jagdalpur and the royal palace is a must-see. Jagdalpur is 290km/6 hours from Raipur via NH43.

KANGER VALLEY – The spectacular Kanger Valley is one of the few pockets of untouched forest left in India. This 200sq km park has everything: dense forest, a fascinating range of flora and fauna, a labyrinth of subterranean limestone caves, land formations that range from low flatlands to steep slopes, valleys and streams… breathtaking vistas at every turn. The fact that the Kotumsar cave holds rare, endemic troglobite cavefish just adds to the mystique. Don’t miss the stunning 300ft Tirathgarh falls, do catch sight of the Bastar Hill Myna and add a cave walk to your itinerary! The park is 305km/7 hours from Raipur and about 38km from Jagdalpur.

Kanger Valley

SURGUJA – In the north of Chhattisgarh lies the former princely state of Surguja, a district that sprawls over beautiful mountainous terrain and houses populations of various Central Indian tribes. Its capital was Ambikapur, one of the state’s largest towns. On the road from Ambikarpur to Bilaspur is a 12th-century Nagara-style temple that Sarguja is famous for. It is dedicated to the local deity Mahamaya Devi—a dual statue, so to speak, with Mahishasur-amardhini in front and Saraswati at the back. This is said to be a shaktipeeth, one of the 52 temples across the sub-continent that worship the divine feminine. Ambikapur is 338km from Raipur.