The Mighty Brahmaputra River

A tour covering a few famous bridges in Assam - Saraighat, Kalia Bhomora, Dhola Sadiya, and Bogibeel Bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra and its tributary Lohit River.

The Brahmaputra river is the lifeline of the region, people inhabiting both sides of the banks of the river are highly dependent on it for agriculture, fish, and irrigation.

About this mighty river

The Brahmaputra plain is a narrow valley surrounded by Arunachal hill, Bhutan, Patkai range, Naga hills, Karbi Plateau, and Meghalaya Plateau. 32 major tributaries of the Brahmaputra control the natural water distribution of the region. 

The mighty river has a large number of tributaries both on the north and south banks. Saraighat bridge connects Guwahati city to other parts of India by surface, it is a double-decker bridge with both roadway and railway tracks allowing millions of people to reach the commercial hub of northeast India, Guwahati. 

Important places on the bank of the river  

Guwahati is situated on the bank of the river Brahmaputra and is surrounded by hills. Guwahati is one of the fastest developing cities in India for the last two decades, it is also a historically important place and was known as Pragjyotishpur in ancient India. Many ancient temples in and around Guwahati have historically been significant. Kamakhya temple, Navagraha temple, Doul Govinda, Basistha Ashram, and Umananda temple ( situated on the smallest river island of the world, peacock island) are the main attractions for pilgrimage tours. Ambubachi Mela is held every year in Kamakhya Temple and millions of devotees from all over the country attend this Mela.

Brahmaputra river cruises are gaining immense popularity among locals and travelers. Floating restaurants are some amazing attractions for evenings. For people who love to explore cultural sneak peek on a single visit then Sankardev Kalakshetra is the best place to see the displays. 

Another bridge, Kalia Bhomora Setu on the Brahmaputra, connects Tezpur to other parts of the state. After a trip to Kaziranga National Park, one can do a day trip to Agnigarh, a hillock situated on the bank of Brahmaputra in Tezpur, very well known for its legendary stories of princess Usha and Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna. 

The newly constructed Bogibeel bridge, inaugurated in 2018, has greatly impacted the localities of three districts in Assam Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, and Lakhimpur. Completion of the bridge has opened all possible accessibility between these places, another smooth connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh, and also given beautiful tourist spots. Many visitors come to see this picturesque location and enjoy the scenic beauty. We also explored a floating restaurant on the riverbank, another attraction of the visit.

Dibrugarh is a major commercial town in upper Assam. It is well connected to other places in the country by railway and air services. Dibrugarh District is famous for evergreen tea gardens and tea cultivations. The district has 177 tea gardens, which dominate a huge chunk of tea production in the state. 

Image credit: Suman