Place:Guwahati, Kamrup, Assam, India

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Guwahati (; formerly rendered Gauhati) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. A major riverine port city along with hills, and one of the fastest growing cities in India, Guwahati is situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra. It is called the ''Gateway to North East India''.

The ancient cities of Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya (North Guwahati) were the capitals of the ancient state of Kamarupa. Many ancient Hindu temples like the Kamakhya Temple, Ugratara Temple, Basistha Temple, Doul Govinda Temple, Umananda Temple, Navagraha Temple, Sukreswar Temple, Rudreswar Temple, Manikarneswar Temple, Aswaklanta Temple, Dirgheshwari Temple, Asvakranta Temple, Lankeshwar Temple, Bhubaneswari Temple, Shree Ganesh Mandir, Shree Panchayatana Temple, Noonmati, and the like, are situated in the city, giving it the title of "The City of Temples".

Guwahati lies between the banks of the Brahmaputra River and the foothills of the Shillong plateau, with LGB International Airport to the west and the town of Narengi to the east. The North Guwahati area, to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, is being gradually incorporated into the city limits. The noted Madan Kamdev is situated from Guwahati. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation, the city's local government, administers an area of ,^[1] while the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is the planning and development body of Greater Guwahati Metropolitan Area.^[2] Guwahati is the largest city in Northeast India.^[3]

The Guwahati region hosts diverse wildlife including rare animals such as Asian elephants, pythons, tigers, rhinoceros, gaurs, primate species, and endangered birds.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Ancient history

Epigraphic sources place the capital of Kamarupa kingdom in Guwahati. The 10th-12th century Kalika Purana mention that Kamrup was inhabited by Kiratas. As per legends, the tank Dighalipukhuri located in the heart of the city was dug by King Bhagadatta of Kamrup on the occasion of the wedding of his daughter Bhanumati with Duryodhan. Located within Guwahati is the Shakti temple of Goddess Kamakhya in Nilachal hill (an important seat of Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhism), the ancient and unique astrological temple Navagraha in Chitrachal Hill, and archaeological remains in Basistha and other archaeological locations of mythological importance.

The Ambari excavations trace the time period of the city of Guwahati between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE, in the Shunga-Kushana period of Indian history. Descriptions by Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) reveal that during the reign of the Varman king Bhaskaravarman (7th century CE), the city stretched for about 30 li. Archaeological evidence by excavations in Ambari, and excavated brick walls and houses discovered during construction of the present Cotton College's auditorium suggest the city was of economic and strategic importance until the 9th–11th century CE.

Medieval history

Forces of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji suffered a disastrous defeat in the hands of Raja Prithu in Kamrup during Tibetan expedition. The entire army of Bakhtiyar Khalji was defeated by native forces, which forced him to retreat.

The city was the seat of the Borphukan, the civil-military authority of the Lower Assam region appointed by the Ahom kings. The Borphukan's residence was in the present Fancy Bazaar area, and his council-hall, called Dopdar, was about to the west of the Bharalu stream. The Majindar Baruah, the personal secretary of the Borphukan, had his residence in the present-day deputy commissioner's residence.

The Mughals invaded Assam seventeen times, but were defeated by the Ahoms in the Battle of Itakhuli and the Battle of Saraighat in outskirts of Guwahati.There was an ancient boatyard in Dighalipukhuri, probably used by the Ahoms in medieval times.

Medieval constructions include temples, ramparts, and other structures in the city.

Modern history

In 1972, due to separation of Meghalaya from Assam, the capital of Assam was moved to Dispur, a neighbourhood in Guwahati from the erstwhile capital of Shillong.

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