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Bongaigaon is the name of a city and a district
in Assam. The city offers rich heritage
of historical buildings, old temples and forests for the tourists.
Bongaigaon is also well known for its petro-chemical industry.
Bongaigaon is connected with the rest of the state through
National Highway 37. There is no airport and the nearest airport
is at Guwahati, 156 km away. There
are two railway stations in the town namely, Bongaigaon station
& New Bongaigaon Jn.
Bongaigaon district comes in the lower Assam area. The district
was created in 1989 taking parts of the Goalpara and Kokrajhar
Districts. The name is said to have derived from Bon (wild)
Gai (Cows) and Gao (village). The nearby forests had a large
population of wild cows which would come to the village and
destroy the crops. Thus this area came to have its name of
Bon-Gai-Gaon.
The area was ruled since the 15th century by local feudal
lords hailing from the Koch-Rajbonshies belonging to Indo-Mongoloid
ethnic group. The kings of this area had their lineage back
to the "Kiratees" of the pre-vedic age. Ravas, Garos, Yogis,
Kalitas, Kayasthas and Muslims are also indigenous to the
area.
During the British era, a new term Bodo / Boro was coined
by European historians. Bodo / Boro refers to the tribes such
as the Kocharies, Koches, Rabhas, Garos, Lalungs, Hajongs
and Chutiyas. Assamese, Bengali and Hindi are the common languages
spoken by the local population. |
Kachugaon Game Reserve
– Kachugaon Game Reserve is located at Kachugaon 48 km from
Bongaigaon. Kachugaon covers an area of around 214 sq km and
has rare and endangered species such as gaur, golden langur,
spotted deer and elephant.
KakoiJana Wildlife Sanctuary – An ideal spot
for eco-tourism, Kakaijana was declared a reserve forest in
April 1966. Located 15 km from Bongaigaon town, now it has
been upgraded to be a wildlife sanctuary. The total area of
the sanctuary is 20 sq km, it is home to rare and endangered
species such as binturong, jungle fowl, pangolin, hornbill,
leopard, porcupine, python, lesser adjutant, stork, flying
squirrel, monitor lizard, barking deer, mongoose, and civets.
Kalikapat, a hill spring, flows through this forest. There
is an ancient Shiva temple on one of the hills.
Rock Cut Caves – Rock Cut Caves at Jogighopa
in Bongaigaon District is a testimony to the architectural
excellence of the people of Assam during the ancient period.
There are five caves on the banks of Brahmaputra River dating
back to the Salasthambha period. The best preserved cave measures
2.60 m breadth, 1.90 m height and 1.8 m in depth. Flights
of steps have been built on either side and a platform of
mud masonry is found inside.
Pancharatna – Pancharatna is a historical
site situated on the Northern Bank of the river Brahmaputra,
30 kms from historical town of Abhayapuri, the Royal Kingdom
of the Koch-Rajbongshi dynasty. Every year thousands of visitors
pay visit to this important historical site, particularly
on the day of Ashok-Ashtomi. Pancharatna boasts some ruins
of a post Gupta temple and also some rock-cut ruins including
a monolithic Buddhist Stupa.
Tamranga Lake – Tamranga
is a natural lake located in Bongaigaon. It lies near Bishnupur
in North Salmara. It is also known as Tamranga Beel. The lake
is considered as ornithologist’s paradise as a large number
of migratory birds visit here during winter.
Bagheswari Temple (Bagheswari Hill, Bongaigaon
Town) – The Bageswari Hill is located within the Bongaigaon
town and surrounded by the Birjhora Tea Estate. The hill presents
a natural watch tower to view the entire town and its surroundings.
Bageswari Temple, one of the oldest in Assam, is situated
on the top of a hill. The hill also houses an ancient Shiva
temple inside a stone cave and Baba Taraknath Temple.
Lalmati Duramari Ganesh Temple – Lalmati
Duramari Ganesh Temple is located 25 kms away from Bongaigaon
Town and is one of the oldest temples in Assam. The temple
lies on the Khagrapar Hill near Abhayapuri. |
