Set on the north bank of majestic river Brahmaputra, Tezpur is a busy little town 181km northeast of Guwahati surrounded by tea gardens and military cantonments. It is more renowned for its scenic beauty and beautiful archaeological ruins. It serves as the main jumping off point for travelers heading up to Arunachal Pradesh. Tezpur was earlier known as Sonitpur means city of blood. According to legend a great war was held here between Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva and the whole city was said to have soaked in blood.

There are plenty of temples, parks and monuments are there. It is also an important pilgrimage center as there are Bhairabi temple and Ketakeshwar Dewal temples, which afford to have several visitors through out the year. There is a medieval fort named as Agnigarh that beautifully set on the top of the hills. There are lush coffee and rubber plantation that is worth an enchanting stroll.

Sights And Activities

Bhairabi Temple
It is one of the oldest and most revered temple dedicated to Goddess Durga located on the borders of Tezpur. The intricate carvings and images from the 9th century AD is engraved on the temple. Sacrificial offerings of goats and bulls are still executes regularly in the inner sanctum of the temple.

Agnigarh
A exhausting staircase leads to the top of the hill where this ancient fort is located. There is an interesting story behind this fort. It is believed that the fort was built by King Bana and surrounded by fire all the time to prevent anyone to enter or exit without permission. King Bana built this special fort to keep her daughter away from her lover Anirudha, grandson of Lord Krishna. Later on they both being rescued by Lord himself. On the top of the fort you can have a good panoramic view of the low lying area.

Cole Park
The most visited destination in Tezpur. Amidst a beautiful surrounding, the park hold various exhibitions and also known as Chitralekha Udayan. You can enjoy a short boating trip in a small lake in front of the park.

Ketakeshwar Dewal The temple is one of the most important Hindu shrines in northeastern region and also boast of the biggest Shivalingam in the world. It is believed that original Sivalingam was shifted to the present place during a devastated earthquake. The temple is crowded with pilgrims from all over Assam so it is well linked by road.

The Hazara Pukhuri
The huge tank was excavated in the early part of the 19th century. It is one of the largest tanks in India that covers an area of 70 acres of land. It is regular visited by pilgrims from all parts of Assam.

Hot chili Pepper

Assamese people are fond of chili and there is a grading system assesses peppers in Sco ville Units of pungency. There are many spices like Pimento, Tabasco and Jalapeno peppers ranges from 500 to 8000 but the infamous bin-jolokia means poison chili, which has broken all record and become the world's hottest pepper, recorded a phenomenal 1,041,427.