Guwahati is major commercial city of the northeastern state of Assam which is often considered as the gateway to the North-East Region (NER) of the India. The main city is situated on the southern bank of the mighty Brahmaputra River. Guwahati is one of the most rapidly growing cities in India. Formerly known as Pragjyotishpur (the City of Eastern Light), it is also the biggest city of Assam. A recent survey (2006) by a popular Indian magazine - Outlook (Money) has ranked Guwahati at 17th among all the major and medium sized Indian cities. A survey done by a UK media  placed Guwahati among the first 100 fastest growing cities of the world and in India the 5th fastest growing city. Its etymological root is derived from two Assamese words, "Guwa," meaning areca nut and "Haat," meaning market. Fixed between the picturesque hills of the eastern flanks of the Himalayan mountain range, it is the gateway to the seven other northeastern states, also referred as seven sisters. Guwahati is the junction of three important roads, National Highways 31, 37 and 40.

Traditionally, Guwahati has been an important administrative and trading center and a river port. Epigraphic sources place capitals of many ancient kingdoms in Guwahati.

	Dighali Pukhuri, Guwahati
	Image By Wikipedia User Porikolpok Oxom Image is in Public Domain

Guwahati is best known for its picturesque beauty, Historical significance & for the fast growing urban culture. There are several hills of different sizes and shapes. Many of the hills such as the Nilachal, Chitrachal, Narakasur, etc. are famous of their legendary, religious and historic importance and have in fact guided Guwahati's development in three elongated corridors limiting to the plain areas. Also it is best for its river islands (e.g. Umananda), beaches, beach-islands (balicapori), thick tropical green cover, natural sweetwater lakes & hills with thick forests.

There is no requirement of any kind of permit to travel in Assam for Indians. However foreign nationals are required to have a valid Indian Visa while traveling.

Guwahati is easily accessible by air, rail & road. Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is a modern airport and most airlines have daily flights from all metros across India. Guwahati has three railway stations well connecting it to the rest of the country

By Air:
Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport of Guwahati is well connected by air with New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. Most major airlines operate regular flights to Guwahati.

By Rail:
The busy and overcrowded Paltan Bazar railway station is the nearest railhead for many trains from every part of India. There are direct train services from New Delhi and Kolkata with connections to Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi & other major cities of India.

By Road:
All India tourist permit vehicles are available for  local transport and also for the inter city transport. Guwahati is connected by regular bus services with Shillong, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur, Siliguri, Sibsagar, Dimapur, Kohima, Imphal, Aizawal, Itanagar, Barpetta Road and Cooch Bihar. Also private vehicles are available in the form of cars, mini-coaches etc.

Local Transport: Guwahati has a good public transport system. A government agency - ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) and many private operators provide a considerably good city-bus system. Private Coaches can also be availed here. Guwahati is the first city in northeast where low floored buses were introduced

There are quite a few attractions to see in Guwahati like attractive natural parks, wildlife sanctuaries, hill stations & a colorful cultural landscape. Some of the must visit places are:

Kamakhya temple is located atop the Nilachal hill and considerd to be the most revered among the tantrik shrines of Shakti worship in the world. Kamakhya, was built in the 10th century by the Koch king Naranarayan. Animal sacrifice is a common practice here to appease the Goddess.

	Kamakhya Temple
	Image By Flickr User dwimalu Used under Creative Commons Attribution License

Bhubaneshwari Temple: Is above Kamakhya temple from where one can have a bird's eye view of Guwahati.

Shiva Temple: The Shiva temple of Umananda can be reached by motor boats and public ferries from Umananda Ghat. It stands on an island in the middle of the Brahmaputra.

Navagraha Temple: Atop a hill in east Guwahati is the Navagraha temple - the "temple of nine planets," - an ancient seat of astrology and astronomy. Housed in a red beehive-shaped dome, the central lingam is encircled further by  nine planets.

Vashistha Ashram: The Vashistha Ashram (the abode of sage Vashistha) is an interesting old shrine, with plenty of greenery and three beautiful streams, Lalita, Kanta and Sandhya. Several other temples like the Ugratara temple, famous for its golden idol and buffalo sacrifices, are also spread across the city.

Guwahati Zoo Guwahati Zoo is the largest natural zoo of the country.

The Dighali Pukhuri: This is a rectangular lake that was connected to the Brahmaputra and was an ancient boat yard which was probably also used by the Ahoms in the medieval times.

Also a must see is the archaeological site of Ambari an excavation site close to Digholy Pukhury.

Apart from the mentioned places Guwahati also offers a lot of other attractions such as Fansi Bazaar, Pan Bazaar, Paltan Bazaar, Ganeshguri & Beltola Bazaar to name a few.

Guwahati is located centrally to many of the regional tourist destinations and the city provides basic communication services and tours to access these. Few of these are:

Kaziranga National Park:  At 200 km, it is famous for the one horned rhinoceros.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary - A beautiful hill station and the capital city of Meghalaya surrounded by pine forests

Tawang - At 200 km, this is a famous Buddhist monastery in the snow-clad Arunachal Himalayas.

Manah / Manas National Park - 150 km west, is a beautiful wildlife sanctuary in the foot hills of Himalayas.

Guwahati has a lot to offer to its tourists & can be enjoyed as a stand-alone visit. However, there are quite a few other interesting places in Assam & the north-east to cover alongside while touring Guwahati.