Dibrugarh - A Tete a Tete with the City :

Location : North Eastern India, Northern Assam

Best Time to Visit : November to February

Places to See : Tea estates

Souvenirs : Tea and Assam handicrafts, Assam silk

Dibrugarh - The Tale of the City :

Dibrugarh gets its name from the word Dibarumukh which means the mouth of the Dibaru River. Dibru is also the word Bodo tribes use for a blister. There was this king Pharsengmung Borgohain, Kilong fought against the king of the Chutiyas. The Chutiya leader got defeated and gave up to the King of Ahom. The Homs used to camp in Dibarumukh during the War between the Chutiyas and the Ahoms. Dibrugarh was the headquarters of the Lakhimpur District. Today Dibrugarh is the headquarters of Dibrugarh district. The city has a high and low relation with the elegant Brahmaputra flowing through the city. In the year 1950, there was a huge natural change when the river had diverted its course naturally after the earthquake in Medog. Dibrugarh was devastated in this earthquake and had to be completely rebuilt. The turbulent nature of the Brahmaputra River is a part of a local’s life in Dibrugarh.

Dibrugarh - Down the Ages :

Down the ages, Dibrugarh has come to be the major tea revenue area. It has tea gardens which are amongst the largest in the entire world. With plantations more than a century old, Dibrugarh, the tea queen is a progressive city today. The District of Tinsukia has Digboi which is an oil refinery which is amongst the oldest in the world. Today Dibrugarh, the oil refinery land also is a producer of sugar cane, fish, pulses, rice etc. Minerals like coal and petroleum also are produced in this richly laden city. Thus with natural gas reserves, plywood factories, and tea industries, Dibrugarh today is a very well endowed city.

Dibrugarh - A Rendezvous :

Being among the world’s largest tea exporters, and lying on the River Brahmaputra’s banks, Dibrugarh has the districts of Tinsukia, Jorhat and Dibrugarh under it. Dibrugarh, the tea city of India, is the place where the John Berry White Medical School was founded thus paving the way for medical education this part of India. Thus Dibrugarh is a successful city and is also the entry to Arunachal Pradesh for many districts.

Dibrugarh - Travel Kitty :

The travel kitty of Dibrugarh involves the pride with which the city came back in spite of a shattering earthquake in the year 1950. The grandeur in the atmosphere, the serene ambience and the fantastic expanse that the tea plantations provide is the ideal travel kitty here. Besides this, Dibrugarh also has the credit of having some of the best kind of Assam Handicrafts. So the traveler can fill this in his kitty. Assam silk is produced in Dibrugarh and is a perfect travel kitty.

Dibrugarh - Joie de Vivre in the City :

Armed with a serene and tranquil ambience and endowed with a historical tale behind it, the city of Dibrugarh rests a tired tourist’s mind and gives him the joie de vivre to live in this city, breathe its air and feel its pulsating atmosphere. One who comes here could see the following:

Parks :

Namdapha National Park: Lying around 160km away from the city of Dibrugarh, this 1985 sq km expanse of land is the largest park of the State of Arunachal Pradesh. This is also a wildlife area and is a dream come true for nature lovers. The Tiger Reserve and the Bird Sanctuary are major tourist attractions and the clouded leopard, tiger, snow leopard all add to the mystery in this place. Amongst birds, one can see the hoolock gibbon, white winged wood duck etc.

Airfields :

Dibrugarh is a place where the Japanese and British have left remnants of the World War II. Four airfields bear testimony to the fact that these were used when the British fought against the Japanese in this region during World War II. A tourist certainly would love to see such a spot of historical significance.

Tea Estates :

Dibrugarh is synonymous with tea estates. The morning tea that brews in our kitchen comes straight from these tea gardens in this beautiful city. With tea factories all around, a tourist certainly loves to go around the tea plantations and understand how tea is planted, grown, plucked, dried and converted into that beverage everyone loves to have early morning.

River Cruises :

Many tourists coming to Dibrugarh love to cruise through the River Brahmaputra and have a taste of the lovely weather here. The weather is average throughout the year thus making it convenient for the tourist to adjust.

Institutions :

Dibrugarh has some of the best educational institutions and this adds to the tourist’s interest. Some of the best institutions like the Dibrugarh University, Kanoi College, etc are a pride for the city.

Villages :

Nam Phake Village :

This is a heritage site for the Indians. It has around 2000 locals called the Nam Phake. These people originate from China and came here after migrating to Burma and Thailand. The village is famous for its picturesque surroundings and clean look. The houses are made of bamboo and the traditions here are very unique and full of culture. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people here and they also cultivate paddy, took palms and betel nut. The village has a temple for the followers of Buddhism. There are also monasteries which are thronged by tourists and visitors from abroad. The monasteries are popular for their centuries old manuscripts. These monuments have been a favorite haunt of even the Thailand Princess, and the kings.

Oil Fields :

Digboi :

This is very famous for its oil refineries. It is amongst the oldest oil producing areas of Asia. This is the first kind of oil well in Asia and is today an ancient museum for oil. It has statues which are full size. These depict scenes of how oil is produced, how men use the machines, and also depict how a car is filled with petrol. There are many bungalows of the British here and one can get lost in the lovely drive up. Digboi also has the cemetery where there are graves of the Allied Forces. These martyrs sacrificed their lives in the War of 1939 – 1945. This is a certain place to visit.

Other Cities :

Sibsagar :

Sibsagar has become a progressive town with the honor of being the headquarters of the Sibsagar district. Nazira is the headquarters of the eastern region. Sibsagar is today an important centre of oil and tea trading. Home to the culture in Assam, the remains of the Ahom rule still gives the city its grandeur. Earlier known as Rangpur, Sibsagar is a lovely place to have a rendezvous with. With the prestige of having the tallest temple of Shiva in India, the town is replete with a lot more such beautiful temples. The presiding deities in the other temples are Goddess Durga and Lord Vishnu. Thus Sibsagar, the pilgrim spot in Northeastern India is thronged by devotees from all over India. Besides all this, the town is also a treasure of history and monumental excellence. All this makes a visit to the town worth it.

Jorhat :

Jorhat is a successful, thriving modern city with a lot of development commercially and economically. The residents of Jorhat have been responsible for its continuous development and progress and have influenced the finance and the development of the erstwhile historical city. The Borgohains, the Sharmas and the Singhs dominate the city today and they are the most popular families who have been responsible for converting this otherwise sleepy locale to an actively functioning progressive city. Today Jorhat is a main connecting point in Assam with its good air and road facilities. Jorhat, the gateway to the areas of Nagaland, Kaziranga and Arunachal Pradesh is a very beautiful place to visit. The culture of the Vaishnavas makes the city a cultural capital and also has Majuli which is counted amongst the largest river islands. Lying around 310km from the city of Guwahati, Jorhat has its own research area for tea. A rendezvous with the city reveals the festival for tea that is held every year here. Besides this Jorhat also have the mementos of the British Royalty. It has many historical edifices and is amongst the largest Assamese towns. Jorhat, the last capital of the Ahoms has a lot of archaeological importance and also has the largest station for tea research in the world. With lovely huge roads and well designed structures, Jorhat, the Assamese Cultural Capital is proud to be hosting the largest number of educated people in the State of Assam.

Thus with the best kind of greenery, idyllic surroundings, historical monuments and places to visit and an intriguing past with the River Brahmaputra ruling the present, Dibrugarh is the place where one understands how the forces of Nature forced man to construct a dam to save the area from being flooded. All this renders the place a worth visit.

One who leaves this place thinks “Dibrugarh - The lovely tea queen.”