Brahmaputra Road-India

There's something to be said for traveling along shorelines. I've chased the sea along India's 8,000 km coast; but I've never followed a river before, and here I am, all set to drive up the second largest river in Asia-the Brahmaputra, along the Assam Valley.

Start at Guwahati and follow the Brahmaputra's south bank past tea country right up to Parasuram Kund, 600 km away in Arunachal. The drive is green in every hue-lush paddy, wooded hills, manicured tea, and the grass of the Kaziranga plain. You don't actually see the Brahmaputra but the road runs parallel to the river most of the way. From ?Gajraj?, a hilly vantage point, you see the flood plain stretching into the river. We break journey at Kaziranga and take in a safari at the Kohara range. The day ends with an evening suffused with soft lights and serenity at the Wild Grass Resort.

Tea estates line the highway most of the way to Jorhat, the gateway to Upper Assam. Virgin forest covers the Karbi hills to our right. Occasionally, smouldering gashes scar the thick cove-hillsides cleared for ?jhum? cultivation. Jorhat is the bastion of upper-crust Assamese tea families. It is also the main access to Majuli, the world's largest river island, a biodiversity hot spot with a 15th century cultural heritage.

En route to Sibsagar, on NH37, we cross the inconspicuous ?Silsetu?-a monolithic stone bridge built in 1703. Sibsagar is an important tea and oil district town, capital of the Ahom dynasty, strewn with remnants of their 600-year reign. We stop at the 200-year-old Sibsagar tank flanked by three temples built in 1734 by the Ahom queen Madambika. The pinnacle of the Shivadol is covered in pure gold. We peer into the musty recesses of the three underground stories of Talatal Ghar and wander through the Kareng Ghar, the upper levels of the seven- storied palace just outside town. Nearby is the Rang Ghar pavilion, an elephant-fightarena. The Gargaon Palace built in 1540 is 13 km east of Sibsagar.

THE INFORMATION

DISTANCE 615 km along NH 37 JOURNEY TIME non-stop driving takes 14-16 hrs. A relaxed drive with stopovers will take you about two days

WHERETO EAT Dhabas at Misa (beyond Nawgaon) for a quick meal. The scenic GL Dhaba (short of Kaziranga) for a relaxed meal and leg stretch. Wild Grass Resort is good for a relaxed, ambient lunch or early stopover.

PLACES TO STOP Gajraj view point for a view of the Brahmaputra/Kaziranga floodplain. Dhabas at Kohora crossing.

TIPS choose a resilient vehicle! Most towns in the way are equipped with garages/ workshops/ mechanics in case of a breakdown. Best to fill gas at major way stations to ensure safe fuel.

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