Saturday, August 05, 2006

Assam - Ferry Ride on the Brahmaputra in Guwahati

Hi :-) I am just back from a trip to the state of Assam. Although it was a work trip, I did manage to steal in sometime to take pictures and to look around. Here are some pictures and snippets that I would love to share over a few posts. This was my first visit to the state and I was taken in by the beauty of the countryside – there were such beautiful hues of green all around! I also had time to explore a bit of its capital – Guwahati. Here are some pictures of the Brahmaputra river and a ferry ride on it.
The Brahmaputra river flows along the city of Guwahati, in fact, it flows along the entire stretch of Assam state. The river is incredibly vast!

The horizon is dotted with mountains and the sky that day looked absolutely gorgeous.

There are several ghats from where one can take a ferry for a ride in the river. Kachari ghat, Fancy bazzar ghat, Sukreshwar ghat to name a few… I boarded the ferry from Sukreshwar ghat. Adjacent to the ghat is the Sukreshwar park where one can relax while waiting for the ferry.

My ferry was called “Jolporee” (translated “water fairy”). Jolporee took its passengers on an hour ride on the river. The cafeteria on its deck served hot food in the cool refreshing evening. A live band played nice music, they started with “yeh shyam mastani…”


I waited for the sun to set. The sunset promised to be spectacular. I hoped that the clouds would part but that evening the sun never emerged. It set behind the clouds.

8 comments:

Sigma said...

Hi ... North-east has a great natural beauty, which is not as well explored as many other parts of India. Your pics are really beautiful. Especially the last two - just too spectacular for words. I'll look forward to seeing and reading more ....

jhantu said...

LOvely pics and ur mention of the ghats reminded me of Banaras where I spend my undergrad years and spent many a night idling with beer crates and friends in its famed ghats.

Unknown said...

lovely...nice pictures...

The thinking thinker said...

Good to see you back after long time.

Nice pics - although I have travelled through most of India. I never got a chance to visit Eastern states.

Vj said...

Ambrosia ,your images delight the senses .The last picture is truly celestial ,looks as if heaven is meeting the earth.Really crispy shots.

I was born in Assam but never got the oppurtunity to explore the splendid state and now Iam seeing it through your lenses .

Oh !The brahmaputra looks so splendid, so grand. I wish I was sitting next to its banks and see the sea-birds fly away.

Thanks for sharing

ambrosia said...

Thank you all for appreciating the pictures. It just so happened that Nature was at its best and I got lucky :-)

Sigma, you are right, the north-east is largely unexplored, a lot because of the various seperatist movements there which saw violent conflicts and a lot of bloodshed in the recent past. But the area that I went to (Bodoland) has emerged out of the violence and there is peace and calm there as of now. Let's hope more people can decide to travel to that part of the country. The country side is simply enchanting!

Jhantu, it must feel nice to reminisce those days :). When you speak of ghats of Beneras, I imagine them to have stairs from where people take a dip, a little litter here, a little there, somewhat crowded... although I have never been to any in Beneras. Correct me if I am wrong. This ghat was a very uppitty kind of a place, with everything in its place kinds.

Rajesh, thanks for dropping by :-)

Thinking Thinker, good to see you back too. Oh yes, do visit the Eastern states when you get the chance. Each one of them stand out in their own ways.

VJ, hope you can travel to the state of your birth again and extensively. The country side is heavenly and the long drives over kilometers of breathtaking landscape with halts for delicious Assamese platter on the highways stirs the imagination.

The thinking thinker said...

It is being long I travelled anywhere for leisure. Seeing the pics on your blog and Azahar's blog, I am planning a big trip now. :-D Hope it materialise!!!

Amin Iskandar said...

Wow...

What a wonderful photo's that you took....