Tezpur

A city in Lower Assam, Tezpur (Assamese: তেজপুৰ Tejpur, Hindi: तेजपुर Tejpur) is the largest city in the northern banks of the Brahmaputra River. It houses numerous sites of historical significance of the Ahom Kingdom and is also mentioned in several Hindu Puranic scriptures.

Understand
Tezpur (tehz-poor or tehj-poor - not to be confused with the similar-sounding Dispur) is the administrative headquarters of the Sonitpur district of Assam. The city's existence dates back to the Vedic period. It is a major tourist hotspot with a growing commercial market. It has numerous tea plantations and acts as a gateway to Arunachal Pradesh through Bhalukpong.

History
The name Tezpur means  ' town of blood ' . According to Hindu Puranic scriptures, the ruler of Sonitpur, Banasura had a daughter named Usha. Banasura locked her up in a fortress called Agnigarh as many young suitors had come to him asking for her hand. Once in a dream, Usha fell in love with Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna. Usha's friend Chitralekha who was an artist helped Usha portray Aniruddha. Chitralekha, through her supernatural powers, abducted Aniruddha from the palace of Krishna and brought him to Sonitpur. When Banasura came to know about this, he started a war with Lord Krishna which ended up in bloodshed. This justifies the name of the town. At the end of the war, Banasura was defeated by Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna forgave Banasura as he pleaded for his life. Lord Krishna then married his grandson Aniruddha to Bana's daughter Usha and the war ended on a happy note. The city has numerous ruins dating back to 9th and 10th centuries of the Gupta period. Antiquities found at the Da Parbatia are inferred to have been from a temple complex built during the 5th or 6th century, prior to the Bhaskaravarman period.

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force used Tezpur Airport as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber base for the 7th Bombardment Group.

During the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the People's Liberation Army of China penetrated close to the outskirts of the city. The local government ordered the evacuation of the civilians in Tezpur to the south of the Brahmaputra River, all prisoners were released, and government officials who stayed behind destroyed Tezpur's currency reserves in anticipation of a Chinese advance. Due to this, the Indian Armed Forces have a significant presence in the city till today.

Climate
Tezpur has a moderate climate characterised by heavy rainfall during the monsoons and slight rainfall with isolated thunderstorms from October to March. The city does not experience very high temperatures at any time of the year. The daily maximum temperature is 36 °C (96.8 °F) in August, the hottest month and the daily minimum temperature is 8.9 °C (48 °F) in January, the coldest month.

Get in
Being one of the most developed cities in the region, Tezpur is well connected by airways, railways, roadways as well as waterways.

By plane
Tezpur has a civil enclave airport with daily regional services from Guwahati and Pasighat. All flights are operated by Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India. The airport is also known as Salonibari Airport, named after its locality, Salonibari. Only ATR-42 and ATR-72 aircraft operate through here.

By train


Dekargaon Railway Station serves the city. It handles daily passenger and goods services. Being at the end of the route, this is the last railway station. The main railway station is Rangapara North Junction. It handles daily passenger and goods traffic to major cities of India.

By car
Tezpur is well connected by national highways and state highways. The city is linked with other towns and districts in the region.
 * Coming from Dhekiajuli, go via NH-15
 * Coming from Biswanath Chariali, go via NH-15
 * Coming from Jakhalabandha, go via NH-715
 * Coming from Nagaon, go via SH-3, then NH-715

By bus
Tezpur is well connected by bus services. Assam State Transport Corporation, a government owned road transport service, operates buses in the city. Buses connect almost all the cities in Assam daily. Tickets can be booked online at ASTC's website or through the RedBus. Timetable is available in the RedBus website. There are air-conditioned buses as well as ordinary buses. Apart from these, private buses are also available. Private buses are crowdy and might be uncomfortable for travellers.

By boat
Tezpur is situated along the National Waterway 2 (NW-2) on the Brahmaputra river. The city handles daily cargo services. There are numerous ferries offering rides at a reasonable rate to nearby river islands.

Get around
Getting around Tezpur can be quite hectic. There are e-rickshaws, public transportation like buses, and rental cars. E- Rickshaw operators can charge huge fares on seeing a tourist. Usually e-rickshaw rides are short and cost ₹10-20 per person (as of 2022). It is recommended to use e-rickshaws instead of public transport to go around in the city as public transport vehicles are packed with people, at least most of the times. Walkarounds are usually safe and can be done easily. Cycling is a good option but don't expect anything like Copenhagen.

Going to villages and nearby towns is surely a good idea but e-rickshaws and other private vehicles are a bit overpriced. Public transportation like bus or train is recommended.

Do
The city is full of historical wonders. Visit the archaeological sites and temples to relish the history of the city. The city's market, Chowk Bazaar is always active with stores for everything. Roam all around, hang out with friends, get out for dinner, enjoy with family in the parks.

Watch movies
There are numerous movie theatres in the city. All of the theatres have eateries. Here are the most popular ones-

Events
There are various clubs around the city that regularly organise musical events and fairs. Tezpur, being a city in Assam, the festival of Bihu is celebrated here too with great joy. People are filled with joy and enjoy the occasion to the fullest. People distribute sweets and pithas (similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters). Painting sessions are also organised in Chitralekha Udayan.

Learn
Tezpur has a university which is accredited to the NAAC with A grade. It offers all types of courses ranging from B.Tech, Ph.D and M.Tech among others. The city also has a college and many other institutions.

Work
Due to rapid modernisation in the city in the recent years, many companies have established locations in the city and most of them have numerous vacancies for job positions. There is not much work opportunities for foreign travelers but both international and domestic visitors can help out NGOs and educational institutions.

Buy


There are many agglomerated markets in the city. The major ones are, and. Stores offering almost all kinds of necessities are available in both the markets.

Eat
Tezpur has a number of restaurants all around the city. With street side vendors to luxurious restaurants, you can find food from all ranges here. Here are the ones worth mentioning:

Drink
You can have some beer and other drinks at most of the bars. There are numerous wine shops around the city. The one legal and socially accepted way to consume cannabis is as bhang, a low-grade preparation sold at government-licensed shops. You can get bhang in shops near temples. Note that drinking in public is normally frowned upon. For refreshments, a cup of tea or coffee is the best. You can visit cafés for some espresso and soft drinks are available almost everywhere. The Zoral bar in Hotel KRC Palace is considered the best bar in the city.

Sleep
There are numerous hotels, lodges and motels in and around the city offering stays at reasonable prices. Here are the some of the most popular ones:

Connect
Cell phone coverage in the city is excellent. There are three major service providers offering a wide variety of plans. Among them are Airtel, VI (formerly Vodafone) and Jio.

To call Tezpur from abroad you will need to dial the international prefix for your country, followed by India's country code +91. If you want to dial a landline no. from a mobile, then you have to add the area code of Tezpur, 03712 before the number.

Internet services are unreliable in some parts of the city. Most stores have broadband connections. Dekargaon railway station has free high-speed Wi-fi services but you need an Indian mobile number to register and receive the one-time password.

Postal services
The PIN code for Tezpur is 784001. The PIN code is necessary for sending and receiving shipments to and from any city in India. India Post has a wide coverage in Tezpur, providing both domestic and international services. Apart from this, private courier services are also available which also offer fast domestic and international services. Some of the popular ones are DTDC, Gati-KWE and Blue Dart (part of DHL). Services of FedEx can also be availed at a slightly higher cost, as its nearest hub is located in Guwahati.

Emergency numbers
Here are some emergency numbers in case you need any help.

Police
Sonitpur Police will always help you. The police regularly patrols the city ensuring safety of the citizens.



For immediate police assistance, dial 100 or 112. To report a crime, visit the nearest police station.

Cope
Power in the city is managed by Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL). For power related issues you can contact. All commercial complexes and markets have power backup facilities. You can navigate around the city using Google Maps.

Veterinary
There are many medical and grooming stores for animals around the city.

Go next

 * Guwahati, the commercial capital of Assam, is 180 km from Tezpur.
 * Nameri National Park is a national park 35 km from Tezpur on the Tezpur-Bhalukpong-Bomdila route. It has more than 600 floral species with habitats for numerous animal and bird species.
 * Kaziranga National Park located about 50 km from Tezpur. Known for its forests, wetlands and grasslands which are home to tigers, elephants and the world’s largest population of Indian one-horned rhinoceroses.
 * Pakke Tiger Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary in near Bhalukpong which is known for hornbill watching. It also houses tigers and elephants.