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| Kolia Bhora Setu after sunset |
The name Tezpur is derived from the Sanskrit words 'Teza' (meaning
blood) and 'Pura' (meaning town or city). Legend has it that the
original name of this place was 'Sonitpur' ("sonit" in Sanskrit also
means blood), the capital of asura king , Banasura, a devout of Lord Shiva. Later his daughter Usha had a Gandharva marriage with Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna,
whom she had abducted with the help of Chitralekha. On finding this
Banasura imprisoned Anuruddha. Subsequently, in the battle between
Krishna's army and Banasura's army fought for the rescue of Aniruddha,
the grandson of Lord Krishna, according to legend, there was so much
bloodshed that the whole place was stained in red. This led to the name of the place becoming Tezpur.
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| View from Agnigarh |
Tezpur is the hometown of Koka (my maternal grandfather). So, it is also Ma's hometown. As a child, I have traveled several times with my grandparents to Tezpur. After Koka's retirement, they briefly stayed in Tezpur before moving to Guwahati permanently. I have done my post-graduation from Tezpur (Central) University and so have been in Tezpur for two years. You know, we could see the Kanchenjunga peak from our university campus on a clear day.
As a child, I remember being taken to all the places to see in Tezpur. Some of them are:
- The famous Agnigarh, site of the fortress which was built by Banasura to keep his daughter Usha in isolation. The name itself is derived from the words 'Agni' (meaning fire) and 'garh' (meaning fortress or wall) in Sanskrit.
- Ganesh Ghat (the term ghat refers to a series of steps leading down to a body of water, particularly a holy river) next to the Ganesh temple.
- Padum Pukhuri, literally means lotus pond, is a famous lake with an island in Tezpur.
- Cole's Park (Chitralekha Uddyan) is a vast and beautiful park. Here one can see the two massive ornamental stone pillars and the sculptural remains of the famous bamuni hills.
- Bhairabi temple, located in the outskirts of Tezpur on the banks of river Brahmaputra.
Nameri (N is for Nameri) is also located in Sonitpur.
But my favourite thing about this district is the Kolia Bhomora Setu (bridge) on the river Brahmaputra. This bridge connects Sonitpur on the north bank with Nagaon District on the south bank. The length of this bridge is 3015 meters. The construction of the bridge took place from 1981 to 1987. It is named after the Ahom General Kolia Bhomora Phukan.
The sunset from the bridge is absolutely spectacular. And there is always a breeze blowing. In spring, when the trees on the either side of the road leading up to the bridge are in full bloom, it is gorgeous. The flowers on the trees, forming a myriad of colours and their petals strewn on the road, the greenery all around and the blue waters. I am in love with this sight. Don't know when will be the next time I shall see it.
I am taking part in the Blogging From A to Z Challenge [April 2014].
This is my last post for the challenge. Phew! I can't believe that I survived. I have devoted this whole month to this challenge and my blog. And finally it has come to an end. I had one hell of a time. I hope you enjoyed too!
Do keep reading me :)