Silchar

Silchar is the second largest city and the district capital of Cachar district of Assam. You can visit Silchar by road from Guwahati (330 km). There is also an airport in the city named Kumbhirgram Airport. The Silchar rail station at Tarapur is connected to Lumbding and Agartala. The railway line from Lumding to Silchar is hailed as one of the most exciting pristine railway tracks in India.

Silchar is located on the Barak River near the Bangladesh border. It is also the gateway to other Northeastern states like Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. The town sees a large settlement of traders from distant parts of India every year. The town lies in the Surma Valley region, and it is an extremely picturesque destination.

The place and its culture are unique to Silchar. Most of the population is Bengali and speaks the Sylheti dialect of Bengali. The rest of the population mostly comprises Marwaris, Bishnupriya Manipuris, Manipuri-Meiteis, and tribal-like Nagas. The local delicacies include the Shutki (the dried fish), Shidal Chutney, `Chunga-r Peetha` etc.

In the 1850s, British tea planters discovered the game of polo in Manipur on the Burmese border with India. In fact, the first polo club in the world was formed in Silchar and the first competitive modern polo was held here. The commemorative inscription for this achievement can still be seen behind the district library of Silchar.

Things to See

Jatinga is the place of bird mystery and Haflong is located 85 km from Silchar. more

A train ride from Lumding to Silchar – The train ride is an enchanting experience. The entire rail track passes through a hilly region with forests, cascading rivers and astounding views all through the trail. There are 33 tunnels on the route. The train also passes through Jatinga. The track is quite steep at parts and the train requires two engines to travel through this track. Visitors should carry enough food as there won't be much choice during the journey, the train also is notorious for running behind schedule.

A visit to the tea gardens – There are many tea gardens around Silchar. A visit to the nearby picturesque Sindoora tea garden is worthwhile.

Palace of Kachari Kings – The palace of the Kachari kings can be found at their last capital Khaspur, about 10 kilometres from Silchar. It was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group. Ruins and archaeological remains of the Kachari kingdom still exist in Khaspur. Khaspur was originally a part of the Tripura kingdom but was taken over by Chilarai in the 16th century and was ruled by Kamalnarayana, the brother of Chilarai.

Sri Kancha Kanti Devi Temple – From Silchar, 17 km away on the way to the airport, Udharband is the location of the famous temple of Sri Kancha Kanti Devi.

Shiva Mandir at Bhuvan Hill – About 50 kilometres away from Silchar is the Shiva Mandir located on top of Bhuvan Hill.

Maniharan cave – Close to the Bhubaneswar temple is Maniharan cave. It is a large natural cave which opens for exploration.