Assam - A Nature Lover's Paradise

Assam is home to one-horned rhinoceroses and other wildlife. It borders Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland in the North; West Bengal in the East; and Bangladesh to its South.

This state boasts a long and complicated history, as its mention is found throughout Vedic, Tantric and Buddhist literature as well as ancient manuscripts.

Natural beauty

Assam is a breathtaking gateway to north-east India, and is a nature lover's delight. Boasting vast landscapes of tea plantations resembling an endless green blanket, Assam's geography boasts the mighty Brahmaputra River and majestic hills, in addition to ancient temples and sacred sites that showcase its vast heritage.

Bodo, Karbi, Dimasa and Mishing tribes represent some of these distinct cultural communities and traditions with distinct languages, food habits, architecture design, clothing designs, dance moves and beliefs that distinguish each tribe.

Assam's vast forests are an abundant source of both flora and fauna. Home to several endangered species such as Golden Langurs and Hoolock Gibbon, Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Hajo Wildlife Sanctuary all boast remarkable collections. 

Tribal culture

Assam is a fascinating amalgam of tribal and non tribal cultures. Assamese people have various customs relating to family and community living there; hill tribes and plains tribes can be divided geographically into hill and plain tribes respectively. Most residents in Assam are Hindus who subscribe to joint family systems.

The Karbis are an Assam tribe that belong to the Mongoloid subgroup and speak Tibetano-Burman language. They practice animistic beliefs and rely heavily on agriculture for livelihood purposes; furthermore, this matriarchal structure allows daughters of deceased mothers to inherit their property from them.

Rongali Bihu festivities start on Manuh Bihu, the first day of Bohag month and dedicated to seeking blessings from elders and ancestral spirits. Celebrations last for one week and involve wearing new clothing, playing games, dancing to the rhythms of dhol and pepa music and more.

Languages

Assam is home to numerous languages and dialects. The most widely spoken is Assamese, with a long history and distinctive literary tradition over time. Furthermore, Assam hosts several indigenous tribes who speak their own distinct tongue; these tribes typically are Tibeto-Burman origin and utilize various traditional instruments like pepa made from buffalo horn and bholuka baahor toka played with split bamboo rods.

Assam is home to multiple languages other than Assamese: Bengali, Hindi and Urdu are the principal ones spoken there, along with minority communities such as Bodo and Karbi Anglong, which have their own distinct tongues that are spoken mostly in southern Assam's Cachar district where most residents practice nomadic lifestyles with jhum cultivation practices. Furthermore, Assam offers an impressive diversity of folk music.

Economy

Assam is an agriculturally-focused state characterized by extensive tea production. The state's tea industry provides employment to over one million individuals. Other crops produced include rice, rapeseed, mustard, jute, banana, papaya, areca nuts and sugarcane.

Assam's most valuable cash crop is tea, accounting for one-seventh of India's total tea production and boasting one of the world's largest auction centers in Guwahati.

State residents enjoy numerous wildlife reserves and tourism provides another major revenue stream. To bolster this sector, the government is taking measures to improve it; even appointing Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra as their brand ambassador!

Assam's budget remains constrained by salaries, pensions and interest payments - which reduce its flexibility - but Assam spends significantly on education and healthcare; more of its GDP than average is allocated towards these areas of focus. Furthermore, significant funds are also poured into its police force.