Assam’s ancient temples to be connected through riverine tourism circuit

At least seven ancient temples in Assam will soon be connected through waterways.

The ambitious Sagarmala project aims to connect seven historic temples located in Guwahati. Under this development initiative, the temples of Kamakhya, Pandunath, Ashwaklanta, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar, and Auniati Satra will be linked together, fostering connectivity and accessibility among these sacred sites.

The circuit will sail from Hanuman Ghat, Uzan Bazar and will complete its journey by covering all the above-mentioned temples through waterways. The ferry service is expected to reduce the overall travel time to less than 2 hours for completing one complete circuit.

An MoU for ‘Riverine based tourism Circuit’ being developed over river Brahmaputra which is likely to be signed between Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ATDC) and Directorate of Inland Water Transport (DIWT) Assam in Guwahati.

A statement issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) stated this on Friday adding that the project is being developed under the Sagarmala Programme at an initial cost of Rs.40-45 crores.

“SDCL and IWAI will jointly contribute 55 percent of the project cost while the remaining will be provided by ATDC. DIWT has consented to provide the usage of Ghats near the temples free of cost for the project,” the statement said.

The MoU signing ceremony is likely to take place on Saturday (May 19) in Guwahati and it is expected that Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal will be present during the MoU signing ceremony.