GLISTERING GUWAHATI & SHILLONG

Roughly shaped like a bird with wings stretching along the length of the Brahmaputra river, Assam is the central state in the North-East Region of India and serves as the gateway to the rest of the Seven Sister States. The land of red river and blue hills, Assam comprises three main geographical areas: the Brahmaputra Valley which constitutes the expansive wingspan, the Barak Valley extending like a tail, and the intervening Karbi Plateau and North Cachar Hills. Assam shares its border with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal; and there are National Highways leading to their capital cities. It also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh. In ancient times Assam was known as Pragjyotisha or Pragjyotishpura, and Kamarupa.Supporting the state's abundant wildlife and lush vegetation are the monsoons. They stretch from the late May to September, but there are intermittent rains even in the winters. High temperatures cause the rivers to swell with melted snow from Himalayas. Winter begins in late November and continues till February. Cool, gentle breezes blow in January and February keeping the days clear and sunny. Winter mornings in most of Assam are marked by a dense fog.