Interesting facts

1. Guwahati is famously known as the "Gateway to North East India." 2. The city's ancient name was "Pragjyotishpura," which translates to the "City of Eastern Light." 3. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is a neighborhood located entirely within the Guwahati city limits. 4. The city is home to the Kamakhya Temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas and a major site of Hindu pilgrimage. 5. Umananda Island, located in the middle of the Brahmaputra River in Guwahati, is known as the smallest inhabited river island in the world. 6. The Saraighat Bridge in Guwahati was the first rail-cum-road bridge constructed over the Brahmaputra River, opened in 1962. 7. Guwahati hosted the historic Battle of Saraighat in 1671, where the Ahom army defeated the Mughal Empire. 8. The Guwahati Tea Auction Center (GTAC) is one of the busiest tea trading facilities in the world, renowned for Assam CTC tea. 9. The city features the Navagraha Temple, an ancient seat of astronomy and astrology dedicated to the nine celestial bodies. 10. Deepor Beel, located in Guwahati, is Assam's only Ramsar wetland site. 11. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is the only IIT situated in the northeastern region of India. 12. The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden in Guwahati is the largest of its kind in the Northeast. 13. Guwahati is one of the few global metropolises that supports a natural population of leopards within city limits. 14. Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra is a cultural institution in Guwahati that beautifully preserves and showcases the art and culture of Assam. 15. The Ambubachi Mela, held annually at the Kamakhya Temple, draws hundreds of thousands of devotees, celebrating the annual menstruation of the goddess. 16. The Brahmaputra River at Guwahati is incredibly wide; during the monsoon, it can resemble a sea rather than a river. 17. Guwahati has a unique topography, consisting of an undulating plain intersected by several small hills (like Nilachal, Chitrachal, and Narakasur). 18. The city was a major Allied airbase location during World War II for flying "The Hump" to China. 19. The Vashistha Ashram in Guwahati is an ancient site believed to have been the hermitage of the sage Vashistha. 20. Guwahati's Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is the primary aviation hub for all seven sister states of the Northeast.