OFF-ROADING TO KARGIL VIEW POINT ( KAMALPUR ) AT BIRUBARI HILLS, GUWAHATI

Photo Travelogue :
Read first part - Here!


Whenever I'm in my native house I see this hill everday. Its covered in trees and looks like some huge elongated 'brocollis' all clubbed together. The hill runs from east to west ( 3-4 kms ) in the middle of the city ( towards south ), splitting it into two. These days during evenings I see flickering lights from it, suggesting that there have been many encroachments...which is sad as this is literally the lungs of the city. I hate it when trees are cut to make way for illegal human settlements. And its a common sight here. However, I decided to go up close and explore what lies inside before the tress disappear altogether. Lets see what still remains of it. With that in mind I set forth to explore the hills of Birubari right in middle of Guwahati city. There are multiple ways to access and I chose the GMCH route for this particular adventure. Early morning, I rode uptil GMCH and went past it. One has to go the road that goes towards Kahilipara. Its a slope ...but midway, there is small path that one has to take. The landmark to keep in mind is the 'Maha Mritunjoy' temple that lies in corner of a fork.


take the right road from the fork...
and almost immediately we are climbing up...





trees touching the skies... felt so tiny...
We are greeted by the large leafy trees. Although it was a sunny day, The trees almost didn't let the sun rays in. So..it was sort of dark and so much cooler. riding up..stopping here and there. There's said to be a leopards area in this hill, so, kept looking back anxiously not wanting to become its lunch.


these forests are army area...oh..why do they always have the best places?




practicing some tree-pointings...


the ride continues for a while...



stopping the scooty every now and then to take in the magnificent views...
Was bit disappointing to see the human settlements at the top, yes there exists a place called 'kamalpur/kamalnagar' and lots of people live there. A little town in itself For now the trees are covering them, but, for how long I wonder. It'll be sad if the forest vanishes. there are already several muddy off-road patches suggesting many trees have been already butchered to satiate men's nefarious greed. With a sigh, we take the directions that says 'view point' and move on...


until we reach a clearing at the top...
and the city of guwahati is smiling at us from below...




WOW! The views are simply breathtaking...can you spot the river brahmaputra?




trying to touch it...somewhere down below is my home...yes, yes...I see it..



Alas, the trip comes to an end, but, not the memories :-)

'beware of leopards' sign in the area...




Very doable, this place is a hidden gem and one must go there just to see the city views below once. Its so worth it. I enjoyed my trip. Hope the forests are not destroyed further. Do not go after dark as leopards prowl in the entire area. Not sure why its called 'kargil' though :s

Address : Kargil View Point, Kamalnagar, Birubari Hills, near TV Tower, Guwahati, Assam
Read next part - Here! Stay tuned for all my road, rail, flight, cruise & walk trips.
( Images - ©Mine. All rights reserved. )
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RIDING AND OFF ROADING UP THE NEW PANDU-KAMAKHYA ROAD AT NILACHAL HILLS - PART 2

Photo Travelogue :
Read first part - Here!


In my previous post, I had rode up the amazing Nilachal Hills where the famous Kamakhya temple is located. Its the old road that has been used like forever ( since the temple is very ancient ). With the new alternate road coming up, I was tempted to see it first hand. Its a more picturesque road that runs along the edge of the hill, giving a more closer look of the river brahmaputra. This road reaches the temple from the other side and I was really thrilled to ride, as this road was more challenging - almost verticle at places, so steep. Here's my entire trip in pictures. Enjoy :-)


these roofed walking & viewing tracks are a hallmark of this route...


newly contructed, patches are still under work, hence, had to off-road quite a bit...


another gorgeous hill, I guess, its still untouched...


isn't is simply gorgeous?...


mighty brahmaputra peeking by the corner of this hill...


the finished part of the route...


even though its very steep, its very clean and quite nice to ride, albeit, carefully...


signature, rock!


wow...

one can easily mistake it for some hill-station, alas, it is guwahati!


I'm in love with it already...




the famous saraighat bridge view...


beware of landslides, these wounds are still raw...

lets enjoy the views...



entire northern banks of the brahmaputra is visible from here...


once complete, I'm sure, this will be the new hangout place for locals and visitors alike...


finally, its time to bid bye to the awesomeness...
So, did you like it? I sure did. Loved it infact ;-)





This is the riverfront promenade on the alnernate Kamakhya Temple Entry route from Pandu side!

Address : Pandu-Kamakhya Road, Kamakhya Temple, Nilachal Hills, Guwahati
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TREKKING TO MAA KAMAKHA DEVI TEMPLE AND NILACHAL HILLS - PART 1

Photo Travelogue :


Kamakhya Temple is a very famous 'shakti' temple ( dedicated to the divine feminine ), revered in the tantric sect of hinduism and considered one of the many 'shaktipeeths'. It is located in India's Guwahati, Assam. It is visited by people from all over the country and worldwide. The famous Ambubachi Mela is held every year ( june 22-25 ). in this temple. While I've been to the temple few times, this particular trip was not to the temple or for any kind of worship ( I'm anyways bit agnostic ); but rather a quick ride up the famous Nilachal hills ( about 800+ ft ) wherein the temple is located. Its a beautiful place with equally if not more beautiful surroundings. Here's my trip in pics. Enjoy :-)


the massive entry gate at the base of the hill...its free to enter...
the roads are butter-smooth and in very good condition, but, quite steep in places...






the uphill ride begins...with the first hair-pin turn...








trees...trees...everywhere...



another hair-pin turn...


the view...ooh la la...




do you see the brahmaputra river further ahead? there's also few watch-towers...




one last look at the greenery

before the downhill ride...

and, rolling down...tra la la la...






bye bye...till we meet in another hill...


moi :-)
With clear weather and clear skies..it was absolutely delightful riding up and down and enjoying the moments thoroughly. It is also a leopard hotspot and going alone after dark is discouraged.


Nilachal Hill or Kamagiri Hills situated at a distance of 7 km from Guwahati is a beautiful religious and mythological hilly area of Assam, India and is of great historical and archeological importance. This hill believed to be a 'Khasi' sacrificial site earlier, now has a group of ancient temples on the top; the largely eminent of them is the Kamakhya temple. The Nilachal hills of Guwahati is a beautiful religious and mythological hilly area of Assam, India. it is the temple where the beliefs and practices of the Aryan communities coincide with non-Aryan communities.( wiki )
Address : Hargobinda Sarma Path, Nursery, Kamakhya, Guwahati, Assam 781010
Read next part - Here! Stay tuned for all my road, rail, flight, cruise & walk trips.
( Images - ©Mine. All rights reserved. )
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