Jorhat
Jorhat is a city of about 150,000 people (as of 2011) in Assam. It was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom.
Get in
The city of Jorhat is well connected by rail, road and air modes of transport.
By plane
For visitors, the most convenient way of reaching Jorhat is by air.
- 1 Jorhat Airport (JRH IATA). Is a fully operational airport, administered by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). IndiGo operates flights from Guwahati and Kolkata to Jorhat.
By train
Railway is the next most convenient way to get to Jorhat. The main railway station is the Mariani junction, 17 km from the city centre, through which every train passes by (railway code:MXN). Important trains including Rajdhani Express and Brahmaputra Mail stop there. A loop line connects Mariani to Jorhat Town Station (railway code:JTTN). Only long-distance trains run through Jorhat Town Station — namely, InterCity Express, and Janasatabdi Exp. — are connected to the state capital, Guwahati.
By road
The National Highway No. 37 (NH37), running through the heart of Jorhat, connects the city to the airports of Dibrugarh (approximately a three-hour drive) and Guwahati (approximately a six-hour drive), respectively. The same National Highway also acts as a gateway to the neighbouring states of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.
Get around
The historical city of Sivasagar (the former Ahom Dynasty's capital) is on one end of the district and the Kaziranga National Park on the other. Rented taxi services (both pre-paid and post-paid) can be arranged from most hotels and lodges in the city. Daily ferry boats to the world's largest fluvial island (Majuli) can be boarded from Jorhat and most of those travel arrangements can be made straight from the city hotels.
See
- 1 Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located near Mariani in Jorhat district. The sanctuary is famous for the Hoolock gibbons.
- 2 Jorhat Science Centre & Planetarium, Near Rajmao Pukhuri. This science centre cum planetarium provides the understanding of the solar system and recent discoveries of astrophysics.
- 3 Majuli Island. Majuli Island is a freshwater island located about 20km from Jorhat in the Brahmaputra River. The island is rich in both natural and cultural history. The bird life is particularly varied. The population of the island live primarily in the 23 villages on the island and are primarily tribal people. Coupled with some unique Hindu monasteries these features have resulted in Majuli Island being short listed for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Do
Visit Kaziranga National Park located 96 km from Jorhat, a journey likely to take around two hours by road. The park is open from November to April.
The park covers some 430 sq km of varied terrain. The elephant grass, cane, forest and swamps offer a variety of habitats for the local wildlife, including the one-horned rhino, wild buffalo, sambar deer and wild pig as well as a wide range of birds. The last tiger count suggests a park population of 86, the highest density population of tigers in India. However the lush jungle means visitors are by no means guaranteed a sighting any of these.
Safaris into the park can be arranged locally. In addition to jeep safaris, elephant safaris to working animals of the Indian Forestry Department are possible. however the jeep safaris allow the visitor to cover a larger portion of the park than is possible on an elephant.
- Jorhat Stadium. Multi-purpose stadium used for football and cricket games.
Buy
- Ethnic handicrafts, of the north east and Assam are available in many shops in Jorhat.
- Local Shopping, Gar-Ali is the main shopping area of the city. Apart from Gar-Ali shops, Big Bazaar, Raaga, Sohum Shoppe, Vishal Mega Mart and Max Mart are other shopping outlets of Jorhat.
Eat
- Beijing Banquet, Thana Road. Chinese restaurant.
- Domino's Pizza, KB Road. Pizza restaurant.
- Hotel GK Palace, Gar Ali (near Jorhat Railway Station). Vegetarian restaurant.
- Hotel Janata Paradise, Solicitor's Road. Excellent place to taste traditional Assamese food in the form of a traditional "Assamese Thali".
- Jironi Restaurant, By pass Road.
- Nimantran Restaurant, Gar Ali. Famous for Assamese thalis.
- Saffron@The Manor, Tarajan, A.T. Road.
- Suresh Bhandar. (at Dohabara Chowk) It's also well worth tasting the sweets and special delicious "Dahi" (curd) here.
Hotel restaurants:
- Fusion Asiana restaurant with some ethnic flavours.
Sleep
Budget
- Heritage Hotel, Near ASTC Bus Stand, Solicitor's Road. Average hotel with well furnished rooms .
- Hotel Jora Palace, Raja Maidan Road. Excellent spacious rooms and nice food.
- Prashaanti Tourist Lodge, M. G. Road, Jorhat, ☏ +91 376-2321579. The lodge is operated by Department of Tourism and Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited.
- Hotel Paradise, Solictor's Road. Gloomy reception but comfortable rooms. The restaurant serves excellent food. On a small lane signposted off the main street. single ₹400/double ₹600/AC double ₹1000.
- Rishi Raj Hotel, Solictor's Road. A budget hotel located near the ASTC bus stand at Solicitor's Road.
- Nandanguest house, Janapath Chandan Nagar. A budget clean homestay, the first established in Jorhat. Home-cooked food is served. 1200 per night for AC double room.
Mid-range
- Hotel New Park, Solictor's Road. Excellent spacious rooms and nice food.
- Hotel MD's Continental, Marwari Patty, ☏ +91 3762300430, fax: +91 376 2321 831, mdscontinental@gmail.com. A luxury hotel located in the prime business location of Jorhat.
Splurge
- Kaziranga Golf Resort, Sangsua Tea Estate, Gatonga, ☏ +91 9864468605, toll-free: 1800 123 9801 (domestic), hne@barooahs.com. A beautiful golf resort located in a scenic tea estate.
- The Manor, A. T. Road, Tarajan, ☏ +91376 2370170, query@themanorjrt.com. Nice ambience at this boutique hotel, with quality food.
- Thengal Manor, Jalukanibari, Na Ali. Thengal Manor is 15km from Jorhat towards Titabor. It is a heritage house constructed in 1929 by Rai Bahadur Siva Prasad Barooah. Rooms ₹6500-₹7500.
Go next
- East to Sivasagar, famous for the historical monuments of the Ahom era.
- South-west to Golaghat, one of the oldest urban centres, and administrative divisions of Assam, since 1839.