Jorhat Between Tea Research and Forest Landscapes

Jorhat reveals itself through very different themes: forest areas between tea gardens and settlements, a prayer house founded in 1461, tea research and a distinctive sporting history. Nature, religious culture and historic institutions offer different starting points for planning your trip. Which of these matters most when choosing accommodation depends on what you would like to experience in Jorhat.

Forest Landscape in Jorhat District

Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary covers 20.98 square kilometres in Jorhat district. It contains semi-evergreen forests and evergreen forest areas located between tea gardens and human settlements. The surrounding landscape is therefore as much a part of the sanctuary’s description as the forest types themselves: here, forest areas meet tea and inhabited landscapes. For nature enthusiasts, this offers a different perspective on Jorhat from the region’s religious and institutional sites.

Tea and Research in Tocklai

Tocklai lies on the southeastern edge of Jorhat. The Tocklai Institute there was founded in 1911 and is the world’s largest and oldest tea research centre. The institute includes a tea museum and a model tea factory. Machines used to process tea leaves into ready-to-drink tea are on display there. Research, processing and exhibits of the relevant machinery thus come together in Tocklai, making it easy to distinguish the different aspects of tea.

Prayer House and Newspaper History

Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar is a prominent Bornamghar, or prayer house, in Assam. The saint and reformer Madhabdev founded it in 1461 in the village of Dhekiakhowa in Jorhat. Thengal Bhawan tells a different kind of story: Raibahadur Siva Prasad Barooah had the building constructed in 1880. It later housed a printing press and an office from which the daily newspaper Dainik Batori was published. The first Assamese-language daily newspaper was published from Thengal Bhawan; at the same time, it was the first daily newspaper in any language to be published from an Indian village. Dhekiakhowa Bornamghar and Thengal Bhawan thus represent different cultural themes: the religious history of a foundation on the one hand, and the history of newspaper printing on the other.

Sporting Tradition at Jorhat Gymkhana Club

Jorhat Gymkhana Club has facilities for horse racing, lawn tennis, swimming, billiards and snooker, polo and cricket, as well as an 18-hole golf course. Its layout is unusual: the golf course was laid out inside the horse-racing track, and this design continues to shape its distinctive character. The golf course was established in 1876 and is widely regarded as the oldest in Asia. This sporting history adds another distinct facet to Jorhat, alongside its religious and cultural sites.

Getting There and Finding Your Way

Jorhat Airport, commonly known as Rowriah Airport, is located within the city. Check flight times separately before your trip. For road directions to Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary: it is 5 km from the railway junction at Mariani and 20 km from Jorhat. These distances can help you factor the sanctuary into your plans without losing sight of the city’s other themes. Nimati Ghat, a river port on the outskirts of Jorhat, is considered the gateway to Majuli Island.

Another point of interest for those drawn to knowledge is Jorhat Science Centre & Planetarium. It opened to the public in March 2013. Together with the Tocklai Institute, founded in 1911, it adds science as another theme for trip planning alongside the historic sites.

Discover more destinations: Mariani, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, Barpeta, Sonitpur, Dima Hasao, Sonitpur, Bongaigaon.

For the overall travel overview: Assam.