Modern day Tezpur, the headquarter of Sonitpur district of Assam, is said to be the erstwhile Sonitpur, the Kingdom of legendary King Banasura. According to the legend, Lord Krishna’s army and Banasura’s army fought for the rescue of Aniruddha (grandson of Lord Krishna) who married Banasura’s daughter ‘Usha’ against the will of her father. There was so much bloodshed that the whole place was stained in red. This led to the name of the place becoming Tezpur, which means the City of Blood. Modern Tezpur was founded by the British colonial administration in 1835 as the headquarters of Darrang
Places to visit
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- Cole Park or Chitrakekha Udyan
Cole Park (Chitralekha Udyan): The Deputy Commissioner of Darrang, Colonel Cole, in the early part of 20th century had a dream of creating a park at a naturally beautiful site by gathering sculptures and displaying them in a prominent public place. His successor fulfilled his dream and dedicated this park to his memory. The central portion has the collection of sculptures attributed to Colonel Cole.
Da Parbatiya: The earliest and one of the finest examples of ancient architecture of Assam is to be found at Da Parbatiya near Tezpur. It is a small stone door frame dating back to fifth-six centuries bearing some exquisite carvings clearly representing the best of Gupta Art.
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- Agnigarh Tezpur
Agnigarh: According to the legend the site of the fortress was built by Banasura to keep his daughter Usha in isolation. The name ‘Agnigarh’ has been derived from two Sanskrit words ‘Agni’ (meaning fire) and ‘garh’ (meaning fortress or wall). It is a hill on the banks of the Brahmaputra river and one of the big tourist attractions in Tezpur. The view of river Brahmaputra the Kolia Bhomora Setu bridge (named after the Ahom general Kolia Bhomora) is really eye catching.
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- Mahabhairav Temple Tezpur
Mahabhairav Temple: This ancient Shiva Temple located in the heart of Tezpur town is believed to have been established by king Banasura in pre-historic times. The temple was originally built of stone but renovated and rebuilt with concrete. During Shivaratri thousands of devotees around the country visit the temple and offer their prayer to Lord Shiva.
