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ABN CHARAIDEW<br />
One of Asia’s major rivers, the<br />
Brahmaputra river flows through three<br />
countries: born in Tibet, reaching<br />
maturity in India, and ending its journey<br />
to the sea in Bangladesh. It bears<br />
many names along its course: Tsangpo<br />
in Tibet, Lohit or Brahmaputra in India,<br />
and Jamuna in Bangladesh.<br />
Navigable for most of its length, the<br />
Brahmaputra is known for its floods,<br />
which are essential to the ecosystems<br />
of the wildlife sanctuaries along<br />
its banks. The river bed, miles wide,<br />
forms a natural corridor for birds<br />
and mammals, while industry and<br />
development are absent from the<br />
scene.<br />
Wilderness and wildlife are, in fact, the<br />
dominant aspects of the Brahmaputra<br />
cruise but the distinctive nature of<br />
Assamese culture is also equally<br />
fascinating. Assam was the only area<br />
of India that remained unconquered by<br />
the Mughals; instead, the influence of<br />
Buddhist traditions of Southeast Asia<br />
spread through the land.<br />
Rated by CNN as one of the world’s<br />
top 10 adventurous cruises (albeit of<br />
a gentler variety), the Brahmaputra<br />
cruises are a passage to a little-known<br />
corner of the subcontinent and the<br />
natural and cultural treasures it<br />
harbours.<br />
SIGHTS ALONG<br />
THE BRAHMAPUTRA<br />
On the Brahmaputra, our cruises take<br />
you to riverside villages where the<br />
locals will be as enchanted by us as we<br />
by them. Our guide will be able to fill in<br />
about their background and to point<br />
out the differences between the<br />
various tribal communities, whether<br />
they be Mishing, Dimasa, Kachari or<br />
Bodo.<br />
Where we cannot moor the riverboat<br />
alongside the bank, we take our<br />
country boat to explore temples such<br />
as Kamakhya, where tantric rites are<br />
practised, or the ruins of the Ahom<br />
dynasty, kings of Thai stock who ruled<br />
Assam for 600 years.<br />
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